Forest Products Industry

New South Wales will record the biggest expansion of softwood plantations in a decade, growing the timber frames needed to build more houses. Source: Timberbiz Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) NSW CEO James Jooste said new softwood plantations are critical to resolving the states housing crisis. “Timber frames are the backbone of our housing industry used in 80% of new homes,” Mr Jooste said. “The solution to meeting future housing targets is access to domestic building materials and the most important material is timber,” he said. The Commonwealth has allocated $73 million over the next four years to help establish new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantations in Australia. NSW will plant an additional 3500 hectares of softwood timber under round 1 of the Commonwealth Governments Plantation Establishment Program. Mr Jooste said that figure is three times larger than the total national plantings in 2021-22. “We are on the right track to reverse the stagnant growth of one of our most important resources,” he said. “New South Wales received 70% of grants on offer under round one of the program showing the demand to address our housing crisis. “We need to build more homes to deal with our housing crisis, but we can’t build houses with growing more softwood trees.” Mr Jooste said the Plantation Establishment Program has been key to stimulating new investment in plantations. “NSW must build 80,000 new homes every year for the next 25 years to meet our housing needs, so this program could not have come at a better time,” he said. “The Commonwealth can keep improving the program by simplifying up-front to access the program while maintaining a robust assessment criterion. “The strategic increase in timber plantations is not just about meeting immediate housing needs. It is also a vital step towards environmental sustainability. “Timber is the ultimate renewable helping to decarbonise our economy while we achieve our housing targets,” Mr Jooste said. Grant applications for Round 2 of the program runs from 9 February 2024 to 27 June 2024. Successful applicants will receive $2,000 per hectare to help with the establishment costs of new plantations.

The global search to find an internationally recognised expert to lead South Australia’s Forestry Centre of Excellence as director has begun, with leading forestry researcher Dr Jim O’Heir appointed as the general manger. Source: Timberbiz South Australia’s Dr O’Hehir brings his extensive experience in the areas of forestry, wood production and environmental management as he joins the Forestry Centre of Excellence having previously been the head of Forest Research at the University of South Australia in Mount Gambier and various executive roles at ForestrySA. Dr O’Hehir is highly regarded across both the industry and research sectors, which was reflected when he was named the 2023 Timber Legend at the 4th Green Triangle Timber Awards last October for his dedication to the forestry sector. A search for a second expert is also underway to fill the director role. The successful applicant for the director role will help advance innovative research on wood resources and wood-based products, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaborations within the University of South Australia, with national and international research institutions and industry. The Forestry Centre of Excellence (FCoE) is the first of its kind in South Australia and was a key forestry commitment by the Malinauskas Labor Government with an aim to create long-term research and development capability to enhance the Green Triangle’s economic prosperity to generate more jobs and investment in the region. The South Australian Government last year launched the FCoE strategic plan, which outlines the vision behind the $15 million 10-year collaborative project, which has been established at the existing UniSA and TAFE precinct in Mount Gambier. The FCoE is a central hub that focuses on innovation, sustainability, and the creation of new market opportunities from Australia and across the globe. A Strategic Collaboration Agreement to formally establish the centre was signed off in December 2023 between the South Australian Government, the University of South Australia (UniSA), the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub (GTFIH), and the South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA). Tree Breeding Australia (TBA) will also be located in the centre. For more information about the role or to apply visit: Research Professor: Wood Science & Technology and Director: Forestry Centre of Excellence (Level ERP). https://workingatunisa.nga.net.au/cp/index.cfm?event=jobs.checkJobDetailsNewApplication&returnToEvent=jobs.listJobs&jobid=88CB661B-D769-F4CE-5182-DA7C3CEF5135 Applications close 11:30 pm Thursday 18 April 2024 (ACST).

Funding to support disaster resilience in the primary industries has been highlighted at a South Australian Forest Products Association disaster resilience summit in Mt Gambier. Source: Timberbiz A new pilot project led by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and Primary Producers SA (PPSA) has received $770,000 from the State Government’s Disaster Risk Reduction grant program to prepare the agricultural sector and mitigate the impacts of compounding and increasingly complex natural disasters. Funded through a national partnership agreement between the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments, the project takes an industry-led approach to minimising disruptions to supply chains and maintaining the production and profitability of regional communities. This support is subsequent to the $26.7 million investment made by the Malinauskas Government to increase the Country Fire Service’s aerial firefighting fleet, which for the first time has seen a Blackhawk helicopter with 4,500 litre capacity for water and foam substantively based at Mount Gambier during the 2023–24 fire danger season. Additionally, the upgrade of the latest fire observation tower in Lucindale South has now been completed featuring game changing artificial intelligence (technology now rolled out across the region. The cameras are now fully operational at Comaum, Mount Benson, The Bluff, Carpenter Rocks, Mount Burr and Furner. It is the first time the Pano AI system has been implemented commercially in Australia as part of the South Australian Government’s $2.3 million fire tower network upgrade project, with $1 million targeting the new technology – and it has already been able to assist with early detection of several bushfires in the South East. “This new pilot program funded by SAFECOM and delivered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and Primary Producers South Australia (PPSA), provided the South Australian Forest Products Association an opportunity to host a Disaster Resilience Summit bringing together all the agricultural commodity groups with community groups and key decision markers in an effort to focus on how to mitigate the impacts of compounding and complex disasters,” South Australian Forest Products Association CEO Nathan Paine said. “One thing that Covid taught us all, is that disasters can come at any time and we can never be too prepared. These disasters include bushfires, floods, heatwaves and extreme winters, pandemics, animal, and plant diseases, and we need to ensure that we are all integrated with our approach when it comes to disaster management,” he said. “SAFPA’s Disaster Resilience Summit attracted significant guest speakers to address the 80 plus crowd who attended from across the State and Victoria, to understand how authorities and community members can minimize the disruptions to supply chains, ensure production maintenance continues in the event of a disaster and most important, how we can support the community to recover after a disaster. “SAFPA acknowledge the ongoing support of the State Government, particularly the Minister for Forest Industries, The Honourable Clare Scriven, and the Minister for Emergency Services, The Honourable Joe Szakacs, who both attended and spoke at the Summit.  Their attendance highlights how important the State Government values our regional economies and how committed they are to safeguarding lives, property and infrastructure in the region.” Along with the Ministers, the Summit attracted the following speakers: Jonathon Pollock, Bureau of Meteorology Jason Taylor, Limestone Coast Landscape Board Cameron MacDonald, OneFortyOne Caroline Rhodes, Primary Producers South Australia Alex Zimmerman, Community recovery Coordinator, SA Government Brett Loughlin, Chief, SA Country Fire Service Anthony Walsh, Green Triangle Fire Alliance Andrew Prolov, PANO AI Jason Wallace, ac.care Andrew Excel, Department of Infrastructure and Transport Georgina Goodrich, Department of Premier and Cabinet “Industry and Government have a strong partnership and are working together to reduce the impacts of disaster.  Currently, SA’s forest industries invest $13 million every year into fire detection, prevention and response, including fire fighters, specialist firefighting tankers, and associated equipment,” Mr Paine said. “With industry’s investment along the State Government’s additional investments into upgrading fire tower network with new technology and increasing the Country Fire Services aerial firefighting fleet with a Blackhawk helicopter, the Limestone Coast is well prepared to combat any compounding and complex disasters. “Thank you to our partners, SAFECOM with Department of Primary Industries and Regions and Primary Producers South Australia, OneFortyOne and Limestone Coast Landscape Board, for their support for this ever-important Summit.  SAFPA are working in step with industry and government authorities to ensure the Limestone Coast are well prepared in crisis management, mitigation and recovery,” he said.