Forest Products Industry

Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is inviting applications for three Non-Executive Director positions, offering experienced leaders the opportunity to help guide one of Australia’s key industry research and development corporations. Source: Timberbiz The appointments form part of FWPA’s 2026 board renewal process, with successful candidates to join the board following the Annual General Meeting in November. FWPA is seeking individuals with strong governance capability and a passion for driving impact across the forest and wood products value chain. FWPA plays a unique role in bringing industry and government together to invest in research, development, and market growth that strengthens the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector. This is an opportunity to contribute at a national level to help shape strategic decisions that support innovation, productivity, and sustainable growth across Australia’s forest and wood products industry. As the industry’s research and development corporation, FWPA invests levy and matched government funding into programs that deliver practical outcomes for growers, processors, manufacturers and end-users. With annual revenue of approximately $21.5 million, FWPA supports initiatives spanning forestry, manufacturing, the built environment, market development, and the commercialisation of new technologies and products. Board positions offer a unique opportunity to: Contribute to an organisation delivering tangible, industry-wide impact Influence investment in research, innovation and market development Work at the intersection of industry, government and research Help shape the future use of sustainable, renewable wood products Collaborate with a highly engaged and skilled Board and executive team   FWPA is seeking candidates with expertise across areas such as: Forestry and natural resource management Wood products manufacturing Construction, design and the use of timber in the built environment Market dynamics, marketing and promotion Technology, innovation and RD&E commercialisation   Candidates with formal governance training (such as AICD or equivalent) are strongly encouraged to apply. The roles are remunerated, with an expected commitment of approximately 26 days per year, including board meetings, preparation and travel. Applications are being managed by Directors Australia. To apply, candidates must submit: A current resume (maximum three pages) A one-page cover letter addressing the selection criteria Applications close: midnight Sunday, 12 July 2026. For further information and to apply, visit: https://directorsaustralia.com.au/vacancies/ For confidential enquiries, contact Glee Mitchell, Directors Australia, on 0417 065 408 or via glee.mitchell@directorsaustralia.com

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Private forest owners across NSW may be banned from harvesting their trees by the NSW Government and Timber NSW is calling for Minister Penny Sharpe to outline what compensation for lost earnings will be available to private forestry owners across the entire State. Source: Timberbiz According to Timber NSW Chief Executive Maree McCaskill, the creation of the Great Koala National Park will have dire consequences for owners of private forests. Timber NSW is calling on Minister Penny Sharpe to clarify what compensation will be available to private forest owners in NSW who may be banned from harvesting their trees due to the creation of the Great Koala National Park. “The NSW Government will be paid by Australian taxpayers for shutting down the timber industry in northern NSW. That’s an undisputed fact and it all stems from the Improved Native Forest Management carbon credit scheme which is used to calculate payments under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme,” Ms McCaskill said. “Once again, the reality as it’s experienced by the people of NSW is completely different to the Minister’s words. “What the Federal Government says is that under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme, the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (whoever that is) must be satisfied that a method complies with the legislated Offsets Integrity Standards. “Those standards require that credited abatement reflects real, measurable, and additional emissions reductions. If leakage is underestimated, more ACCUs could be issued than the true global emissions benefit justifies, undermining the environmental integrity of the scheme.” Under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme, there can be no private native forest harvesting above a calculated baseline level, meaning private landowners would lose control of their own income while Australian taxpayers fund the NSW Government for enforcing these restrictions. According to Timber NSW what this really means is that there can be no private native forest harvesting in the State above its ‘baseline level’ which is calculated as the average monthly wood volume extracted from private native forests over the previous 4-year period. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that; “There are also leakage clauses, providing penalties if logging of public forest increased elsewhere in the state on private or public land, or if there is an increase in imports of unsustainable timber”. Timber NSW argues that the carbon leakage figures used in the scheme are misleading, with independent research from the University of Queensland calculating timber harvest leakage at over 80%, far exceeding the maximum 40% discount permitted by the Commonwealth. What is not reported is that only a maximum of 40% of the carbon leakage (both domestic and international) can be discounted by the Commonwealth despite that figure being widely debunked and calculated by Dr Tyron Venn et al from UQ at more than 80% for timber harvest leakage, with most of the demand met by elevated-risk countries. According to Timber NSW this means that: communities in northern NSW are shut down Private forest landowners no longer control their own income Australian taxpayers are funding the NSW Government for forcing those changes The real impact of carbon emissions into the atmosphere is assumed away because it will happen overseas.   The forestry sector supports thousands of jobs across NSW and contributes significantly to regional economies through timber harvesting, transport, processing and manufacturing. It is an undisputed fact that sustainably managed state forests can and do deliver both conservation and economic outcomes. Timber NSW has warned that reduced domestic timber production will likely shift demand to overseas suppliers in elevated-risk countries, meaning the scheme effectively exports carbon emissions rather than reducing them globally.

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Timber Queensland has launched the Colin MacKenzie Award to strengthen timber design and construction capability. The Colin MacKenzie Award for Technical Excellence in Timber Application and Use is a new national initiative recognising outstanding technical achievement and leadership in the use of timber across Australia’s building and construction sectors. Source: Timberbiz The award was launched at the WoodSolutions event, Queensland Timber: Trajectory Award Winning Exemplars Showcasing the Way to Modern Construction, that brought together leaders from the forest and timber, engineering, architectural and construction industries. This initiative responds to widespread calls from industry to formally recognise Colin MacKenzie’s legacy following his passing on 24 March 2025 and to continue the work he championed in lifting capability, innovation and confidence in the use of timber across Australian construction. Widely regarded as “The Timber Expert”, the award reflects Mr MacKenzie’s lasting contribution to advancing timber as a high-performance, compliant and fit-for-purpose construction material across a diverse range of applications, from buildings to infrastructure and beyond. Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said the award is intended to recognise those delivering real technical impact across the sector. “The award is intended for engineers, architects, designers, builders and researchers who are delivering real technical impact and helping to strengthen capability across the sector,” Mr Stephens said. “This is not limited to building projects it recognises the full breadth of timber innovation, including infrastructure, engineered solutions and other applications that demonstrate excellence in using or enabling the use of timber.” Mr Stephens said the award will focus strongly on outcomes that contribute to advancing industry knowledge and practice. “Judging will focus on technical merit, innovation, and the contribution a project or individual makes to improving knowledge, collaboration and sustainability in timber use,” Mr Stephens said. “It will also consider alignment with Colin’s vision for timber as a high-performance, compliant and fit-for-purpose construction material.” A national judging panel comprising respected leaders from across engineering, design and specification will assess entries, ensuring a strong emphasis on technical rigour and industry relevance. “We are honoured to have Professor Benoit Gilbert, Griffith University, Rob Mansell, National Specification Manager, Hyne Timber, Dr Andrew Magub, Principal, Architectus, Kim Harris, Technical Advisor, AKD and Matt Smith, Senior Technical Consultant, Timber Queensland join the inaugural selection process,” Mr Stephens said. By recognising leading projects and individuals, Timber Queensland said the initiative will help drive greater confidence in timber and support the continued development of capability across the industry. Mr Stephens said the recipient of the inaugural Colin MacKenzie Award will be honoured at the Queensland HIA Building Awards in Brisbane on 13 November 2026. “We gratefully acknowledge the support of the foundation partners, including Timber Queensland, to launch this award. The seed funding has enabled the national award to be offered annually for the next five years at which point the goodwill and delivery of the award can be reviewed going forward,” Mr Stephens said. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is supporting the 2026 award as Presentation Sponsor, recognising Mr MacKenzie’s long-standing expertise, collaboration and trusted advice across a range of QBCC initiatives and the broader development sector over many years. The QBCC’s involvement with an award associated with technical excellence aligns with a commitment to promoting high standards, capability and integrity withing the building and construction industry. Further details about the application and judging process is available at https://www.timberqueensland.com.au/colin-mackenzie-award

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Australia’s first National Environmental Protection Agency was launched this week with stop-work-style powers, expanded audit powers and penalties of up to $16.5 million for serious corporate breaches. Native forestry is shielded for now, but that protection falls away in 12 months. Source: Timberbiz According to the Federal Government the National EPA, the first in Australia’s history, underpins the Albanese Government’s landmark environmental law reforms, which were passed in December last year. It is a key plank in the reforms’ promise to strengthen environmental protections and speed up the approval of critical housing, energy and minerals projects. The government says that the National EPA will be a modern and effective regulator that helps people understand Australia’s environmental laws and makes sure those laws are followed. These include the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and laws regulating sea dumping, ozone protection and synthetic greenhouse gas management, hazardous waste, product emissions standards, recycling and waste reduction and underwater cultural heritage. The role of the National EPA will include issuing permits and licences, environmental assessments and approvals, compliance and enforcement activities and the assurance, monitoring and auditing of the operation of accreditations, bilateral agreements and bioregional plans under the EPBC Act. Forest and Wood Communities Australia says the forestry sector now has just 12 months to prepare for the most significant expansion of federal environmental enforcement in a generation, after the National Environmental Protection Agency commenced on 1 July. “From 1 July, the clock started ticking for every native forestry business still operating under the Regional Forest Agreement framework,” said Steve Dobbyns BSc (Forestry), Chairman of Forest and Wood Communities Australia. “The sector has been told it has 12 months, but 12 months is not long when you are talking about federal approvals, accreditation, legal risk, wood supply contracts, contractors, mills and regional jobs. “Australian native forestry is not an environmental free-for-all. It is already managed through state forest practice systems, detailed environmental prescriptions, regeneration obligations, threatened species protections, audits and decades of scientific assessment under the RFAs. The danger is that Canberra builds a duplicate approval system that treats one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country as if none of that regulation exists.” Launched by Environment Minister Murray Watt and led by inaugural chief executive John Bradley PSM, the agency can now issue urgent environment protection orders where serious environmental harm is alleged, expand compliance audits and pursue breaches through the courts. The most serious penalties can reach $16.5 million per company and may be linked to the benefit gained from breaking the law. Native forestry conducted under a Regional Forest Agreement remains outside the full reach of these new arrangements until 1 July 2027. Operations outside an agreement have already required federal approval since December 2025, and current agreements allow approved harvesting to continue only until 30 June 2027, after which the exemption falls away. National Environmental Standards are now being developed and consulted on. Those standards will determine how forestry operations are judged under Commonwealth law and whether existing state systems are properly recognised or overridden by another layer of federal control. The five remaining Regional Forest Agreements across New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia have underpinned native forest management for a quarter of a century. They were built on regional scientific assessments, conservation reserves, sustainable yield modelling and state-based forest practice systems. When the exemption ends, thousands of regional workers and the communities built around them will face a federal regulator armed with stop-work powers for the first time. “This is the point where government must decide whether these reforms are about genuine environmental outcomes or whether they become another political weapon against Australian forestry,” Mr Dobbyns said. “You do not protect forests, jobs or the climate by strangling Australian production with duplicate green tape and then importing more timber from countries with weaker environmental standards. That is not conservation. That is environmental outsourcing.” Conservation groups are already pressing the new regulator to use its powers harder, including on land clearing and activities they claim threaten species such as the koala. It leaves the timber sector caught between a countdown clock and mounting political pressure to bring the full force of the new laws to bear the moment the exemption lifts. Forest and Wood Communities Australia says the federal government must guarantee that the new standards recognise the world-leading regulation Australian forestry already operates under, rather than treating sustainable domestic timber production as the problem. “The Commonwealth must not use these reforms to pretend that native forestry is unregulated, unscientific or unmanaged,” Mr Dobbyns said. “Our industry grows and regenerates forests, supplies renewable building materials, supports regional families and operates under rules that many imported products would never meet. “If the new system rewards activist pressure over evidence, the losers will be regional workers, local mills, Australian builders, housing affordability and the global environment.” The Australian Forest Products Association has warned that losing the RFA framework would bury native forestry in green tape and drive greater reliance on imported timber, including products from jurisdictions with weaker environmental oversight than Australia. Forest and Wood Communities Australia is calling on the federal government to work directly with forest scientists, state regulators, workers, contractors, processors and regional communities before the 1 July 2027 deadline. “Regional communities cannot be treated as collateral damage in another Canberra deal,” Mr Dobbyns said. “If the government is serious about timber security, housing supply and better environmental outcomes, it must back sustainable Australian forestry, not regulate it into uncertainty.”

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My prediction of impending drops in export log prices has regrettably come to pass.  Wharf gate sales dropped NZ$6-10 per m3 in June across NZ ports.  This was due to the combination of weaker selling prices and higher shipping costs combining into an imperfect storm. The better news is China market fundamentals remain ok with major further price drops unlikely to be in the mix. The price drop in June has seen a rapid slow-down in deliveries to NZ ports and that is what is needed to see any sort of recovery in July. I had a respondent to my last report suggest we need to “stop China playing with us”.  I want to put this one to bed as I have also often heard conspiracy theorists commenting negatively about the supposed China grand domination plan. I have been directly involved in the China export log market for 30+ years.  Let me assure you, there is no grand plan. The important point here is NZ is, by a significant margin, the largest supplier of softwood logs to China, currently hovering around 70% – 80% of all supplies. A sales price tempering impact is what China traders get for NZ logs sold into the China domestic market. They currently pay NZ exporters US$124 per m3 A grade shorts basis. The domestic wholesale price is US$120 per m3, slightly closer negative margin than I reported in May. In May/June another impact was a large NZ exporter trying to push prices above US$130 per m3 until vessels were sailing with some volume not contracted or LC’s issued against. This very silly history repeating tactic created nervousness amongst buyers who then folded their arms until the prices landed lower.  This is a “stupid is as stupid does” NZ plan, not a China plan! The domestic wholesale price in China is driven by manufacturing and sales – significantly furniture and moulding components to the US.  Current manufacturing stats across the Eastern seaboard suggest mild but not concerning weakness. If there is a grand plan it will be more about what pops up in Donald Trump’s head when he wakes up each morning. We see ample evidence of that being a pretty scary place.  The imposition of tariffs and propensity for war and the wide-ranging consequences obvious to all except Donald Trump, is what is controlling our collective destinies at present. There is no grand plan in China to gear prices for NZ logs. If we should shorten supply, prices will lift, but only in so much as China domestic pricing will allow. The China market is vast with multiple players operating in a highly dynamic market driven by domestic and export sales and the RMB/US$ exchange rate.  And like in NZ, each player is trying to play their own game whilst protecting their own profits, mostly without regard for others. The softwood log inventory across the Eastern seaboard is sitting around 2.54 million m3 round numbers, down 60,000 m3 in April which regarded as unchanged by the market. A reason for likely good recovery is daily consumption which continues to sit around 60,000, a pretty good utilisation for mid-summer conditions.  There is potential for July inventory to slip below 2mil m3.  That will also promulgate recovery. Exporters continue to turn eyes toward India with solid demand and elevated deliveries not appearing to scare the market in to price drops.  NZ Radiata pines logs are favoured by India sawmillers, being much better quality than other supply sources. There is no question the impending NZ/India Free Trade Agreement is elevating interest with shipments expected to increase as a consequence.  But this market is not large so it will not take much for NZ exporters to destroy their own price if too many want a slice of the action. Current CFR prices are in the late US$160’s per m3 compared to US$124 for the same grade in China.  But shipping costs to India are much higher at around US$70 compared to mid US$40’s for China fixtures.  This then nets back to a better price point currently for India trade. It is also great to see the NZ domestic sawmilling sector going gang buster – or at least a mild form thereof.   Long may that continue! Allan Laurie, Managing Director, Laurie Forestry.           

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