Forest Products Industry

From strategic decisions shaping the future of the PEFC alliance to discussions on forest resilience, timber construction and sustainable innovation, the PEFC Forest Forum 2026 brought together the global forestry community for a week of exchange and collaboration in Istanbul, Türkiye. Source: Timberbiz Members and colleagues from 40 countries gathered from 11–14 May to strengthen connections across the network, share knowledge and explore how PEFC certification can support resilient forests, responsible supply chains and sustainable development. The week culminated in a public conference showcasing Türkiye’s growing role in advancing sustainable forest management and certification. Throughout the week, participants shared experiences and insights from across the PEFC network, discussing opportunities and challenges facing forests and forest-based industries around the world. A key milestone of the Forum was the 34th PEFC General Assembly, where members approved the PEFC Project Sourcing standard and the associated requirements for certification bodies. These approvals mark an important step forward in supporting responsible sourcing for construction and other project-based sectors. The General Assembly also welcomed The Navigator Company and Sumitomo Forestry as new PEFC international stakeholder members, further strengthening the PEFC alliance and expanding engagement across the forest sector value chain. Members additionally elected Emma Berglund and Kurt Ramskogler to the PEFC Nominations Committee. The public conference day focused on the opportunities and challenges facing Türkiye’s forest sector as it moves towards its first PEFC Sustainable Forest Management certifications. Four panel discussions brought together national and international experts to explore how certification can support resilient forests, responsible supply chains and sustainable economic growth. The first panel examined the role of timber construction in supporting low-carbon development and resilient infrastructure, particularly in earthquake-prone regions. Discussions highlighted innovation in modern timber architecture, the advantages of timber as a high-performance building material, and the growing role of PEFC Project certification in verifying responsible sourcing. The second panel focused on forest resilience and climate adaptation. Speakers explored how sustainable forest management and certification can help forests respond to increasing pressures from climate change, drought, pests, and wildfires, while supporting biodiversity conservation and resilient communities. Attention then turned to Türkiye’s certification journey, with discussions highlighting the expansion of forest certification, advances in digital monitoring and traceability systems, and the opportunities PEFC certification can create for international market access and credibility. The final panel explored the potential of non-timber forest products, including medicinal plants, honey, natural oils, mushrooms, and cork. Speakers highlighted opportunities for innovation and value-added production, as well as the role sustainable forest-based value chains can play in supporting rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. The Forum concluded with a field trip to Istanbul’s Atatürk Arboretum and Belgrade Forest. Guided by forestry students, participants explored the area’s rich diversity of tree and plant species and learned about its role in forest education and research. The visit also provided insights into forest fire monitoring and prevention efforts, including a stop at a fire observation tower overlooking the Bosphorus.

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As timber harvesting operations demand higher productivity, improved operator control and greater versatility across applications, Kesla introduces its new generation of forwarder cranes. Source: Timberbiz The new F-series covers the size classes KESLA 9F/FT, 10F/FT, 12F/FT and 14F/FT. The range has been developed to meet these evolving industry requirements by combining performance, precision and modularity with proven durability and life-cycle efficiency. The four size classes in the new range offer a gross lifting moment of 120–180 kNm, covering a wide spectrum of the most common forwarder sizes. Each model is available both as a single-extension F-version (reach 8.2 m) and a double-extension FT-version (reach 10.07 m), enabling an optimal solution for varying operational and reach requirements. Two different pillar height options for each model allow flexible integration with different base machines and applications. The KESLA F-series has been developed as a unified product family, where key structural solutions and operational characteristics remain consistent throughout the range. This supports: efficient production, easy maintenance, a consistent user experience, smooth integration with OEM partner machines, efficient spare parts management.   During development, extensive customer feedback from existing cranes on the market was collected and combined with comprehensive field testing across different markets. The cranes have been tested in multiple applications and on various base machines, with highly positive user feedback – particularly regarding motion control, power feel and swing torque. Key benefits for the operator Performance: strong lifting torque and smooth power delivery across the entire working range. Controllability: precise and predictable movements in all working situations. Geometry: optimized boom dimensions, efficient operation with minimal crane movement. Durability: thoroughly tested structure both in forest conditions and on test benches. Serviceability: designed for easy maintenance. Smart hydraulics: proven hose routing solutions and component selection; internal hose routing inside the extension boom is a patented solution.   The modular design of the F-series enables a wide range of configuration options to meet different customer needs. The cranes are compatible with various link options and offer multiple pillar height alternatives, facilitating integration with different base machines and applications. The modular approach also minimizes the number of spare part items, supporting efficient product support. Thanks to the versatility of configurations, the new F-series cranes are also well suited for feeding chippers and other industrial applications. “The F-series represents a new level in Kesla’s crane development. By listening closely to crane users, we have combined our long experience with modern product development to create a product family that meets the needs of both machine manufacturers and contractors well into the future,” said Mika Tahvanainen, Product Management Director at Kesla.

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Global oil prices fell on Monday following news of a tentative deal between Iran and the US to extend their ceasefire agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but a veteran oil watcher doesn’t see crude prices returning to pre-war levels anytime soon. BNN Bloomberg Eric Nuttall, partner and senior portfolio manager at Ninepoint Partners, told BNN Bloomberg on Monday that traders are trying to determine where the price of oil will settle out in the coming days and weeks, as many key details about the deal still need to be ironed out. “Will the Strait of Hormuz actually be toll-free? The (US) vice president this morning said that those details are going to be worked out over the next 60 days, and that has a really profound impact,” he said. Stay on top of your portfolio with real-time data, historical charts and the latest news on oil Nuttall noted that even if the strategically important Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened as a result of the Iran-US deal, it will take time for oil markets to recover from the volatility of the last three and a half months. “Let’s acknowledge where we sit today; the market has forfeited 1.7 billion barrels of Middle Eastern (oil) production by the time the lag effect ends,” he said. “We will have lost roughly 11 million barrels per day of that production, and it can’t come onstream until ships are actually willing to not just leave the Strait empty but actually come back.” In addition to the logistical backlog and supply chain disruption, the war in Iran has caused extensive damage to petroleum facilities across the Middle East, Nuttall explained. “We also have enormous damage at a number of facilities, about 70 in the world,” he said. “I was in Washington last week and some of the scuttlebutt was that damage in some countries is far worse than has been let on.” Although the Iran war led to higher oil prices, which is typically a positive for North America’s major petroleum producers, Nuttall noted that energy investors “should never have wanted” the direction oil markets were heading prior to Monday’s ceasefire extension. “The US strategic petroleum reserve only really had 50 million barrels left of actual usable capacity,” Nuttall said, citing information he and his team gathered after recent meetings in Washington. “That would have been exhausted by July to August, so we think the US administration was under far, far more pressure than what they acknowledged, and the new normal, so to speak, for the oil market is much, much different than what it was three or four months ago.” Nuttall said he believes around US$80 a barrel for the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate will “serve as the approximate floor” for oil prices going forward. Oil prices were sitting at roughly US$70 per barrel prior to the start of the Iran war in late February. “Just getting all of this unbelievable, nausea-inducing volatility out of the way, where we have to spend our Saturdays following Donald Trump’s Truth Social network, hopefully those days are over,” said Nuttall. “But again, we will not have details for either days, weeks, or up to two months.”

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SouthPAN is boosting mapping and GIS accuracy for New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute. The Institute’s remit includes managing forest inventory, keeping track of pests and diseases, and supporting precision forestry operations. Source: Timberbiz First introduced in 2020, SouthPAN (Southern Positioning Augmentation Network) is now a core part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute’s forestry workflows. Accurate positioning is crucial for the Institute’s success; it wanted to see if SouthPAN could make a difference. SouthPAN, or the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network, is a space-based augmentation system that vastly improves the accuracy obtainable from the various GNSS such as GPS. A joint Australia/New Zealand project, it is being led by Geoscience Australia and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). The Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao makes use of a wide variety of equipment and workflows that rely upon precision positioning, such as field mapping and UAV-based aerial imaging. Traditional positioning technologies such as handheld GPS units often can provide accuracy of only 15 metres in some challenging forestry environments. Utilisation of other systems such as RTK or higher-grade GPS units dramatically increases capital and ongoing costs. There are also the problems of sometimes-long acquisition times, which means more time spent in the field and inconsistent data quality due to variable positioning performance. That’s where SouthPAN comes in. The Institute put SouthPAN to the test using a low-cost GNSS receiver to see how its performance would compare with traditional systems. The evaluation showed that using the low-cost unit with SouthPAN can, for the Institute’s purposes, give results comparable with more expensive systems. Importantly, the combination resulted in sub-metre accuracy. This means the Institute has been able to capture more data, more quickly. “SouthPAN can help turn precision forestry into a more accessible and more scalable capability across forestry operations,” said Peter Massam from the Bioeconomy Science Institute. Other benefits include being able to standardise workflows, cutting point acquisition from three minutes to 20 or 30 seconds, and speeding up of data collection by three to five times. “SouthPAN delivers a quicker, more precise location in less time, with little to no post-processing,” Mr Massam said.

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The tree policy for Yarra Ranges residents has been officially updated at the last council meeting on 9 June, and the process for complaints along with it. Source: Ranges Trader Star Mail Aligning itself with principles across the council’s tree canopy strategy, nature and liveable climate plans, the new 2026 tree policy endorsed by councillors last week has had some changes made to the way complaints and reviews are managed. Bringing the complaints process into line with council’s customer complaint policy, residents must now settle issues or disputes over trees by going through a four-level complaint system. Previously, the residents unhappy with a decision to retain a tree could bring the matter through the Tree Management Team hierarchy, potentially involving senior managers and councillors. The policy also includes new sections and guidance on roots, infrastructure and cultural significance and was out for community consultation on the Shaping Yarra Ranges website from 15 January to 8 February this year. The policy was delayed for approval earlier in March when it was slowed from a majority vote by councillors. On 9 June, Councillors Gareth Ward and Tim Heenan spoke in support of the motion before it was put to a vote. “The substantive change in this version aligns with the decision review process with our customer complaints policy,” said Cr Ward. “When a resident queries a tree decision, they should encounter the same escalation pathway, the same accountability structure, and the same external review options they would find with any other council matter,” he said. “The community response during the consultation period was broadly supportive, and operational queries raised through submissions were addressed through the arrangements platform, so I’m happy to support tonight’s motion.” With around 1,250 ha of Council controlled parks and reserves, 1,757 kilometres of road corridors, and 600 km of roadsides on main roads, the policy said in a report on Australian local government tree canopy cover, Yarra Ranges was said to have the highest number of trees in Victoria and the second highest in Australia. Less operational than the 2017 document, the new policy references Council’s separate Tree Risk Assessment Framework and other operational documents in how they will manage trees on council-owned land and roadsides. The updated policy aims to balance the need to protect and retain trees alongside managing the risks they can pose to people and property. Cr Tim Heenan spoke about the level of supreme responsibility the council has regarding tree management, the large number of trees they deal with, and the high quality and experience the tree management staff bring to the table. “Over many, many years on council, we’ve had major issues with trees, either ones that we want to retain or ones that we believe should not be retained,” he said. “What we have in front of us here tonight, I believe, after everything that we’ve gone through, is a fair assessment of what we need to do for the future.” The motion, moved by Cr Gareth Ward and seconded by Cr Tim Heenan, was carried unanimously, with all councillors voting in favour.

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