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As the planting season nears its end, Forestry England is celebrating the completion of an ambitious four-year woodland creation programme with 1.8 million trees planted at 16 new woodlands across England expanding the nation’s forests. Source: Timberbiz Launched in March 2021, the program, funded by the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund, has planted 16 new woodlands across England together covering 1,000 hectares. These woodlands will offer rich habitats for wildlife, beautiful spaces for people to enjoy and be a sustainable source of timber in the years ahead. York Community Woodland was the first new site to open to visitors in August 2024, with more set to welcome people this year. Most of the new woodlands will have public access under CROW designation, alongside the majority of the 1,500 woodlands and forests in Forestry England’s care. “This ambitious program is our largest woodland creation initiative for decades. These new woodlands will bring benefits for hundreds of years, providing crucial green spaces for communities, providing a sustainable source of timber and supporting wildlife to flourish,” Beth Cambridge, Forestry England Head of Woodland Creation, said. “And they’ll help tackle the climate emergency through the many benefits woodlands offer from carbon storage and flood mitigation to supporting air quality and soil health. “We’ve used a combination of buying land and partnerships with private and public landowners, who have leased their land to Forestry England for woodland creation. “We’ve been planting trees from Northumberland and Cumbria to Norfolk and Devon and we’ve carefully planned each site to create high-quality, resilient woodlands, using the right mix of tree species for each. “We’ve engaged with the local communities living near each of these woodlands to share our plans and hear their views and are excited the final one of our 1.8 million trees is now safely in the ground at Clipsham Wood, which straddles the border of Rutland and Leicestershire.” Over the next twelve months, Forestry England is planning to plant seven more woodlands, also funded through the Nature for Climate Fund. Looking ahead, Forestry England hopes to continue expanding the nation’s forests between 2026 and 2030 to continue delivering the many benefits the nation’s forests provide, subject to future funding.  

UPM Biofuels is celebrating 10 years of successful operations at its Lappeenranta Biorefinery, the world’s first commercial-scale facility producing advanced biofuels from wood-based residues. Since 2015, the refinery has been at the forefront of developing renewable alternatives to fossil-based fuels and materials, driving the decarbonization of the transport and petrochemical industries. Source: Timberbiz “For 10 years, our team has delivered exceptional performance and reliability,” said Robert Marx, Vice President of UPM Biofuels and Biorefining Commercial Development. “Their operational excellence and professionalism have set the benchmark for the industry. The biorefinery has also played a pivotal role in advancing UPM’s business in renewable fuels and chemicals—building technical know-how, opening new markets, and laying the foundation for future developments and investments.” The UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery produces approximately 130,000 tonnes per year of UPM BioVerno renewable diesel and naphtha, using crude tall oil (CTO), a residue of pulp production. CTO stands out as a superior feedstock for renewable diesel production due to its fully traceable origin, integration in UPM’s existing value chain, and excellent sustainability profile. All products are backed by globally recognized sustainability certifications. UPM BioVerno diesel cuts lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by over 80% compared with fossil diesel and is suitable for all diesel engines. UPM BioVerno naphtha, used in applications such as packaging, textiles and automotive components, offers a sustainable alternative to fossil-based raw materials in the plastics value chain. Looking ahead, UPM continues to invest in technology development to broaden its feedstock base beyond CTO, exploring new forest-industry residues and side streams within its ecosystem. The company is also progressing in the technical qualification of tall oil–based fuels for use in aviation, with ongoing testing under ASTM standards showing a positive track record. While a second biorefinery investment remains under consideration, UPM is prioritizing platform advancements and feedstock versatility to enable scalable and impactful decarbonization solutions.

TerraCross by Sterling Solutions in the US is an engineered, easy-to-deploy clear-span temporary, portable, and modular bridge system for crossing waterways, ditches, underground utilities, and other obstacles, and made from CLT. Source: Timberbiz The lightweight portable bridge design allows for lifting and construction with a mid-size excavator or similar equipment while the steel beam construction provides a sturdier, more sustainable load-bearing solution. Portable bridges are essential when permanent installations aren’t feasible and avoiding a crossing isn’t possible. TerraCross bridges provide an engineered solution to quickly and easily bypass small rivers and ditches to maintain access for equipment, materials, and personnel throughout the duration of a project. Additionally, they can protect underground equipment, such as buried gas pipelines by providing an air-bridged pathway over the impacted area. Unlike commonly used timber mat bridges that are made from mixed woods of different grades and quality, the engineered TerraCross bridge is made from welded structural steel. It has certified weight specifications and provides consistent performance. It isn’t susceptible to deterioration like wood so sudden bridge failure due to accidental overloading or internal unseen wood rot is no longer a concern. And the durable qualities of the TerraCross means it can be relocated and reused across different projects, providing a flexible solution for various construction needs. TerraCross is ideal for spanning small to mid-size crossings, up to 50ft it allows you to go right over the top fast, clean, and with minimal site disturbance. Some smaller bridges are not rated to carry heavy loads so TerraCross can be used to “bridge over-the-top” of existing structures to provide the capability needed for large construction projects. It’s a practical solution to increase capacity without needing to re-engineer existing infrastructure and when engineers won’t sign off on timber mats or steel plates.

South Australia’s forest industries are working in partnership with the State Government to eradicate the spread of giant pine scale (GPS) in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs. Source: Timberbiz “The South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) are grateful to be working hand in glove with the South Australian Government on eradicating GPS from Adelaide’s suburbs. It would be a biosecurity disaster if this infestation reaches our 128,000-hectare commercial pine plantations and neighbouring urban forests,” said Mr Nathan Paine, Chief Executive Officer of SAFPA “Giant pine scale is a sap sucking insect that feeds on pine trees and closely related species including firs and spruces. Infected trees exhibit canopy thinning, branch deaths and tree deaths. “With large numbers of pine found across Adelaide’s parks and gardens, the pest has the potential to impact our urban forest, with less shade for residents and nesting sites or food sources for local birds. A detection of GPS in Highbury in 2023 triggered an eradication process involving the removal and destruction of infected trees, with surveillance, monitoring and tree removal efforts continuing to ensure the eradication is successful.” Mr Paine said that it was unfortunate that trees in suburban parks and reserves have had to be felled in a bid to prevent GPS from spreading yet it was imperative to protect Adelaide’s canopy cover and the businesses and the livelihoods of those working in the forest and timber industries. If the infestation reached any of the State’s commercial pine plantations it would have a devastating impact on the state’s economy and regional communities. Forestry in South Australia contributes almost $3 billion to the State’s economy, employed more than 21,300 people and there were countless industries that relied heavily on timber products, such as residential and commercial builders and the agriculture and horticulture industries. “Forestry is a fundamental industry to growing our nation, with wood fibre products playing an integral role in building our nation by producing house frames, home furnishings, pallets, cardboard packaging, toilet paper and tissues, mulch and biofuels,” Mr Paine said.

More large beef and sheep farms will be converted into forest plantations after recent overseas investment approvals, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand says. Source: The Press Kauri Forestry LP, a New Zealand limited partnership established as part of Christchurch based Craigmore Sustainables Group with 69% Swiss ownership and 31% German ownership, has been given the go-ahead to convert two former sheep beef farms in the North Island. Another large sheep beef farm in Clutha, Otago, has been acquired by Netherlands business interests and would be converted into mainly pinus radiata forest. Kauri Forestry LP has bought 496ha at Pukehuia Rd, Arapohue, in Kaipara district for an undisclosed sum from Keith, Craig and Nigel Gravatt, trustees of Maungarata Farms Trust. The land had been used mainly for sheep and beef grazing with 60ha in pinus radiata. A total of 290ha would be converted into plantation forest, mainly pinus radiata, with planting scheduled to start this winter. Kauri Forestry LP has also bought, for an undisclosed amount, a large-scale hill country station 65km south of Napier comprising 1518ha at Kairakau Rd, Elsthorpe, from Waipuna NZ Ltd. Again, the land was mainly used for sheep and beef grazing with 28ha in poplars, softwood and indigenous trees. A total of 832ha would be converted into commercial forestry in mainly pinus radiata with planting starting in the 2026 winter. Ingka Investment Forest Assets NZ Ltd and Ingka Investments Management NZ Ltd had bought 643ha of land and finishing station at Morris Saddle Rd, Owaka Valley, Clutha, a sheep/beef farm, with the purchase amount not disclosed. The new owners intended to convert 657ha into a pinus radiata forest. Kauri Forestry LP had also been given a “standing consent” under a “Special Forestry Test”, allowing overseas investors with a proven track record to make forestry investments without needing prior approval for each transaction for 10,000ha of land in up to 40 transactions, by June 12, 2027. A requirement was the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) had to be advised after each purchase. Kauri Forestry LP advised under its standing consent of buying 216ha at Haumanga Rd, Broadwood, for NZ$4.5m from Nelly Forests Ltd Partnership and intended to continue to use the land for forestry. In another standing consent, Kauri Forestry LP advised it had made a second acquisition of 449.6ha at 1819 Mataraua Rd, Otaua, Far North District, from Tukurua Forest Ltd Partnership for NZ$9.2m and would continue to use the land for forestry. Meanwhile, Stafford Carbon Official Opportunity Fund (SCOOF) of the UK had bought four forests comprising 1446ha at Waipukurau, Eketāhuna and Pongaroa from CQuest Ltd Patnership, and 395ha at Kerr Rd, Glen Murray, Waikato, from Otorohaea Ltd. Approval had also been given to Millari Assets Ltd of Australia to buy 25ha of land and a timber mill which closed in 2024, at Matawhera, Gisborne, from Juken NZ Ltd of Japan for NZ$21.5m. The mill would be recommissioned.

The Hyne Community Trust will open for applications in June 2025 for this year’s round of grants. Eligible community organisations are encouraged to consider how the Hyne Community Trust can support them to deliver lasting benefits to the Tumbarumba region. An example of a recently successful project is the Tumbarumba Sports Academy and its Youth Precinct which is nearing completion. Source: Timberbiz Hyne Community Trust Chair, Kerrie Downes said the Youth Precinct will provide a safe and engaging recreational option for the youth of the region, “When we received the proposal for the Youth Precinct, it was a strong application as we knew there was a gap in our region’s options for this age group,” she said. “The Hyne Community Trust provided funds for the sports hall’s mezzanine renovation as well as the installation of security cameras in both the sports hall and adjacent dance hall, while Hyne Timber supplied framing from the mill. “The many local volunteers who have given their time on this project, is further testament to the importance for our region’s youth. It has been a significant community effort, and we congratulate all those who have been involved.” The Tumbarumba Sports Academy is increasingly recognised as the local sports hub including boxing and martial arts which provide both mental and physical fitness as well as discipline and a social element. The Academy has a rapidly growing membership, with knowledgeable and experienced coaches, and well organised sessions. Last weekend saw the installation of the carpets in the Youth Precinct meaning the space will be ready for use within a couple of weeks. The Youth Precinct can be utilised by youth of the region, including those waiting to participate in sports or waiting for parents and caregivers who are participating themselves. Fifteen-year-old Tumbarumba High School student and boxer, Zane Goldspink, has been one of the most active volunteers His contribution and experience as a volunteer on this project, inspired him to want to become a carpenter and he has recently been offered a carpentry apprenticeship with a local builder. Community groups considering applying for a Hyne Community Trust grant should start reviewing the 2025 guidelines available at https://www.hyne.com.au/about/community Projects must be valued over $10,000 and demonstrate how they will provide lasting benefits for the community in order to meet the criteria. The Hyne Community Trust will open for applications on 1 June and close 30 June 2025. The Hyne Community Trust was established in 2007 and has provided almost $900,000 to the Tumbarumba region to date. For more information, contact tumbatrust@hyne.com.au

Forestry Australia is calling for nominations for three of the highest honours in the field of forestry and forest management in Australia: The NW Jolly Medal, Forestry Australia Fellows and the Prince of Wales Award. Source: Timberbiz The NW Jolly Medal is Forestry Australia’s highest and most prestigious award, named in honour of Norman William Jolly (1882-1954), who made a remarkable contribution to the development of professional forestry in Australia in the early 20th century. This award celebrates those who have demonstrated exceptional service to forestry, reflecting the diverse and significant contributions made across a wide range of disciplines and forest management activities. Former recipient Rob Youl OAM said the Norman Jolly Medal recognises and celebrates the increasing diversity of Australian forestry and demonstrates that the breadth and philosophy of forestry training have wide appeal to employers and institutions. Dr Christine Stone received the award in 2017. “I was honoured to be the first woman to receive Forestry Australia’s highest award, the NW Jolly Medal,” Dr Stone said. “Since then, the Forestry Australia Board Directors and Jacquie have made significant progress in promoting gender equality, both within the Institute and more broadly in the forestry profession. “I therefore encourage the nomination of women for this year’s awards.” In 2023, the NW Jolly Medal was awarded posthumously to Dr Kevin Tolhurst. Dr Tolhurst was aware, and delighted, that he was receiving the medal but sadly passed away weeks before the presentation. CEO of Forestry Australia, Jackie Martin said generations of foresters and forestry scientists were inspired and influenced by Dr Tolhurst. “Kevin Tolhurst was generous with his knowledge and time, and ever the gentleman who was always considerate and kind,” Ms Martin said. “It speaks to Kevin’s intellect that he was nationally and internationally recognised as an expert in a wide range of areas – fire ecologist, fire scientist, professional forester, lecturer, practitioner, academic and collaborator. “Kevin’s legacy will continue to endure through the practices that he created that continue to shape how we manage fire, and through today’s NW Jolly Medal.” The Prince of Wales Award recognises the achievements of an outstanding young to mid-career forest professional. This prestigious award honours individuals who have made significant contributions to forestry practice, innovation, and leadership at an early stage of their career. Awardee, Jenna Hammond said she was incredibly honoured to receive the Prince of Wales Award. “I’m passionate about making forestry more inclusive and engaging for young professionals,” Ms Hammond said. “Promoting the benefits of active forest management and supporting and inspiring the next generation, especially young women, to consider a career in forestry is important to me.” The title of Forestry Australia Fellow is an honour bestowed upon a voting member of the Association who has been recognised by their peers for their outstanding service to the forestry profession and to Forestry Australia. In 2018 Kerrie Catchpoole was awarded a Forestry Australia Fellowship. “I have always been proud to be a member of Forestry Australia as it is underpinned by integrity, professionalism, and people who genuinely care about forests,” Ms Catchpoole said. “I would encourage you to come forward and nominate members for this year’s awards who you believe have stepped up and made a valuable contribution to the organisation”. Nominations close: 5:00 pm (AEST) Monday, 28 July More information can be found at https://www.forestry.org.au/merit-awards/

The Housing Industry Association wants the newly elected Federal Government to make housing a first-order priority from day one, saying any delay or political grandstanding will only deepen the nation’s housing crisis. Source: Timberbiz “HIA would like to congratulate the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and the ALP for securing its term of government and it looks forward to constructively working with them in the new parliament,” HIA Managing Director Jocelyn Martin said. “We additionally would like to thank Peter Dutton for his two decades of service to the Australian parliament and equally to Michael Sukkar, who has been a key housing advocate in both government and opposition.” Ms Martin said access to a home, whether to rent or own, was becoming unattainable for too many Australians. “This is a challenge that demands a major response in the first days and weeks of the new term of government,” she said. “HIA has been clear throughout the election campaign that all sides of politics must provide bold and courageous leadership to deliver on the nations critical housing shortages and meet the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new homes. “The industry has laid out the plan through HIA’s Let’s Build agenda, to fast-track planning, unlock land, invest in infrastructure, and build the skilled workforce needed to deliver the homes Australia needs. “Too often, we see housing policy used as a platform to showboat rather than solve real problems. Australians want practical and meaningful reform. Holding housing legislation hostage to political theatre only pushes the dream of home ownership further out of reach.” Ms Martin also pushed back against any suggestion that the housing crisis lies outside the Federal Government’s remit. “We’ve heard it too often that housing and planning is a state issue, or that the Commonwealth has limited levers to pull. That excuse simply doesn’t stack up anymore,” she said. “The Federal Government has the influence, the resources and the leadership role to bring all levels of government together. It can drive the coordinated policy, funding and reform needed to move the dial on supply and affordability not just tinker at the edges.” Ms Martin said this had been reinforced in the election results and with voters outlining housing as a key issue to be addressed as a matter of priority. “We urge the new Government and the entire Parliament to work together to implement the solutions already on the table,” she said. “Housing Australians must not become a casualty of politics-as-usual. We can’t afford more years of delay and stalling of key policies being implemented – we need action within weeks not years.”

The author read an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2025) article by Fiona Willan in relation to a carbon scheme to protect trees from logging. The ABC article is available here. It is understood that this would see state forests added to the nation’s existing carbon credit scheme and the proposal is one of four chosen for priority development by the federal government and the state government agencies that manage the forests could then earn carbon credits by slowing or stopping logging. Industrial polluters could then buy those credits to offset their emissions as the nation moves towards its goal of reaching net zero by 2050. The proposal has been criticised by the timber industry and the federal opposition. The author glanced through the article and proposal, other information at hand, and noted important issues that were not and apparently are not being considered, especially considering the potential scale of proposed reduced timber harvesting, important forestry and carbon science areas not assessed, loss of active and adaptive management, minimal rates of prescribed burning underway in SE Australia, increasing eucalypt decline, large contiguous fuel loads across landscapes, mega fire concerns, loss of forest fire fighter expertise and the fact that conservation lockup isn’t protection from decline nor bushfires. The US is well onto reducing bushfire risks, increasing forest fire resilience, reducing carbon emissions and tackling community safety under their US bipartisan infrastructure bill, US National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and other legislation and policies.  Here in Australia, much of the focus appears to be focussed on destroying native forestry harvesting and it is the authors belief is that Australia is currently paying and will pay the price for this. The author has outlined 10 important factors in Section 2 in relation to the push to stop or reduce native forestry logging under an expanded carbon credit scheme, these are outlined in the full review document attached here: The complete article is available here. There is considerable science supporting the success of native forest harvesting in capturing carbon, this is outlined in detail in the review. In the author’s opinion, what is usually missed in relation to native forestry and harvesting and carbon capture and offsetting science include a number of issues: The science supporting the value of native forest harvesting in relation to carbon capture is ignored The areas harvested each year are small Growth of older trees slows down and in most cases decay increases, reducing carbon storage Regrowth is progressive each year over the small areas allowed for native forestry, capturing carbon. If past harvesting hadn’t occurred, there would have been a lot more emissions Adaptive and active management assist in addressing the carbon issue. Forest Corp are working on tackling eucalypt decline, due to the lack of mild fire across landscapes to improve forest health and optimise carbon capture Considerable volumes of carbon are stored in harvested wood products. Including sawn timber, veneers, beams, flooring, poles, fencing etc Considerable areas are retained in flora reserves and other areas Forest access, fire trails and skilled forestry operators increase speed of bushfire attack in many situations, reducing loss of carbon from bushfires Inevitable intense bushfires resulting from minimal prescribed burning and long fire interval policies kill large numbers of trees and markedly reduce the health of remaining trees for around 10 years plus, the carbon impacts are that high. This further reduces carbon storage, in most cases markedly.  In relation to the disastrous impacts of the 2019/ 20 bushfires on carbon emissions, there are many papers in relation to this; and Transport distances and carbon usage is low with local production and large with imported timber. These are all important issues that are conveniently missed in green agendas. Attempting to stop native forestry for so called imaginary climate change credits is not the answer, seriously, again ignoring many key factors and science. Lock up management does not work, adaptive management does, and it is totally unclear to the author why Australia and some governments would consider closing or reducing native timber harvesting/ thinning, including within dense, high fuel load areas and areas suffering from eucalypt decline, to attempt to gain carbon offsets. Opportunities to realise carbon and biodiversity benefits using native forestry science and adaptive management are outlined in Section 3. It is important that Forestry Australia has submitted an alternative carbon method proposal for consideration under the Proponent-Led Method Development Process for the ACCU Scheme called Enhancing Native Forest Resilience.  This focusses on improving the health and resilience of native forests and encouraging active, adaptive management of native forests across all land tenures to assist Australia in meeting its Paris Agreement targets, all important issues. The US bipartisan infrastructure bill, US National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and other legislation provide an effective approach to reducing fuels, increasing prescribed burning, improving forest health and forest resilience and expanding community wildfire mitigation work, reducing the extent and impacts of wildfires and consequent carbon emissions.  This provides a model for Australia, a practical approach and not an offsets scheme. John O’Donnell was a forester with the then NSW Forestry Commission for 11 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Forestry) Hons 1978 from Australian National University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Agronomy and Farming Systems from the University of Adelaide 1996 and 1997, majoring in environmental issues in agriculture. He was awarded a Commonwealth Forestry Scholarship in 1976 and 1977.  

You couldn’t make this stuff up even if you tried. If you had written a book about a global economic situation such as the current one, it would have been a flop as it would have seemed too farfetched and laughable, but here we are. Let’s not for a moment think that this isn’t what the majority of Americans signed up for though as tariffs and protectionism were a large part of Trumps campaigning and it’s not like he’s known for being predictable. Add to that the fact that something had to be done to stem the bleed that has led the US national debt to rise by US$12.3 trillion in the last five years to a total of US$36.2 trillion (sound familiar?) I’m not sure that severing everyone else’s arteries is the best way to stem your bleed, however. The tariff roulette wheel has been spinning furiously for the past few weeks, and you would have more chance of hitting a bullseye on a dartboard blindfolded after drinking a bottle of whisky than predicting where tariffs will end up on a country-by-country basis. What we do know is that our largest trading partner, China, probably isn’t going to fare that well. In 2024, around 30% of the furniture manufactured in China headed off to the US. China is not the biggest supplier into the US however with Vietnam exporting double the value of Chinese exports into the US. Of the total volume of furniture consumed in the US, 52% was made domestically, but the actual value of the imported furniture inputs was 63% meaning that some imported products were used in domestic manufacturing. So, what does this mean for NZ? With a current US: China tariff of 145% (pick a number for what it could be next week) it’s very likely that there will be a significant reduction in goods manufactured in China headed to the US – furniture included. NZ grown radiata is very popular in the Chinese furniture industry due to its properties as it can easily be sawn, dried, glued, laminated, painted and stained. This sector has become more important to NZ as the construction sector continues to suffer and demand for NZ radiata in construction has reduced significantly from 2021 onwards. Having said that, China demand for NZ logs is still strong with off port uplift in the order of 70,000m3 per day in late March. On port inventory remains a bit stubborn at a shade under 4million m3, however, this has reduced by 100,000m3 in the past few weeks. March is historically a big supply month for NZ and this year was no different with plenty of vessels on the water. This supply, along with uncertainty in the market, has resulted in a downturn in buyer sentiment with April CFR prices dropping 8-10% based on March numbers. This drop in sentiment has led to a reduction in AWG prices across NZ of around NZ$10/JAS. Generally, reductions are reasonably static across exporters however, April has seen a significant spread across the board with reductions between NZ$8 and NZ$16/M3 depending on exporter and port. The effect of tariffs on bulk shipping rates will depend on reciprocal tariffs as the US only accounts for 2.3% of global dry bulk demand, however, it does account for 5.7% of dry bulk exports. FOREX has been playing the game if you’re an exporter with fluctuations between mid US$0.55 and US$0.57. Every cent reduction in the $NZ:US is around NZ$3/m3 on the bottom line for AWG prices. The Chinese log futures market hasn’t been terribly positive of late either. After trading mostly positively since its inception, pricing has dropped around 10% since the beginning of March primarily due to negative market sentiment. Carbon prices dropped off a cliff in early March falling from $63/NZU to around $55/NZU by month end. Market jitters are not helped by the likes of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, suggesting that it was time to phase out forestry offsets for fossil fuel emissions. That’s all well and good but cows aren’t yet farting oxygen, and the large majority of the population still drives to work (let’s not start on the conversation about the lifecycle carbon footprint of EV’s). The domestic market continues to show resilience with prices mostly flat for the second quarter of the year. Once again, tariffs could come into play here as a significant volume of the clearwood sawn from pruned logs is sold into the US DIY market. Currently, there is a temporary tariff exemption on NZ forest products. This exemption for timber and lumber products came about through internal US lobbying by the likes of the American Building Materials Alliance and the National Association of Home Builders who urged the White House to rethink tariffs that would weaken a critical supply chain for housing affordability and construction, particularly in a time when areas have been affected by natural disasters. Additionally, the US Secretary of Commerce is investigating the role imported timber plays in national security. The US military spends US$10 billion annually on construction alone so wood-based products are seen as a vital part of national security. So, there we have it folks, a proverbial global crap shoot. Those forest owners with locked in, long term export prices will be sitting pretty for the next quarter or two while tariff-gate plays out. NZ supply will start reducing over the next month with the wet season upon us and lower prices preventing some jobs from starting which will see Chinese port inventories reduce into more comfortable territory hopefully putting upward pressure on prices…hopefully. Marcus Musson, Forest360 Director