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Scotland’s First Minister opened a new £26 million facility to help grow more trees for Scotland’s forests and woodlands. Source: Timberbiz Newton Tree Nursery, near Elgin, will support Forestry and Land Scotland to almost treble their tree production – from seven million to nearly 20 million trees per year by 2029. It will help support the sustainable management of Scotland’s national forests and land and help tackle the climate emergency, while also supporting the rural economy. Seedling operations at the redeveloped tree nursery began in March 2025 and 12 million trees have already been established within the glasshouse. The new nursery is the UK’s largest and most advanced tree-growing glasshouse and sets a new standard for bio secure, sustainable, and high-volume forest nursery production. The facility ensures that an adequate supply of high-quality trees is available to supply the publicly managed forests of Scotland with those forests supporting rural economies, providing flood mitigation, improving biodiversity and sequestering carbon. “Scotland’s world-renowned forests and woodlands are a natural powerhouse, and one of the most important resources we have to tackle the climate emergency,” First Minister John Swinney said. “Our investment in this state-of-the-art glasshouse will not only contribute to environmental sustainability and help to restore habitats, but it will also support rural jobs and the sustainable use of timber in the construction industry. The Newton Tree Nursery project is a national asset, powering Scotland’s green recovery, forestry resilience, and environmental goals for decades to come. “Tackling the climate emergency and growing Scotland’s economy are two of my government’s top priorities and together they go hand in hand. We cannot do one without the other and innovative, industry leading facilities like the Newton Tree Nursery will play a vital role in achieving these goals.” Forestry and Land Scotland CEO Kevin Quinlan said that the Newton Nursery represents a major investment by the Scottish Government in the future of forestry in Scotland. “It strengthens Forestry and Land Scotland’s ability to supply young trees at the scale and standard needed to support a resilient, productive and sustainable forest resource. “This is especially important for the timber industry – which continues to grow as Scotland looks to reduce reliance on imports and embrace timber as a low-carbon material of the future. By increasing capacity at Newton, we’re investing at the very start of that supply chain – ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality planting stock for years to come.”

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Arauco Sucuriú, the world’s largest single-phase pulp mill project, is under construction in Brazil. A project of this scale is a true marathon in which meticulous planning, good equipment, and excellent cooperation are key to successful execution. Source: Timberbiz The Sucuriú project in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, has strategic importance for Arauco as they diversify their pulp production’s locations. “Arauco has been looking into expanding pulp production in Brazil for years. Our target was to enhance our competitive position, and Brazil has the required conditions, including logistics infrastructure, skilled people, and the right environment for trees to grow. We selected Mato Grosso do Sul state and the city of Inocencia as the location for our project,” explains Iván Chamorro, Senior Vice-President Forestry & Woodpulp Business for the Arauco Group. “Valmet is a key player in this project, delivering all the key process areas in an EPC model. We’re very happy so far with our relationship and Valmet’s commitment. We’re very confident that together we’ll be able to deliver the best mill. We know we’re going to face challenges, but with strong communication between the technical teams and at the management level, we can face these challenges and be successful together,” Mr Chamorro said. The new Arauco Sucuriú pulp mill will include the world’s largest recovery boiler. “Sucuriú will be a state-of-the-art mill with low water consumption and low emissions. We’re basically targeting a zero-waste mill that doesn’t send any residues to landfill. Additionally, we’re going to use gasified biomass instead of fossil fuel for the lime kiln. The mill will produce more than 400 megawatts of renewable energy, of which about 50 percent will be sold to the national Brazilian grid,” Carlos Altimiras, CEO of Arauco Brazil said. The mill automation system will be Valmet’s latest distributed control system, Valmet DNAe, supported with remote connectivity and Industrial Internet solutions. “With Valmet’s automation systems, mill-wide optimization and advanced process controls, we’re building a base for autonomous operations,” Mr Altimiras said. Hector Araneda, Operations Manager, Pulp and Energy Business at Arauco said that to be competitive now and in the future, they need to make the process more efficient and more stable, and mill automation will help achieve this. “We already have experience from our MAPA project, with several technology suppliers, but Valmet mill-wide optimization will look at optimal production for the mill as a whole.” In addition to environmental performance, Arauco is focusing specially on social and economic sustainability for both the project phase and as a long-term commitment to the community. “The Sucuriú project will bring dynamism to the local economy,” Mr Chamorro said. “We’re going to have more than 15,000 people working on site during construction, and during the operation phase we’ll have about 6,000 people working in the forestry, logistics, mill, and support services. These are stable long-term quality jobs.” The project is also strategic for Valmet – it is Valmet’s largest project, involving hundreds of throughout the world. Harri Pakkanen, Valmet’s Nordic Project Director, said that the project has been proceeding at full speed since November last year. “We’re now moving to the detailed engineering phase. We’ve already procured all the long lead items and critical equipment. Some of the equipment will be produced in Valmet’s own workshops, and some will be manufactured by our trusted partners,” he said. “The first parts are already ready, and the first shipments – pulp drying equipment and pressure parts for the world’s largest recovery boiler – will begin their journey to Brazil from China in July.”

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REI Habitat officially launched ‘Wood Up’, a pioneering 50m high wooden tower in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. With 132 residential units, the building stands as one of Europe’s tallest timber buildings, a landmark in sustainable architecture and a showcase for bio-based materials. Sources: Timberbiz, photo credit PEFC France Designed by LAN Architecture and constructed using beechwood from French forests, Wood Up is a flagship project demonstrating REI Habitat’s mission to transform real estate through ecological innovation. As the first PEFC-certified developer in France, REI Habitat sources wood from sustainably managed forests. The event was attended by key figures including Jacques Baudrier, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Housing and Ecological Transition, Jérôme Coumet, Mayor of the 13th arrondissement, Paul Jarquin, founder of REI Habitat and Christine de Neuville, President of PEFC France. “The use of wood, a renewable material and natural carbon sink, is emerging as a solution for the future, but also raises questions about the ability to meet demand while preserving our forests,” said Christine de Neuville. “PEFC certification is essential to attest to sustainable forest management and harvesting that meets today’s challenges. It is through certification that we can take concrete action to meet climate challenges.” Wood Up reflects REI Habitat’s 15-year commitment to low-carbon construction. Using 387m³ of French Beech – an underused species in large-scale building – the project reduces carbon emissions by 60% compared to traditional concrete construction. Beech from Normandy was transported by river to minimise its environmental footprint. The project also reused wood offcuts to create modular furniture, crafted by REI Habitat’s reuse subsidiary, Remake. Paul Jarquin, founder and president of REI Habitat said: “The use of beech, a hardwood species still rarely used for buildings of this size, shipped by river, is a world first. In collaboration with engineering firms and the Efectis Laboratory, we have helped to advance scientific knowledge on the fire resistance of this species in construction.” The tower, owned by Gecina and located in the Paris Rive Gauche development zone, spans 8,935m² and includes a commercial ground floor, 132 apartments, and extensive communal amenities such as outdoor walkways, bicycle and vehicle parking, and shared terraces. Its design promotes community living, with standout features like a 300m² 8th-floor terrace for gatherings and a 700m² rooftop garden on the 16th floor, offering panoramic views of Paris. Technically and architecturally innovative, Wood Up is a winner of the Wooden Living Building initiative by ADIVbois and SEMAPA. It meets top-tier sustainability certifications, including NF Habitat HQE Excellent, BBCA, BiodiverCity, and Effinergie+. The project also contributed to R&D on fire resistance in hardwood construction, keeping wood visibly integrated within the structure despite regulatory challenges. The project aligns with Paris’s goal to lower emissions, boost affordable housing, and green the city. Wood Up also launches the ‘Un Immeuble, Une Forêt’ (One Building, One Forest) initiative, linking real estate projects to afforestation and reforestation programs as part of a voluntary carbon offset strategy, reflecting REI Habitat’s broader vision of ecological and socially responsible urbanism.

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An AI tool using satellite imagery has been developed in the wake of the Nelson Tasman floods to deliver near real-time insights into forest damage. Source: Timberbiz The collaborative tool is helping the forestry sector and other land users assess impacts more quickly and plan recovery efforts with greater confidence. The Scion Group of the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI) worked with Indufor on the tool’s development, to support recovery efforts. Using satellite data, the tool detects and maps storm-related damage to planted forests and the wider environment. Using freely available Sentinel satellite imagery and radar, the team was able to detect windthrow and storm-related damage. The result: near real-time intelligence that helped forestry stakeholders understand the extent and location of the impacts. Michael Watt, the Scion Group’s New Value Digital Forests and Wood Sector portfolio lead, says the lightweight app transforms complex remote sensing data into accessible insights, such as the estimated area and severity of affected forest blocks. “The tool equips the forestry industry with timely insights, making tasks such as damage assessment, operational planning and processing logistics significantly easier,” he said. “Councils, forestry companies and landowners can use the data we generate to quickly pinpoint impacted areas across the region. This supports rapid response and recovery across forests, croplands, orchards, farms and other land uses, as well as critical infrastructure.” This technology was first operationalised following Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, when the Scion Group used it to assess storm damage across severely impacted areas within Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Indufor subsequently used similar methods to map windthrow throughout the entire Gisborne region within plantation boundaries identified using ForestInsights. “Cyclone Gabrielle was the first real-world opportunity to deploy this system at scale following a natural disaster,” Mr Watt said. “Since then, the methods we use have been refined. The increasing frequency of events such as the Nelson Tasman storms shows how essential this rapid response capability is becoming. “We now have validated models that can be deployed to rapidly detect and map regional windthrow from satellites, even under cloudy conditions.”

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Fire and Emergency New Zealand is welcoming 50 firefighters home this week from Canada, where they’ve been combating severe wildfires in Cross Lake, Manitoba. Source: Timberbiz Deputy National Commander Steph Rotarangi says the crews have spent the past five weeks working in tough and challenging conditions alongside firefighters from Canada and several other countries. “This has been an arduous deployment for our people, where they have often been living and working in remote areas and contending with the local wildlife as well as the normal hazards of a fireground,” she says. “Our Kiwi firefighters are known for their ability to get the tough jobs done and we welcome them home with great pride in the work they have done, and the way they have represented Fire and Emergency and Aotearoa.” A seven-person specialist team arrived back in New Zealand today (13 August) and will be followed later in the week by the 43-person taskforce of firefighters. Two further deployments have been confirmed in response to additional requests from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. A team of four specialists departed for Alberta, Canada last week as part of New Zealand’s ongoing support to Canada and another team of four will leave for Manitoba today (13 August). Those going to Manitoba are part of an eight-person Incident Management Team comprising experienced personnel from New Zealand and Australia. “These deployments strengthen our international partnerships and provide our people with valuable experience fighting forest wildfires, which will benefit their work during the upcoming New Zealand wildfire season,” Steph Rotarangi says. Fire and Emergency has agreements with both Canada and the United States to provide mutual assistance.

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