Forest Products Industry

The idea of trees “talking” to one another through underground fungal networks the so-called “wood wide web” has captured the imagination of the public. This concept, where trees supposedly share nutrients with each other via these networks, has been popularized by books and documentaries. Source: Timberbiz A new study, led by the University of Göttingen, suggests the reality might be more nuanced. The researchers found that young beech trees could transfer carbon to nearby “ectomycorrhizal” fungi, a kind of fungi that grows on and together with the tree roots in a beneficial relationship but not to other trees. These fungi form intricate underground connections with tree roots, and it has been suggested they might also connect trees to each other, allowing for mutual nutrient exchange. However, this latest research raises questions about how much actual sharing is going on. The findings were published in New Phytologist. To trace the movement of carbon, the scientists used a technique called isotopic labelling. They provided CO2 enriched with a heavier carbon isotope (known as Carbon-13) to a young “donor” beech tree and waited five days, giving the tree time to absorb and move the Carbon-13 to its roots. Then, they measured the carbon in the roots, stems, and leaves of a nearby potential “recipient” tree. Ectomycorrhizal roots – the roots symbiotically associated with these fungi – were of particular interest to the researchers; with a delicate surgical intervention, they separated the plant-tissue from the fungus-colonized-tissue of the root tips and found that Carbon-13 the marker for donor-derived carbon was only in the fungus-colonized tissue and not in the rest of the roots of the recipient tree. They repeated the experiment on Douglas firs and again found that the Carbon-13 was only in fungus-colonized tissue, albeit in smaller amounts in this species. “These findings add fuel to a long-standing debate in ecology: are trees truly interconnected in a cooperative way?” explained postdoctoral researcher, Dr Michela Audisio, at Göttingen University’s Department of Forest Botany and Tree Physiology. She added, “It is hard to imagine that ectomycorrhizal fungi would altruistically transfer carbon from one tree to another. However, there are likely to be advantages for the fungi if can access multiple carbon sources, especially when facing environmental stress.” The study also explored what these findings mean for German forests more broadly. The researchers found that ectomycorrhizal roots of Douglas fir, a non-native species, received slightly less of the labelled carbon than European beech, a native species. “This could mean that in forests mixed with Douglas fir, ectomycorrhizal fungi may be less abundant,” said Audisio, “Potentially affecting the forest’s carbon cycle.” This research was part of the RTG 2300 “Enrico” project at the University of Göttingen and was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Original publication: Audisio M, et al. “Ectomycorrhizal fungi of Douglas‐fir retain newly assimilated carbon derived from neighboring European beech”, New Phytologist 2024. DoI: 10.1111/nph.19943

The European Union reached a tentative deal to postpone its landmark law to tackle deforestation until the end of next year, giving global supply chains of commodities from coffee to beef more time to adapt. Source: Bloomberg An agreement reached with lawmakers on Tuesday brings a turbulent few months for one of the EU’s most far-reaching environmental plans close to an end. The law was met with widespread pushback from agricultural giants like Brazil and Indonesia, as well as EU countries such as Austria and Finland. “We successfully postponed the implementation of the deforestation law by one year, giving European businesses, foresters and farmers the planning security they need, while protecting them from excessive bureaucracy,” said Christine Schneider, lead negotiator representing the European Parliament in the talks. Aimed at curbing forest clearance in nations that export to the bloc, the legislation became a symbol of Europe’s environmental ambitions clashing with reality. Businesses such as chocolate makers said they needed time and money to prepare, as did nations that supply them with cocoa and other products. In early October, the European Commission had already moved to propose delaying the rules. But the European People’s Party, the biggest group in the EU Parliament, led a push in the assembly to demand further changes, putting the delay at risk if no deal was reached before the end of this year. During the meeting on Tuesday, representatives of the parliament dropped the requirements after the commission offered assurances to update the law within a year, Schneider said in a statement. “We ensured that the Commission will complete the online platform and the risk categorisation in due time, giving more predictability for all in the supply chain,” said Schneider, who is a member of the EPP group. “Last, but not least, an impact assessment and further simplification is to follow in the review stage for the low-risk countries or regions, giving countries an incentive to improve their forest conservation practices.” Member states and parliament will still need to officially sign off on the deal before the end of the month, a step that is usually seen as a formality. The first step will be a vote in the European Parliament’s environment committee, to be followed by a plenary ballot later this month.

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has been recognised on the global stage with a prestigious award that celebrates the finest contemporary architectural projects worldwide. Source: Timberbiz NTU’s Gaia, the largest wooden building in Asia, is the winner of the Prix Versailles 2024, the grand prize under the World’s Most Beautiful Campuses category, which honours the best in campus architecture and design. NTU Senior Vice President (Administration) Ms Tan Aik Na accepted the Prix Versailles 2024 award on behalf of NTU at a ceremony held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), headquarters in Paris. The Prix Versailles is an international series of architectural awards celebrating contemporary projects worldwide, recognising excellence in design, innovation, and sustainability. The annual “World’s Most Beautiful” achievements highlight exceptional architecture and design projects that elevate and beautify living environments. Gaia clinched the top award after making the shortlist with five other world-class university buildings in the US, UK, France and China. Each finalist is recognised as a laureate by UNESCO, having showcased exceptional design, creativity and ecological efficiency. These laureates and the grand prize winners are identified and chosen by the esteemed Prix Versailles World Judges Panel, which comprises distinguished international experts from diverse interdisciplinary fields, including architecture, design, and the arts. On receiving the award, Ms Tan said: “We are deeply honoured that NTU’s Gaia has been recognised by UNESCO and its partners for its innovative design and commitment to sustainability. This recognition underscores the University’s dedication to pioneering sustainable building solutions, creating an inspiring and environmentally responsible campus. By enhancing the living and learning experience for our community, Gaia serves as both a cornerstone of our campus and a model of sustainable development, especially for the tropical region.” Named after the Greek goddess of the Earth, Gaia was constructed using MET sourced from sustainably managed forests. Designed to be environmentally friendly, Gaia emits 2,500 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide annually compared to conventional concrete buildings, equivalent to more than 7,000 roundtrip flights between Singapore and Hong Kong. It is also the eighth Zero-Energy Building on the NTU Smart Campus, which has frequently been named one of the world’s most beautiful campuses. Launched in 2022, Gaia incorporates cutting-edge energy-efficient systems and renewable technologies, making it one of the greenest buildings on NTU’s lush 200-hectare campus. It was also the eighth building on the NTU campus to receive the Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) certification, the highest accolade from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA). Over the past two years, NTU’s Gaia has been recognised with more than 10 international accolades, including the Austrian Green Planet Building (AGPB) Technology Award. This Austrian award recognises buildings that excel in energy efficiency, resource conservation, and renewable energy. It is supported by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA (AWA), the trade promotion arm of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Other international awards for Gaia include the Architizer A+ Awards (Sustainable Institutional Building – Jury Winner), and the Architecture MasterPrize Architectural Design Award in the Institutional Architecture category (Best of Best). The Prix Versailles is presented annually by UNESCO, in collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the International Union of Design (IUD). It is an international series of architectural awards celebrating contemporary projects worldwide, recognising design, innovation, and sustainability excellence. The annual “World’s Most Beautiful” achievements highlight exceptional architecture and design projects that elevate and beautify living environments.

New rules limiting farm to forestry conversions under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are set to have dire consequences for forest growers in New Zealand and the country’s ability to meet its climate change targets. Source: Timberbiz Announced Tuesday by Forestry Minister Todd McClay, the new rules will see a moratorium placed on exotic forestry registrations for Land Use Classifications (LUC) 1 – 5 and an annual cap set at 15,000 hectares (ha) for exotic forestry registrations on LUC 6 farmland. New Zealand Forest Owners Association (FOA) chief executive, Dr Elizabeth Heeg, says the rules are hurting forest owners who are making some of the biggest contributions to improving New Zealand’s climate outcomes. “A moratorium on forests able to be planted on LUCs 1 – 5 severely limits the number of forests that can participate in the ETS,” Dr Heeg said. “By pushing the establishment of new forests to marginal or less productive agricultural land, we are not only limiting our country’s capacity to enhance carbon sequestration efforts but also undermining a vital industry that supports thousands of jobs.” With planting restrictions imposed on LUC 6 too, Dr Heeg says the new rules could significantly reduce the land available for establishing the forests needed to meet the 2050 climate target. “Planting of trees, be that for production purposes, diversification of land, or for carbon sequestration, is arguably the only real tool at New Zealand’s disposal to mitigate emissions besides gross emissions reductions,” she said. “These land use restrictions are shortsighted and will only serve to disincentivise forest owners’ participation in the ETS – ultimately leading to reduced planting rates and poor outcomes for our sector and the climate.” While there has been an increase in the planting of carbon forests in recent years, the total forest estate remains smaller than what it was 20 years ago. “The misconception that we need to limit farm to forestry conversions to ensure food production is misguided and hurting our forest growers who are an equally important component of New Zealand’s food and fibre network,” Dr Heeg said. Small scale woodlot owners and farm foresters stand to be most affected, with the new rules limiting the tools available to diversify their land and offset agricultural emissions. “Landowners, including farmers having the right to diversify their land through the planting of more trees,” she said. “Today’s announcement essentially devalues farms in that land use will become limited to farming only. “Only allowing 25% of the farm to be planted also appears to be an arbitrary threshold that may not be appropriate for all farmers.” Dr Heeg says forest owners are concerned that the LUC cut-off was an arbitrary decision rather than an evidence-based one. “The LUC is a blunt instrument that doesn’t necessarily capture all land areas suited to forestry or other land uses. The sector is not opposed to new rules and regulations; however, these must be evidence based,” she said. “Care must be taken applying blanket rules using tools that lack the granularity required to understand the wide-scale impact that moratoriums such as these may have on industries like ours. “It is disappointing that production forestry is once again being unfairly persecuted for its climate contributions and landowners wanting to plant trees are being restricted.” Dr Heeg says forest owners will be seeking further engagement with the Minister on the new rules to ensure forestry is supported and the gravity of these decisions for forest owners is understood. “The lack support for forestry and what the sector is trying to achieve for New Zealand communities is incredibly disappointing,” she said. “The Climate Change Commission has clearly signalled that significantly more planting will be required to meet our 2050 target. “The government’s announcement today is a strong contradiction of the direction New Zealand should be moving in with respect to its climate change policies.” The new rules will come into force from October 2025.  

Södra’s cross-laminated timber (CLT) is now available on innovative software platform, CLT Toolbox. This collaboration allows engineers and architects to easily design and optimize sustainable and efficient timber constructions using Södra’s CLT. Source: Timberbiz CLT Toolbox is already a trusted tool in many countries, and with this partnership, it is now launching on the Nordic market. Södra, as the first partner, marks a significant step in its mission to promote sustainable building with wood. “We believe in CLT Toolbox as a valuable partner and that their solution will add great value to the Nordic market. With this partnership we want to simplify the use of CLT for designers, especially when using CLT from Södra,” Daniel Anderson, Head of Building Technology at Södra Building Systems said. CLT Toolbox was developed in Melbourne, Australia by Ringo Thomas and Adam Jones. It was launched to the Australian construction industry in March 2023. It was developed to automate complex structural design computations, making it easier and more cost effective for engineers to design and build with sustainable materials like timber. CLT Toolbox is a software platform that helps engineers design and optimize constructions with massive timber. It offers various calculators and tools to facilitate calculations and design of CLT structures, such as floors and walls. The platform is designed to save time and improve efficiency in the design process by offering transparent and automated construction methods. It is also adaptable for different suppliers and has clear explanations for certifiers and authorities. “We’re building tools to make designing with mass timber seamless and efficient. Partnering with Södra, one of Sweden’s leading CLT supplier, is a key milestone as we launch in Sweden,” Adam Jones, Founder and CEO of CLT Toolbox said. “In the first week of December, we’ve introduced the Swedish National Annex, Swedish language support, and now, a premier Swedish CLT supplier to our platform. “Our commitment is to create tools that help grow the global adoption of mass timber, and we’re thrilled to achieve this alongside the exceptional team at Södra.”

Demand for sustainably sourced forest and wood products is increasing both nationally and internationally, and the Federal Government says it is committed to providing industry with the tools they need to take advantage of this growth. Source: Timberbiz The Government has launched a suite of online forestry guidance materials for private landowners and managers, including Indigenous forest owners and managers. The comprehensive database introduces the business of commercial forestry and gives those considering farm forestry a great launch pad prior to seeking on-ground information and advice specific to their land management system. The online database is user-friendly and enables people to search materials from a regional level. The initiative contributes to increasing the supply of domestically grown timber products and reducing Australia’s carbon emissions. The materials were developed by Forest and Wood Products Australia in collaboration with Greenwood Strategy Solutions. “Increasing Australia’s wood supply is our Government’s key policy objective for the forestry sector,” the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins said. “That’s why the Albanese Labor Government is delivering a suite of initiatives totalling over $300 million to support Australia’s forest industries to innovate and improve capacity and capability. “The area of farm forestry in Australia was reported as 73,000 hectares in 2022 and these online tools will help to continue the growth of this area.” The Government is investing $300 million in the future of the forestry industry, which includes: Over $100 million for transformative research, development and innovation for the timber industry through Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Over $100 million to support the medium and long-term sustainability of our wood processing sector through the Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation program Over $73 million to expand Australia’s future wood supply through the Support Plantation Establishment program, and $10 million in the industry’s training needs through the Forestry Workforce Training Program.

The Nangwarry sawmill in South Australia and its 28 hectares of land are on the market. Source: The SE Voice The sales agents are acting under instruction of the liquidators of Shield Holdings South Australia Pty Ltd. The agents state the sale offers investors, developers and owner occupiers the opportunity to acquire a significant industrial land holding with extensive building structures on low site coverage. Also available is an extensive list of machinery and equipment for the continued trading of a timber export business that can be acquired together with the property on a ‘walk-in walk-out’ basis, or separately to the property. Expressions of interest close with the agents on December 18. The Nangwarry sawmill was established in the 1940s by the State Government to process the timber from the state-owned pine plantations. Along with its sister mills at Mount Gambier and Mount Burr, it was sold as a job lot for $130m in 1996 to New Zealand firm Carter Holt Harvey. Nowadays, the Mount Gambier Mill is owned and operated by OneFortyOne. The Mount Burr Mill closed in 2000 and is now derelict and owned by local interests.  

Australia’s forest industries are the solution, this is the message from yesterday’s Federal Government Strategic Forest and Renewable Materials Partnership’s Forest Industry Roundtable in Hobart. Source: Timberbiz The roundtable highlighted the need for a coordinated Federal Government approach to support the forestry and forest products supply chain so it can deliver the best possible economic, climate and social outcomes for Australia and the world, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Diana Hallam said. “Growing production trees is the foundation that supports our entire processing and manufacturing supply chain and today’s Roundtable positively reinforced the need for public policy coordination across government departments and agencies so our sector can reach its full potential whether it’s for construction and furnishing timber, biomass, pulp and paper or any of our other great products,” Ms Hallam said. “Bottom line – we need policy geared in the one direction to help our sector thrive and when we thrive, the country thrives. “I particularly thank Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, The Hon Julie Collins MP for her enthusiastic participation in the Roundtable and for allowing a free canvassing of ideas and strategies for how forestry and forest products can provide solutions on a number of fronts. “A key role of the Strategic Forest and Renewable Materials Partnership is to inform the development of a new Timber Fibre Strategy and the Roundtable provided the opportunity for participants to discuss challenges and have their say on policy solutions for the Strategy,” Ms Hallam said. “As a sector we employ 180,000 Australians directly and indirectly, many in rural and regional communities that rely solely on the sector, all while providing a range of job opportunities. “We contribute $24 billion to the national economy annually, we create essential products we need every day, all while helping Australia reduce emissions and fight climate change, helping the Government work towards its net-zero goals. “Finally, it was great to see so many AFPA members involved in the Roundtable just months away from the next Federal Election – that will be very important in setting a future agenda for the sector.”

The Greens, the Bob Brown Foundation and the Liberal Government in Tasmania have been accused wanting to start another forest war. Source: Timberbiz Shadow Resources Minister Shane Broad this week said Tasmanian Labor supported jobs in regional Tasmania. “It is what we believe in and what we fight for,” he said. “We urge environmental non-governmental organisations moving to renege on their commitment to the Tasmania Forest Agreement to act with restraint. “The TFA has demonstrated that jobs, industry and conservation can co-exist.  The last thing Tasmania needs is another forest war,” he said. “It is also important to note that we wouldn’t be in this position if Minister Felix Ellis didn’t attempt to re-open the forest wars with his controversial election policy which managed to divide all sides of the debate and saw industry desert him. “The industry doesn’t want another forest war, nor do Tasmanians,” Mr Broad said. “The only groups that do are the Greens and the Bob Brown Foundation, and apparently Minister Felix Ellis.” It comes as the Greens this week accused the state government of having secret plans to release up to 39,000 hectares of native forests for logging. However, the Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Eric Abetz said it was premature to release maps the Greens sought because no final decisions had been made. “Assessments have to be made in relation to each and every proposed area and until such time as I have information I’m not going to, as a relatively new minister in this area, going to put areas out into the public domain,” he said. “I’m currently getting information and being given guidance in relation to areas, and until such time as a determination is made, there’s no real inclination by myself to talk about areas in hypothetical circumstances.” Mr Abetz defended Sustainable Timbers’ failure to gain Forest Stewardship Council certification over the last decade. “If you’re already at world’s best practice and then demand is made that you show even further improvement, it becomes difficult,” he told The Mercury. And the minister said it would be a terrible result if Tasmania followed the lead of other states and ended native forest logging.

AAP reports that “At least 5000 koalas were killed in the 2020 Black Summer bushfires and a subsequent parliamentary inquiry found they would be extinct by 2050 without urgent government intervention to stop habitat loss”.1 Consequently, the Great Koala National Park will be finalised within weeks to ‘save’ them. Australian Forest Products Association estimates that it will cost more than $1 billion and more than 2,000 jobs in the native timber industry. They’ve identified an alternative “acceptable” option which would cost only about $400 million and 700 jobs. The Government has allocated $80 million to establishing the Park. Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said there were “a number of figures floating around … The thing I’ve learnt in forestry is that there are never any agreed facts and never any agreed figures”.2 But Sharpe says she will deliver “the government’s biggest environmental commitment”, adding that “We have always been clear that we need a comprehensive assessment process which takes into account environmental, economic, social, ecological and cultural issues”. Unfortunately, this process has ignored the main issue. The Government’s own data from surveys using drones and sniffer dogs show that koalas are not endangered and there is no need for a new park. There are more than 12,000 in the targeted 176,000 hectares of regrowth forests and plantations. That’s an unnaturally high density of one koala per 15 hectares.3 NSW’s native timber industry is doomed to follow Victoria’s and Western Australia’s into oblivion because the process is purely political and utterly lacking in science. The Black Summer fires burnt a lot of koalas, more than one would expect given expert estimates of low numbers through most of their range. Their Endangered listing was based on an estimate of only 36,000 koalas in NSW before 5,000 or more were killed in the fires. The estimate for the whole north coast from the Queensland border to the Sydney Basin was only 8,000. Now, with the imminent delivery of the Great Koala Park, three experts have published a scientific article claiming that it’s “dangerous to put numbers on koalas”.4 It says accurate numbers are not available, “Media seized on ‘guesstimates’ from any source, however dubious, and resorted to calculating numbers from habitat statistics and general population estimates without including the caveats that scientists included with these estimates…The obsession with numbers has left a legacy that can drown out the more considered narrative of science and lead to distortions of policy and management”. Daniel Lunney, the corresponding author for this article, was also co-author of a ‘study’ which led to the Endangered listing. They concluded that, “It was not necessary to achieve high levels of certainty or consensus among experts before making informed estimates. A quantitative, scientific method for deriving estimates of koala populations and trends was possible, in the absence of empirical data on abundances”.5 Minister Sharpe now has real data which show that the experts underestimated koala numbers by an order of magnitude. CSIRO analyses6  also indicates that numbers are 10 times higher than Koala Industry guesstimates used to support the listing.7 But the Great Koala Park will go ahead despite huge cost to the environment, economy and society. The Black Summer fires were a consequence of our ‘Lock It Up and Let It Burn’ conservation paradigm. However, koala numbers continued to increase on the north coast and elsewhere despite losses in the fires.8 Accurate numbers from post-fire drone surveys of more than 5000 hectares in two areas near Goulburn and Cooma found koalas at an average density of one per 37 hectares.9 This is similar to densities near Campbelltown where koalas are measurably increasing and female home ranges are about 20 hectares. But researchers there fear the “dangerous idea” that koalas are sustainable at what they regard as low densities.10 These researchers “predicted” that a viable low-density koala population extends all the way from Sydney to Victoria through the South-Eastern Highlands. Their predictions are supported by the accurate post-fire surveys, though numbers are three times higher than they expected and obviously very much greater than the expert guesstimate of 1363 koalas for the whole bioregion. No matter what the cost of the Great Koala Park it’s a scam and NSW’s Environment Minister has real numbers which prove it. Unfortunately, the numbers will no longer be politically dangerous once the park has been legislated and the renewable timber industry has been destroyed to appease the Greens. Their claims of socioeconomic benefits have proved false after every major ‘environmental’ decision on forests since Premier Wran ‘saved’ sustainably logged rainforests in 1982. But we continue to use illegal timber got by destroying rainforests and orangutans. References Australian Associated Press (AAP), At least 5000 koalas were killed, – Search Luke Costin, Australian Associated Press (AAP), Fur flies over billion-dollar koala park cost claims, 27 November 2024. Vic Jurskis, Ecological History of the Koala and implications for management, CSIRO Publishing, Wildlife Research, 12 December 2017, https://doi.org/10.1071/WR17032 Eleanor Stalenberg, Daniel Lunney, Chris Moon, `It’s dangerous to put a number on them’. Media coverage of koalas during the 2019-2020 `Black Summer’ bushfires in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Pacific Conservation Biology, 25 November 2024, https://doi.org/10.1071/PC24019 Adams-Hoskings et al, Use of expert knowledge to elicit population trends for the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Wiley Online Library, Diversity and Distributions, 5 January 2016, https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12400 CSIRO, 2024 update of National Koala Population estimates, Progress Report, 15 April 2024. Jason Ross, CSIRO: Aussie Koala Numbers Are 10x Higher Than Estimate, Wood Central, 9 July 2024. Vic Jurskis, NSW Koala Strategy – Extinguish native forestry, Australian Rural & Regional News, 24 April 2024. Cristescu et al, Difficulties of assessing the impacts of the 2019–2020 bushfires on koalas, Wiley Online Library, Austral Ecology, 29 October 2021, https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13120 Robert Close, Steven Ward, David Phalen, A dangerous idea: that Koala densities can be low without the populations being in danger, Australian Zoologist, 1 June 2017, https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2015.001   Vic Jurkis is a former senior NSW Forestry Commission professional forester. In 2004 he was awarded a Fellowship by the Joseph William Gottstein Memorial […]