Forest Products Industry

Since the invention of lidar in the 1960s, its usage has continued to expand, with the last couple of decades in particular marking significant upticks in use cases. Today, it is still most associated with the automotive and surveying industries, with most manufacturers in the former category using the technology as part of its autonomous driving toolkit. Source: GeoWeek News Surveying, of course, was among the early adopters of the technology, using its capabilities to calculate terrain elevation more precisely and efficiently than they’d ever been able to previously. As laser scanning technologies of all kinds, be it terrestrial, airborne, UAV, or mobile, become more democratized, new industries are able to test these tools and determine the value they can provide in these new sectors. Over the last decade or so, the forestry industry has become a prime example of this phenomenon, starting a new subsection of the industry often referred to as “digital forestry.” Big news came down in this digital forestry space last month, specifically in North America, with the announcement that Barr GeoSpatial Solutions (BGS)had acquired Forsite Consultants. In their release of the news, BGS says that Forsite being part of their group will provide them “the resources and market access to allow the expansion of our technology product offerings across North America and around the world.” Recently, Geo Week News spoke with Cam Brown, manager of resource management and technology with Forsite, and Mark Corrao, Chief Innovation Officer with Northwest Management, Inc. (also part of BGS), about the digital forestry space and what lidar has added to the overall industry. Although Brown’s work is generally in Canada – though Forsite does work on projects in the United States as well – while Corrao’s is generally in the US, they unsurprisingly each work on similar types of projects and have similar tellings of how lidar started to take hold of the industry. Corrao tells GeoWeek News about key products used by his team, including ForestView – the complete package of software tools offered by Northwest Management that “takes a Lidar scan, field work, publicly available data, client historic data and produces valuable decision-support tools for multiple industries that work with natural landscapes.” More broadly, what each of these industry veterans relay is a similar process as to how Lidar has taken hold in other industries, including traditional ones like surveying. Essentially, they are using remote sensing to more efficiently and effectively complete projects that would have taken many man hours and, as a result, much higher costs. Mostly using crewed aircraft, they are flying over relevant portions of forests and using lidar to collect point clouds for individual trees –as well as the terrain underneath them. From there, they are able to utilize machine learning capabilities developed by Forsite to predict the types of trees and other relevant attributes. “You have a known height [measured from the point cloud], you predict the species, and based on the height and a bunch of metrics and the species, you predict the diameter of the tree at the base,” Brown explained to Geo Week News about this process. “From there, we use allometric equations to calculate everything else we need about that tree. You’ll need to predict species and diameter, and everything else flows after that, and you have an inventory of every single tree in your forest. We’re doing this across million sand millions of hectares.” This process is being used to help a number of different workflows in the forestry industry as relayed by both Brown and Corrao. For the latter, he notes that about 40 percent of their projects are for Native American lands within the United States, with sizes of the projects ranging from 15,000 acres to 1.8million acres. They also complete another roughly 40% of projects for commercial and non-commercial forestland management companies, while the rest are for NGOs, states, universities, and federal agencies. Brown, meanwhile, explains that in Canada most of the forests are essentially leased out to private companies for tenure periods from the Canadian government, with those tenured companies serving as the main Forsite customers. Both industry veterans agree that the use of lidar in the industry began roughly a decade ago, with Brown noting that “a few early adopters” saw and demonstrated the value of the technology before others in the industry started to follow suit. Today, while it’s still not completely ubiquitous in the industry it is certainly much more well known than the early days of its usage, and the ROI it provides is extremely clear. Corrao, for example, tells Geo Week News that traditional workflows included foresters installing sample plots on a grid that resulted in two to four percent measurement of a forest – and only the trees – which was then extrapolated to the rest of the area. Now, they are able to measure over 80 percent of everything in the forests – i.e. streams, roads, other vegetation, etc. – in a single season, all with a 30-60 percent cost savings. He says, “These substantially greater measurement rates mean we can better model landscape change and risk into the future with much less error.” Brown, meanwhile, says that the use of remote sensing in these workflows helps on a number of different fronts. There is the cost ROI, of course, but also notes that customers see this technology as helping them avoid potential litigation for processes on their land. Additionally, he points out that it drastically reduces time workers have to spend in the field, with much of the work instead taking place in the office, and that they are able to entice customers with other applications, such as mapping things like streams and potential wildlife habitats of the land that would be much harder to achieve otherwise. Like many other similarly old industries, implementing these new tools in forestry hasn’t always been smooth, but ultimately the proven ROI wins out and companies essentially either get onboard or fall way behind. And all indications are that […]

May 2024 was the best month of 2024 to-date for timber import volumes, according to the latest Timber Development UK (TDUK) statistics. Source: Timberbiz Although volumes in May 2024 haven’t quite matched the high point of 969,000m3 seen in May 2023, at 897,000m3 it remains the best month of 2024 so far. Covering the period January to May, volumes are approximately 4% down on those seen in 2023. For May 2024 specifically, volumes were down 7% on those seen in May 2023, following a 5% increase on 2023 levels enjoyed during April. Overall, timber import volumes have weakened over the last two years. A sluggish UK economy and a reduction in construction output have contributed to these weaker volumes, but the long-term trend for timber and panel imports remains positive. The overall performance of UK imports is weighted heavily towards softwood imports, which account for 62% of all volumes. Softwood imports were 4% lower, but some products have seen import levels grow. Planed spruce imports (45% of all softwood imports) were 3% higher, driven by good growth from Sweden (+4%), Latvia (+17%), Ireland (+18%) and Norway (+104%). Price reductions of between 5% and 15% have contributed to growth from Latvia, Ireland and Norway, while Sweden has achieved good growth while maintaining prices. Hardwood imports in the first five months of 2024, meanwhile, were around 20,000m3 lower than during the same period in 2023. Three-quarters of this reduction is due to lower volumes from Latvia and the USA. France, Estonia, Romania, Cameroon and the Congo Republic have all increased their volumes exported to the UK in 2024 to date, albeit by relatively small amounts. In the first five months of 2024, tropical hardwood imports were a little less than 3% below the volume over the same period in 2023 – amounting to around 1,000m3. The largest contributors to this reduction were the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malaysia. Although timber and panel imports remained subdued, some specific types of timber and panels have seen outstanding performance. Twenty years ago, China held a 25% share of supply of hardwood plywood imports. In 2024 to date the country has reached a 70% share, with a 6% increase to May 2024. The 3% total increase in hardwood plywood in 2024 has mostly come from China. According to HMRC statistics, the composition of this growth in 2024 has varied widely. Compared to 2023, the fall in birch-faced plywood has been virtually matched by the rise in eucalyptus-faced plywood. Consequently, the 6% growth in hardwood plywood has been driven by the increases in eucalyptus-faced (+228%) and other non-coniferous-faced varieties (+24%). Particleboard imports to May 2024 were just over 2% down on the same period in 2023. However, imports of the standard unworked variety of particleboard, accounting for 39% of all particleboard imports, have grown by 13% in 2024 so far. This growth, equal to around 11,000m3, was mostly achieved through higher volumes from Belgium, Portugal and especially, Spain. The increases from Portugal and Spain, from relatively low bases, were accompanied by average price drops of 27% and 33% respectively. MDF volumes for 2024 are currently 4% below the same period in 2023. Within the many types of MDF, the unworked, medium-thickness variety, which accounted for 12% of all MDF imports in 2024 to date (7% in 2023), grew by a substantial 60%. This represented around 15,000m3 and was driven mostly by increases from China (>1,000%) and Germany, plus increases from Ireland and Portugal. Compared with 2023, average prices have reduced by 30% (to £385/m3) but remain at a premium of 25% to those from China.  

Scion’s Dr Alan Jones has contributed to a landmark UK study that demonstrates how mature natural forests respond to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Source: Timberbiz The seven-year study in central England and published in the prestigious journal Nature Climate Change with lead-author Professor Richard Norby, Honorary Professor, University of Birmingham, shows that despite their slow growth and age, mature natural forests absorb and retain additional carbon from the atmosphere even when CO2 concentration levels are boosted to levels similar to what the world is likely to see in 2050. This evidence provides scientists with insights into the important role of natural forests in mitigating climate change and offers a new perspective on the global carbon cycle. It also marks the first experimental demonstration of the “CO2 fertilisation effect” in a mature, natural (non-planted) temperate forest. The research, led by the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, revealed that mature forests, with oak trees more than 180 years old, show increased woody biomass growth in response to elevated CO2. This discovery has implications for our understanding of similar mature natural forests worldwide, including New Zealand’s native forests, says Dr Jones. While it is generally understood that young trees sequester a lot of carbon as they grow, the ‘BIFoR FACE’ study showed for the first time that mature temperate forests have the capacity to sequester additional carbon from the atmosphere, acting as a carbon sink. “The results indicate that temperate old-growth native forests, similar to what we have in large areas of New Zealand native forest, or native forest areas recovering from historic logging, could respond to increasing carbon-dioxide levels with increased rates of tree growth in the future.” “Importantly, the CO2 fertilisation effect provides a crucial buffer, buying us all valuable time to mitigate and reduce carbon emissions globally.” To carry out the Free Air Carbon Enrichment experiment, researchers installed six 30-metre diameter rings of towers within the forest, which released computer-controlled streams of CO2 into the forest atmosphere. This increased the CO2 concentration of targeted forest patches to levels expected in the atmosphere by 2050 – 550 parts per million or a 38% increase on today’s CO2 levels. Jones, a silviculture and forest carbon scientist, led the installation and monitoring of dendrometers—precision instruments that measure tree growth to the nearest millimetre. This detailed data, collected over several years by Jones and a team of citizen scientists, was vital in demonstrating a statistically significant increase in tree growth due to elevated CO2 levels. The project also carried out tree ring analysis and laser scanning to verify these changes in tree volume. “The use of dendrometers, combined with other sensitive measurement methods, allowed us to capture a detailed picture of tree growth over multiple seasons,” explains Dr. Jones. “This multidisciplinary approach was crucial in verifying our results.” For over two decades,Dr  Jones says scientists have grappled with the concept of the “mystery carbon sink”—unidentified terrestrial regions absorbing carbon faster than anticipated. This study substantiates the hypothesis that temperate forests play an important role in this process. “There is now evidence that mature temperate forests contribute significantly to increased uptake of carbon dioxide in response to elevated CO2,” says Dr Jones. “This helps address one of the major questions in climate science.” The findings are prompting scientists to re-examine how natural forests respond to climate change. One discovery is that large, old trees are disproportionately responsible for carbon uptake, challenging previous assumptions that younger forests would respond more rapidly to increased CO2 levels. “The fact that mature trees, which we previously thought might be less responsive due to their slower growth rates, are taking up significant amounts of additional carbon is a surprising and important finding,” says Dr Jones. “This highlights the significant role that ancient trees play in our global carbon cycle.” The £15 million research project, based in a private forest in Staffordshire and associated with the University of Birmingham, has ongoing funding until 2035. This support will allow scientists to monitor long-term trends and potential changes in forest response to elevated CO2 levels. “There are still many questions to answer,” says Dr  Jones. “We need to know whether the growth response will persist over time or if the system will become saturated with CO2. Future research will also focus on nutrient cycling, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, to understand how these forests sustain increased growth.”  

New Forests and Timberlink joined forces to showcase the entire lifecycle of sustainable forestry, from seedling to sawmill, and the creation of eco-friendly products like CLT and GLT. This partnership was featured on Channel 10’s ‘Planet Shapers’ program, which celebrates positive sustainability stories. Source: Timberbiz A core message of the segment was the critical role of land use in combating climate change. Sarah Clawson, New Forests’ Global Head of Investor Relations, visited Mt Gambier in South Australia to explain the process, from nursery to mill, and emphasized timber and land’s vital part in mitigating climate change. She highlighted that the land use sector can contribute up to 30% of the solution. “As we shift towards a low-carbon future, wood will replace carbon-intensive materials like cement and steel in construction. It’s the ultimate renewable resource,” said Ms Clawson. Timberlink’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Simon Angove, and NeXTimber Brand Manager, Georgia Coutsodimitropoulos, also appeared in the video, discussing the mill’s innovative processes and the development of engineered wood products that capture and store carbon.

Researchers in Australia are building a “living seed bank” to protect the continent’s last-remaining fragments of rainforest from climate change. One goal is to avoid the extinction of ancient trees, whose ancestral roots trace back to Gondwana, the supercontinent that existed before Earth’s continents separated hundreds of millions of years ago. Source: Live Science Historically, Australia’s lush Big Scrub Rainforest flourished across 185,000 acres (75,000 hectares) of eastern Australia. But over the centuries, human encroachment and wildfires have shrunk it to just 1% of that original expanse. Now, rising temperatures and drought threaten the remaining fragments. These smaller patches contain fewer trees and dwindling diversity, which leaves species vulnerable to changing weather, warming, and disease. That’s a worry particularly for Gondwana-descended species like Red Carabeen (Karrabina benthamiana) and Yellow Carabeen (Sloanea woollsii) from lineages over 50 million years old, a time when Australia was still attached to Antarctica before Gondwana had fully broken apart. These canopy trees can grow to 115 and 164 feet (35 and 50 meters) tall respectively, and are “the main frame-builders of the forest,” said Robert Kooyman, a plant biologist at Macquarie University, Australia who is involved with the research. In the new project, called Science Saving Rainforests, which is run by the Australian non-profit Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy, scientists have selected 60 plant species, including several of those Gondwana-era trees. For each species, they’ve gathered DNA from leaf samples taken from dozens of plants across their geographic range, to build up the genome of each one. The geographic spread is important, Mr Kooyman said: “What we get out of that is a measure of how much diversity a species has within its genome, and how much of that diversity is structured relative to climate variation.” This will reveal the genetics of rainforest plants that are able to thrive in warmer, drier environments that more closely resemble future climate conditions. Using the genome, the researchers can then identify and collect populations of each plant species that will collectively contain as much of the diversity it reveals as possible — including populations that are better equipped to withstand climate stress. Those plant candidates are currently being propagated and will be raised in a 37-acre (15 ha) research plantation in New South Wales, dubbed the “living seed bank.” In about five years, the raised trees will be ready for planting in the remaining forest fragments. The hope is to transform those patches into landscapes with diversity resembling a larger, intact rainforest. And for species facing climate threats, the plantation offers a resource from which they can select and “move material that enhances their capacity to deal with it,” Mr Kooyman said. For trees from ancient lineages, like the Gondwana-descended Carabeens, this could be an essential toolkit for survival. “I admire the positive attitude and trust in plant genetic science of the people involved,” Sebastian Pfautsch, a researcher who has studied how trees respond to climate stress and is not involved with the research, told Live Science. However, he is cautious about its overall goal. Mr Pfautsch’s own research has revealed through controlled experiments on eucalyptus species that the capacity of trees to adapt to higher temperatures may be limited. Mr Pfautsch, who is a professor of urban planning and management at Western Sydney University, also expressed concern about the project’s reliance on public donations to keep afloat. Mr Kooyman remains optimistic and believes that the project could provide a blueprint for future genetic work not just in rainforests, but other threatened ecosystems worldwide. \It’s a starting point to demonstrate what’s possible,” he said.

The recent conviction of a Murchison farmer and his associated business for illegally clearing almost 10 hectares of native bush in New Zealand has emphasised the need to check and understand the Tasman Resource Management Plan (District Plan) rules associated with an activity before undertaking work. Source: Timberbiz Sentencing in the Nelson District Court resulted in significant fines being imposed for charges related to the clearing of indigenous forest at two locations in Maruia Valley. While deductions were applied for an early guilty plea and no previous record of non-compliance, a total fine of NZ$98,000 was imposed. The Judge said that the offending was a “serious failure” of the defendants to check the district plan provisions. While the message is clear from the court that it is incumbent on landowners to check the rules before embarking on vegetation clearance, Council recognises that making people aware of where to find the best information can reduce the likelihood of illegal activity taking place and the potential for prosecution. Our advice is “always check the rules before you do the work”. The rules around the TRMP removal of indigenous forest can be found on the Council’s website www.tasman.govt.nz, search ‘TRMP Part II – land’ or through this link here: Part II – land Tasman District Council. On one of the properties, approximately 4.39 hectares of indigenous forest was cleared between January and November 2020. On the second property, approximately 5.36 hectares of indigenous forest was cleared from between 2 December 2013 and 21 March 2021. In both instances, when using the maximum rate of native forest clearance allowed by the rule of forest allowed to be removed under the permitted activity rule in of the TRMP  it would should have taken between 65 and 80 years to clear. Under this permitted activity rule, outlined in section 17.6.5.3 of the TRMP, the area of indigenous forest that can be destroyed or removed is less than 0.2ha (2000 sqm) per site over a 3-year period. In addition to the above rule there may be others to consider around land disturbance and significant natural areas which could be triggered. Therefore, before doing any work on your farm or rural property, it is recommend that you assess proposed activity against these rules to make sure you comply with our permitted activity status or whether you need to apply for Resource Consent. If you have any doubts about whether your proposed work will need Resource Consent or not, or have any questions, contact the Duty Planner via NRDutyPlanner@tasman.govt.nz The removal of indigenous forest from both properties has had a significant adverse impact on the environment, resulting in the loss of valuable habitat for animals like kākā and South Island robin. Exposing the edges of the remaining forest has increased the vulnerability of the forest to pest plants, browsing animals, and dryness. Many native plants thrive in humid forest conditions, and this clearance now allows wind to dry the forest from the inside out risking further degradation or total forest collapse.

Australia’s total imports of Engineered Wood Products (EWPs)* were valued at AUD312.0 million on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, year-ended May 2024. The result saw the value of annual imports increase 0.4% compared with the prior month. Source: IndustryEdge The resilience of the imports in a period when demand for many products has deteriorated under the weight of cost-of-living pressures, underscores the increase in prices for many engineered wood products, as well as their importance to Australia’s dwelling construction industry. Australia’s EWP Imports by Main Type: Jan ’22 – May ‘24 (AUD million) The chart shows the peak import month was August 2022, when imports were valued at AUDFob49.7 million. Since August 2022, imports fell sharply but have recently been in the range of AUDFob20-30million, at least on a value basis. In May, the value of imports totalled AUD25.2 million, down 4.1% compared with the last month. Below, the table shows the experience of the last three months. It should be noted the ‘Other’ designation is widely expected to include some Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL). * These measures are based on data analysis by IndustryEdge, of a data series that commenced January 2022. The relatively new status of the data impedes some analysis, but that will improve over time. It should be noted that some imports of EWPs may still be reported under previous import codes. LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) Over the year-ended May 2024, specifically declared imports of LVL totalled 122,400 m3. These specific imports are not all the LVL imported to Australia. As described above, much of the volume is expected to be included in the ‘Other’ designation for engineered wood product imports. Specifically declared imports of LVL are the only engineered wood product for which volume or quantity details are available. Australia’s LVL Imports by Grade: Jan ’22 – May ’24 (m3) GLT (Glue Laminated Timber) Imports of GLT were valued at AUD44.6 million year-ended May 2024, 1.6% lower than for the previous month. Monthly imports were valued at AUD3.4 million in May, 8.7% lower than the previous month’s AUD3.7 million. As the chart and table demonstrate, New Zealand (33.9%), Indonesia (22.0%), and China (18.2%) dominated import supply across the year. Unfortunately, the data does not provide further details – of volumes, quantities or species for instance – but the data does add to understanding of the total size and value of the Australian market.   I-BEAMS Imports of I-Beams were valued at AUD55.8 million year-ended May 2024. Monthly imports in May totalled AUD3.7 million. As the chart and table demonstrate, Poland (25.6%), UK (23.2%), and Vietnam (22.8%) dominated import supply over the year. Australia’s I-Beam Imports by Country: Jan ’22 – May ’24 (AUD million) CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) Imports of CLT were valued at AUDFob1.36 million year-ended May, down 4.8% on the year-ended May. Over the year, supplies from Austria accounted for 94.2% of the total value. For more information visit www.industryedge.com.au  

The FWPA-supported National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life hosted its fourth annual showcase last month, with an impressive 35% uptick in attendance. This increase is a clear reflection of the growing interest in and engagement around the organisation’s research that exists amongst industry stakeholders. Source: Timberbiz Throughout the day delegates were given updates on the latest developments resulting from key centre-led work, as well as the progress of other ongoing activities. Centre director, Professor Tripti Singh, outlined the key areas the team is currently focused on during her presentation outlining the overall vision for the future of the centre. “We continue to work hard to foster collaborative, relevant and impactful research projects that will address key industry challenges and create a future in which timber is recognised and celebrated for its durability, versatility, and sustainability,” Prof. Singh said. “The development of an effective outreach strategy focusing on building trust amongst timber consumers will also be crucial to the future success of the sector, and this will be a high priority for the team going forward.” During his opening address, Dr Chris Lafferty, FWPA Research and Development Manager, emphasised the many exciting opportunities that now exist for industry to engage directly with researchers, helping to make sure project outcomes are widely understood and applied in real-world settings. “We encourage all showcase attendees and industry members more generally to ask any questions they may have, to challenge researchers when necessary, and to persevere in their quests for answers so that no enquires go unresolved,” Dr Lafferty said. A total of 18 presentations were given by centre-based staff and students during the event, as well as key research partners including the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF). The showcase was attended by around 75 guests, approximately 50 of whom attended in person, with an additional 25 watching the presentations online. This figure represents a sizeable increase on the attendance figures of showcases held during the previous three years. The mix of attendees was diverse and included academics from various universities, and representatives from industry members and key industry bodies. One of the highlights of the day included an update on the centre’s National Timber Circularity Project. This three-year industry-funded initiative recently completed its first year. This work’s objective is to address and overcome the challenges and barriers associated with recycling treated timber and Engineered Wood Products (EWPs), to extend service life and create additional opportunities and income streams for industry. As part of the centre’s circular economy project, significant advancements already made by the researchers include the quantifying and analysis of the current condition of end-of-life resources nationally. Regulatory challenges have also been assessed by the team, with the completed draft report now being used to support the development of information sheets that will support industry for the reuse of treated timber and EWPs amongst regulators. The showcase also provided a unique opportunity to update industry directly on the developments associated with major Centre-led work, including projects focusing on the moisture and decay performance of timber, the various impacts of climate change on timber products, the treatability of the Australian softwood timber resource, and service life prediction models. Attendees also enjoyed updates on projects investigating the effects of moisture on timber product connections, the fire performance of wood, accelerated fungal decay and termite testing, and the smouldering issues associated with CCA-treated timber. Professor Ross Young, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development at UniSc, presented the event’s concluding remarks. “I would like to highlight UniSC’s ongoing commitment to forestry research, as well as congratulating the Centre team for its continued hard work in leading nationwide research and development activities that will have a tangible and positive impact for the forestry industry in Australia,” Mr Young said. Following the recent showcase event, Professor Nami Kartel has announced his decision to step down from his position at the Centre due to personal family reasons and return to Turkey. Consequently, the centre will soon initiate a search for a new Centre Research Fellow. FWPA extends its gratitude to Professor Kartel for his significant contributions to the Centre and its activities and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.  

TAFE NSW Tumut is supporting the rapidly changing face of the timber industry with a record number of female first-year apprentice saw technicians being trained at the campus. Source: Timberbiz According to Jobs and Skills Australia, just 1% of the nation’s saw technicians are female but the gender balance is shifting, with three new female apprentices being welcomed to TAFE NSW Tumut for their first training session this week. Kelsey Sheehy from Oberon, Hayley Hampson from Riverstone and Brisbane’s Hayley Wilson are all part of the new cohort, the most female saw doctors in a single class in the history of TAFE NSW Tumut. The campus is one of only two forestry training providers in Australia, giving apprentice saw doctors from across the nation the skills and experience to forge long careers in the industry. Meanwhile, Tumut and Tumbarumba are home to a global forestry industry, with nearly 18 per cent of the region’s workforce employed in the industry. Ms Sheehy, 20, was a self-confessed “girly-girl” at high school and dreamed of a career as a nurse or a hairdresser. But after taking a part-time job as a production worker at Highland Pine in Oberon, she fell in love with the fast-pace and frenetic energy of a timber mill, securing a job as an apprentice saw technician earlier this year. “I never thought I’d be doing a job like this but it’s such an interesting profession and you get a front row seat to such an important industry,” Ms Sheehy said. “Saw doctors are a critical part of the industry and it’s great to be working on the machines. “I’m really proud to be part of the first generation of women coming through as saw doctors. “This is my first week of TAFE NSW training, but it’s given me deeper insights into how different mills operate and it’s been great to meet the other apprentices.” As part of their training this week, students were treated to a tour of Visy Pulp and Paper, a world-class facility which produces over 680,000 tonnes of high-quality paper each year. TAFE NSW Tumut forestry teacher Fred Dean, who also works as a leading hand at local mill AKD, said first-year apprentice saw technician enrolments were at their highest point in the history of the campus. “It’s such a specific trade and people are realising there’s so much job security in it as we’ll be using timber for many years to come,” Mr Dean said. “It’s great to see female saw technicians start to come through. Technology has really changed the game in saw technology and it’s now more than just a hands-on trade.” Saw technicians, also known as saw doctors, are an irreplaceable part of the timber industry, repairing, setting and sharpening saw blades for timber production, often working within fractions of millimetres. TAFE NSW Tumut draws apprentice saw technicians from across the nation’s timber regions for three, one-week face-to-face learning blocks each year on the campus’s industry standard equipment.  

A major new firefighting water resource has been established in a Wattle Range blackspot in South Australia through the sophisticated redesign of the local drainage network. Source: Timberbiz Hardwood plantation company ABP (Australian Bluegum Plantations), in partnership with the CFS (Country Fire Service) and the South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board, have constructed a first of its kind dam at Coles, in the heart of the plantation estate, which has successfully captured water from the Bakers Range South Drain as a specific firefighting resource. With enough supply to fill the state’s Black Hawk helicopter 600 times over, the two megalitre reservoir has been strategically placed in a dry zone with no readily available water resource coverage. ABP director Laurie Hein was instrumental in designing the concept, which fills a basin dug into the drain bed, retaining the water when flows subside. He said the Coles fires of 2022, which impacted 3000 hectares of land including plantation resource, had highlighted the major resource gap with crews forced to travel significant distance to refill, impacting response times. “Every minute counts in a fire response with access to reliable and accessible water resources critical in controlling a blaze,” Mr Hein said. “By redirecting this water resource, holding it up in the environment longer, we have been able to create a generational asset that will play an instrumental role in controlling a fire, reducing the risk of spread and causing catastrophic damage. “This dam will not only protect our plantation estate but will provide landscape wide coverage defending neighbouring farmland, key environmental assets and importantly the broader community.” CFS regional commander Jason Druwitt said firefighting crews had previously utilised public water resources, such as the Naracoorte Swim Lake, disrupting community-use during high fire danger days. “The dam replaces a previous blackspot in the region and offers a faster and more effective water source for our ground crews and our firefighting aircraft,” Regional Commander Druwitt said. “If you add to the mix the recent investment in AI Fire Detection Cameras, I believe our region now has the most sophisticated layers of surveillance to enhance how we respond to, and mitigate the risk of, bushfires. South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board presiding member Brett McLaren said the first dam had been such a success, planning was now underway to develop two additional sites on the drainage network, working with fellow hardwood plantation owners. “This project is a key priority in our strategy to minimise flooding and retain water for the broader benefit of our community, and importantly in this scenario assisting communities and industry in an emergency response,” Mr McLaren said. “This project has been a great demonstration on how through community partnership we can use innovative methods to hold up water in our environment for localised use. This dam and the others to be constructed will play a significant role in community safety for generations to come, helping to protect lives, properties and infrastructure from potential bushfire events.”