Forest Products Industry

Raute has deployed AI enhanced defect detection in production environments to improve how veneer, plywood and LVL production lines identify and utilize raw material. The solution enables earlier and more consistent production decisions, helping mills improve recovery, reduce waste, and optimize energy use. Source: Timberbiz Raute is a global leader in technology and services for the wood products industry specializing in supplying machinery, digital solutions, and plant-wide services for veneer, plywood, and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) production. In veneer based engineered wood production, defect detection has a direct impact on how efficiently raw material can be utilized. It influences grading, clipping, routing and repairing decisions throughout the process. When detection is inaccurate or inconsistent, it leads to unnecessary waste, reduced recovery and inefficient use of energy in downstream stages. Raute’s analysers are industrial systems used to measure, grade and classify veneer and panels at different stages of production. They provide real time quality data to support production decisions across the process. By combining visual defect detection with measurements such as moisture and strength properties, analysers create a consistent foundation for data driven and increasingly automated production. AI enhanced defect detection strengthens this role. By combining industrial machine vision with deep learning models developed specifically for veneer based engineered wood production, analysers can identify defects more consistently under different wood species, surface characteristics and production conditions. The systems generate detailed defect maps for individual sheets, supporting more precise and repeatable decisions. Demand for this capability is growing as manufacturers work with a wider mix of raw materials. AI based defect detection in Raute analyzers is built on more than 50 years of analyzer development and extensive experience from veneer processing across over 50 wood species. This provides a strong foundation for applying the same approach to both commonly used and more specialized materials. “More variable raw materials mean that mistakes made early in the process become increasingly costly later on,” said Markus Sirviö, responsible for analyser business development at Raute. “When detection becomes more consistent, mills can improve recovery and avoid inefficiencies that would otherwise carry through the entire production process.” Raute analysers can be applied at multiple points in production, including green veneer inspection after peeling, dry veneer grading after drying, and panel repairing and grading. Early-stage defect detection is particularly important, as it helps prevent low quality material from entering energy intensive processes such as drying and hot pressing. As engineered wood producers work to improve efficiency with increasingly variable raw materials, AI enhanced analysers are becoming an established part of production. Their role is shifting from inspection to enabling consistent, data driven decision making across the production process.

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Kazakhstan has developed a prototype of a new high-mobility firefighting vehicle designed specifically to combat forest fires, drawing on lessons from the devastating wildfire that swept through the Abai region in 2023, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said. The Times Central Asia In June 2023, a major wildfire broke out in the Semey Ormany State Forest Nature Reserve in eastern Kazakhstan’s Abai region, killing 14 forestry workers and burning tens of thousands of hectares of forest. Authorities later estimated the damage at more than US$354 million. The disaster prompted forestry and emergency response specialists to conclude that Kazakhstan needed specialized equipment better suited to fighting large-scale forest fires. “Following an analysis of the events in the Abai region, it was decided to develop a prototype of a modern, manoeuvrable firefighting vehicle capable of responding rapidly to forest fires,” the Ministry of Ecology said. The prototype later underwent field testing in the Akmola, Karaganda, Pavlodar, and Abai regions. Engineers incorporated feedback from firefighters and forestry specialists, along with technical requirements identified during firefighting operations. “As a result, a firefighting vehicle was created that meets all the key operational requirements,” the ministry said. The new vehicle is built for off-road conditions and is powered by an engine producing approximately 300 horsepower. It carries a 3,000-litre water tank and is equipped with a high-capacity pump that allows firefighters to combat flames while stationary or moving. The pump system can be operated from inside the cab or directly from the firefighting compartment, providing greater flexibility during emergency operations. The vehicle is also fitted with a rear-view camera to improve manoeuvrability in low-visibility conditions and difficult terrain. One of the vehicle’s most notable features is an integrated self-protection system. In the event of approaching flames, the system creates a protective barrier around the vehicle, shielding the wheels, cab, and engine compartment from fire. According to the developers, the technology is particularly valuable during large forest fires, where rapidly changing conditions and extreme temperatures can place firefighting crews and equipment at significant risk. Officials say the vehicle has no direct equivalent elsewhere in the post-Soviet region and represents a modern solution tailored specifically to forest firefighting operations. Kazakhstan has increasingly focused on improving its wildfire response capabilities following recent disasters. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, engineers in the Karaganda region last year unveiled a prototype drone capable of detecting forest fire hotspots and supporting wildfire monitoring efforts.

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Ponsse Manager Pro has developed even further with a new feature – the Calibration Report. Other features also have been improved based on customer feedback. Source: Timberbiz The calibration report brings together key measurement accuracy data in one view, providing a clear overview. The data can be viewed both at the machine-specific and product-specific level, making it easier to identify potential deviations. The improved Map Tool feature now allows you to save routes for later review and makes them easier to analyse. In addition, important points of interest (POI) can be marked directly on the map, and the feature is now more efficient for sharing information and there is now a clearer view of work areas. The map tool allows you to see both the harvester’s route and production by type of timber in the map view. The driver can immediately see where the logs waiting to be transported are located and which trees are already at the felling site. Thanks to the map tools, the right timber types and quantities can be found quickly, and the work progresses efficiently and on schedule. With the Lasso selection tool in the map tools, the forwarder operator can plan his work more precisely by drawing a desired area on the map and see what types of goods are in the area and how much. The operator can move production to storage locations directly on the map, which speeds up work and makes picking planning more efficient. In turn, office staff and site management get a clear view of the logging sites, which makes it easier to monitor the progress of the work and enables logistics optimization – improving collaboration, visibility, efficiency and decision-making. In the forest, the harvester operator may encounter locations that are important to mark for the forwarder operator to consider – for example, obstacles, soft ground or other details that affect the work. With the help of map tools, these locations can be marked on the map, which improves communication between the harvester and the forwarder. The mapping tools work seamlessly on the jobsite, regardless of the manufacturer of forwarders used. Although a Ponsse harvester is required to collect data, any forwarder can be connected to the system – including subcontractors’ machines. This gives jobsites the freedom to utilize their entire fleet through one unified view and ensures that everyone is working on the same map, literally and figuratively. The emissions report feature calculates and displays the carbon dioxide emissions caused by harvesters and forwarders into the atmosphere at desired time intervals for each machine, construction site and forestry company. Tracking site-specific emissions helps reduce fuel consumption, effectively supporting both environmental compliance and business goals. Emissions reporting also helps identify which machines are best suited to different sites. Emissions can be viewed from different perspectives from individual machines to the entire company, by work method or over time. New subscribers to the Manager Pro service package can explore its features for three months completely free of charge. The trial period is not binding or obliging, but it gives you an excellent opportunity to try out for yourself how Manager Pro can make your work more efficient in many ways. Discover and start the trial period: https://manager2.ponsse.com/fi/

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Australia has an opportunity to lead the way in recovering valuable building materials, according to a new research report from Living Lab Northern Rivers, Circular Timber. Source: The Lismore App The report shows that carefully deconstructing buildings, rather than demolishing them, can save high-quality timber, reduce waste and create local jobs, and recommends national guidelines so the approach can be adopted more widely. After the 2022 floods, the NSW Government has approved offers to for over 900 flood damaged homes and currently owns more than 800 properties across the Northern Rivers through the Resilient Homes Program, part of Australia’s largest property buyback program. Led by Living Lab Northern Rivers with research delivered by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the Circular Timber pilot was funded by the NSW Reconstruction Authority, in response to community interest in recovering the valuable timber in these homes. At 125 and 127 Tweed Street, North Lismore, two uninhabitable homes were selectively deconstructed to recover their materials. The work recovered premium old-growth hardwoods – including ironbark, cedar, tallowwood and blackbutt from the region’s Big Scrub rainforest, timber that is prized today and effectively impossible to source. Local makers – builders, furniture-makers, artists and craftspeople, then transformed the salvaged timbers into more than 50 new pieces that honour their origin while demonstrating reuse. It was a small-scale example of what could be achieved with right infrastructure and support. The pilot worked through the steps of deconstruction, material storage, product design and manufacturing, to develop the recommendations made in the report. The pilot also showed why deconstruction isn’t yet standard practice. Without national guidelines, recovery facilities or an agreed way to compare costs, it’s difficult to contract deconstruction at scale, especially within the timeframes and budgets of a major recovery program. The report’s recommendations are aimed at closing that gap: Deconstruction guidelines. Australia has well-established standards for demolition, but nothing equivalent for deconstruction. Clear, practical guidelines would give councils, contractors and governments a shared way of working. Material recovery infrastructure. A facility to process, store and resell recovered materials would make deconstruction viable, and could in time grow into a regional hub for circular manufacturing and local jobs. A clear way to weigh the value of reuse. Deconstruction is often assumed to cost more than demolition, yet the report notes this has rarely been properly tested. A framework for comparing the real costs and benefits would help decision-makers see the full picture.   Australia’s construction and demolition sector is forecast to generate around 42 million tonnes of material by 2030. Current waste systems already do a good job of diverting material from landfill through recycling such as woodchipping. The pilot tested whether we could go one step further up the waste hierarchy from recycling to reuse, which keeps more of each piece of timber whole and useful. International research cited in the report indicates careful deconstruction can save an average of 7.6 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per home, and that deconstruction programs overseas support several times more jobs than conventional demolition. “Demolition is fast, but it treats century-old hardwood the same as rubble,” said Associate Professor Berto Pandolfo, the project lead from UTS. “This pilot showed that with care, timber can be recovered intact and re-made into things people value. What’s missing isn’t capability or community will it’s the guidelines, infrastructure and assessment tools that would let deconstruction operate at scale.” Dan Etheridge, Engagement Director at Living Lab Northern Rivers, said the Northern Rivers has just lived through Australia’s largest property buyback program. “That gave us a rare chance to test these ideas in real conditions, and the makers proved the concept. The opportunity now is to build the systems so the next community facing this doesn’t have to start from scratch.” NSW Reconstruction Authority CEO, Kate Fitzgerald said as part of the Resilient Homes Program the NSW Reconstruction Authority has been prioritising the relocation, reuse and recycling of buyback properties wherever they can. “To date we have had 450 homeowners opting in buyback contracts to salvage materials and more than 400 buyback homes identified as suitable for reuse through relocation. We have also seen 74 per cent of material from demolished homes recycled to date, excluding material contaminated by asbestos,” she said. “By finding new uses for these homes and materials, we are reducing waste, preserving valuable housing stock and helping address housing challenges in flood-affected regions.” “This approach ensures the benefits of the program extend beyond risk reduction, supporting local communities, creating opportunities for vulnerable residents to access housing, and making the most of resources that would otherwise be lost.” Building on this project, Living Lab Northern Rivers and the RA are supporting Jagun Alliance to help turn this knowledge into practice through a First Nations lens. This Aboriginal-led initiative is assessing flood-affected homes for culturally significant timbers, seeking to develop a custodianship framework to ensure materials are returned to community in ways that reflect their cultural and environmental value. At the same time, the project will generate important scientific and practical insights into endemic timber species, helping inform future land use planning and revegetation across the Northern Rivers. Oli Costello, Executive Director, Jagun Alliance said many of these timbers are culturally significant species that reflect our cultural landscapes. “They were once ancient forests as far as the eye could see, cared for by our elders of this place. They hold ancestral memories of kinship and custodianship that could help us.” The report frames deconstruction as a way to strengthen existing waste systems rather than replace them, one that keeps cultural and material value within the community. With demolition and rebuilding activity rising across Australia, the report’s authors say there is a real opportunity to put these lessons to work. More information is at https://llnr.com.au/what-we-do/circular-timber

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The Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of NZ (WPMA) welcomes the commitment by Government and industry to develop a unified NZ Pine brand, as announced by Minister for Forestry and Trade, Hon Todd McClay, at Mystery Creek Fieldays. Source: Timberbiz WPMA Chief Executive, Mark Ross, says the NZ Pine brand represents an opportunity to grow and strengthen New Zealand’s position in global timber and lumber markets. “NZ Radiata Pine is a premium softwood — stable, versatile, sustainably grown, and backed by decades of research,’ Mr Ross said. “By unifying our story, we can strengthen market confidence and support higher value returns across the entire supply chain.” The NZ Pine brand will highlight Radiata Pine’s versatility and performance across a wide range of structural and appearance applications. Its ability to be efficiently kiln dried or treated makes it a reliable, long-lasting material for domestic and international customers. New Zealand’s renewable plantation forests thrive in the country’s temperate climate and support a year-round harvest. The sector is built on responsible production, with large areas independently certified under globally recognised sustainability programs. Built around simplicity, in market relevance, and sector wide unity, the NZ Pine brand will provide a strong foundation for individual companies to differentiate their products and reinforce New Zealand’s reputation for high quality, sustainably produced wood.

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Timber Queensland has highlighted the significant role plantations play in supporting housing and construction activity while at the same time supporting local jobs, regional economies and carbon capture and removal. Source: Timberbiz “Queensland has a well-established plantation base with over 190,000 hectares of high-quality softwood resources for timber manufacturing feeding directly into housing construction. The plantation resource supporting Queensland homes today is the result of investment decisions made decades ago using commercially suitable softwood species,” Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said. “As Queensland’s population grows, maintaining a strong pipeline of timber supply will require the same long-term commitment. If we want the same outcome for future Queenslanders, we need to continue investing in plantation expansion today. “Queensland’s plantations support timber production jobs, ancillary businesses and local communities across the state, including in such regional areas as Moreton Bay, Caboolture, Beerburrum, Maryborough, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Mareeba. “These plantations also deliver significant carbon benefits. In 2024-25, around 80% of Queensland’s new detached houses used renewable softwood framing, removing almost 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, equivalent to over 2.3 million one-way flights from Brisbane to Sydney. “Continuing to use timber to build our homes in place of more emissions-intensive materials like concrete and steel can reduce building emissions by up to 30 to 40 per cent, making it one of the most practical ways to decarbonise new housing.” Queensland has set an ambitious target of building one million new homes by 2044. Mr Stephens said that meeting that challenge would require long-term planning not only for housing, but also for the resources need to build those homes. Plantation expansion would play a pivotal role in the new timber plan announced by the State Government in November 2025, with the softwood sector already making a significant contribution to the state’s nearly $4 billion timber industry which supports over 23,000 jobs. “Providing the right incentives and removing barriers to investment will help achieve the goal of an additional 25,000 hectares of new plantation by 2050,” Mr Stephens said. “The new timber plan presents an opportunity to align future housing demand with future timber supply. Timber Queensland looks forward to working with the Government on co-designing plantation growth and timber manufacturing initiatives under the plan.” Key measures being advocated to lift softwood supply include: continuation of the Australian Governments’ Support Plantation Establishment Program (SPEP), which provides upfront support for new plantations; improvements to carbon methods including addressing anomalies in plantation wood product accounting and generation of ACCUs in the FullCam model, particularly for North Queensland; identifying public and private land available and suitable for plantation development; prioritising plantations as a preferred land use activity in the Land Restoration Fund, given their significant carbon benefits and broader economic, environmental and social co-benefits; facilitating sustainable investment models for landholders and investors that reduces risk and provides for public and private partnerships and other collective funding vehicles; support for greater resource recovery in downstream processing and innovation in timber building design solutions; genetic improvements and applied plantation management to lift productivity; and a world class private forestry extension program that can provide information and expertise for landowners to capture the benefits of plantations and related agroforestry activities.

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The New Zealand Government will spend NZ$3.2 million over three years in a new NZ$8m project to assess the feasibility of producing prefabricated, fully fitted mass timber modules for the New Zealand market and potentially Australia. Source: Timberbiz This will mean more timber is processed onshore creating greater value and more jobs. This work is funded in partnership with VoMo Limited, a Red Stag Investments company. “Greater land use flexibility results in prosperity through productivity, and new production methods and technologies are key to driving that step-change,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said. “Enabling this exemplifies the Government’s commitment to fixing the basics and building the future. “More than 39,000 Kiwis work in forestry, a sector that contributes $6.2 billion in export revenue – supporting regional economies and jobs. “This National-led Government is committed to backing farmers and growers, including through sensible regulatory reform and cutting of red tape and costs, combined with the latest science, technology and farming methods provides the opportunity for strong returns with a smaller environmental impact.” The project aims to convert industrial-grade logs into higher-value timber for a range of applications, including use in the construction of hotels, student housing, apartments and offices, multiplying the logs’ value 6.7 times. It will determine if this model of construction is likely to be successful in New Zealand, which includes analysing aspects such as design, technical performance, seismic resilience, productivity gains, cost efficiency, and carbon savings. Shifting supply from export to domestic markets also offers greater stability and encourages long-term investment in forestry and wood processing. “Data and information from this and similar projects will be shared with farmers and growers to give them further confidence to innovate and grow their businesses – supporting a more productive and responsive sector that is better positioned to supply New Zealand and the world with high-quality produce,” Mr McClay said. “The primary industries are the backbone of this economy and the lifeblood of rural communities. Supporting their success is a priority for this Government.”

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Forest managers, growers and timber processors are being urged to get across Australia’s national environmental law reforms, with a free webinar later this month unpacking what the EPBC Act changes mean on the ground for forestry operations. Source: Timberbiz Hosted by Forestry Australia and the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre for Climate-Smart Forestry (AFWI CCSF), the one-hour session will provide an overview of the reforms and explore their implications for forest management, with a particular focus on the private forest and plantation sectors. The reforms are reshaping the regulatory landscape across the country. Forestry operations will need to navigate new national environmental standards, statutory prohibitions on unacceptable impacts, and new obligations around net gain. At the same time, much remains uncertain — key standards and legislative definitions are still being developed, and questions remain around the role of certification, how forestry pathway agreements between governments may operate, and how the sector can meaningfully engage with the reform process. The webinar will be presented by: A/Prof Philippa McCormack, Policy, Economics and Society Theme Lead at AFWI CCSF and Research Fellow at the Adelaide Law School and Environment Institute, who has engaged closely with national environmental law reform, including as Vice President of the National Environmental Law Association (2021–24). David Bennett, Risk and Compliance Manager at PF Olsen Australia, an experienced forester with legal qualifications and expertise in forest certification, auditing and compliance management. Tom Schraenkler, Carbon and Forestry Manager at Sumitomo Forestry Australia, with extensive leadership and advisory experience across forestry, sawmilling and wood manufacturing supply chains.   Attendees will be invited to contribute to a follow-up survey and workshop to help shape the forestry sector’s ongoing engagement with the reform process. Everyone who registers will receive a link and joining instructions 24 hours before the webinar, along with a post-event recording, so those unable to tune in live can watch later. Registration is free but essential, and closes 10:00 am, Sunday 21 June. The event is on 22 June starting at 1pm AEST. Register at: https://www.forestry.org.au/webinar-understanding-australias-epbc-act-changes-implications-for-forest-managers/

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