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Construction of Gothenburg Grand Central in Sweden has started, a new station building in a completely new district. Together with Hybridge, Sodra is delivering 9,100 square meters of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the building’s frame. Source: Timberbiz Gothenburg’s new station building is a project with a clear focus on sustainability and a minimized climate footprint. The majority of the building’s structure is made of wood, which is combined with recycled bricks, climate-improved concrete, and recycled steel. The building will be nearly 120 meters long and extend more than 20 meters in height. The interior is characterized by visible wood in various forms that promote sustainable construction. Hybridge (former Prefabsystem Syd) is responsible for the frame contract in the project and is a long-standing and well-established partner of Södra. “We have collaborated with Södra already in the early bidding phase. Our good cooperation in the early phase combined with Södra’s capacity and the product’s low climate impact in terms of carbon dioxide emissions is what made the choice fall on Södra when it comes to deliveries of CLT in the project,” Mårten Holmberg, CEO and business manager at Hybridge said. The assembly is carried out by KL projekt. Södra’s delivery of CLT starts in the first quarter of 2025. The station building is expected to be completed in December 2026, with the upper floors in early 2027. The architect behind the project is Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.  PEAB is the general contractor for the project. The building is owned and will be managed by Jernhusen.

A mass firing of probationary federal government employees has been ordered by the Trump administration, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers including 3,400 with the US Forest Service — nearly 10% of its workforce — who are being terminated, according to official statements and published reports. Source: Juneau Empire The firings ordered Thursday and Friday at multiple agencies are part of an effort by President Donald Trump at the onset of his second term to drastically downsize government. Probationary employees are typically those hired within the past year or two, meaning they don’t have full civil service protections of permanent federal workers, according to Government Executive. Reuters reported there are about 280,000 civilian government workers hired within the past two years ago, most of whom are still on probation. “The US Forest Service will fire roughly 3,400 federal employees across every level of the agency beginning Thursday,” Politico reported Thursday, noting the agency currently has about 35,000 employees. Public safety employees — including firefighters with the Forest Service — are being exempted from the probationary downsizing process. A 50% reduction in staff is planned at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, with HUD Secretary Scott Turner stating a task force will also study ways to make large spending cuts. “We will be very detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent in serving tribal, rural and urban communities across America,” Turner said in a video posted on X. “With President Trump’s leadership business as usual, the status quo, is no longer the posture that we will take, and with the help of DOGE we will identify and eliminate all waste fraud and abuse.” About 10% of the workforce at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, totalling about 1,300 employees, also are being fired, the Associated Press reported. Among the other targeted agencies are the Department of Education, Small Business Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and General Services Administration, according to Reuters. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it had terminated more than 1,000 employees effective immediately. “The dismissals announced today are part of a government-wide Trump Administration effort to make agencies more efficient, effective and responsive to the American People,” the department stated in a press release. More than 1,100 probationary employees at the Environmental Protection Agency were advised last week they could be fired at any time. Trump administration officials have been open about their intent for a wholesale downsizing of government employees, calling it an effort to find and eliminate wasteful and improper spending. Newly confirmed Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has stated “we want to put them in trauma.” Elon Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, said his goal is to “delete entire agencies.” Accusations the announced firings are illegal were made by union leaders and organizations representing federal employees. “This administration has abused the probationary period to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office,” Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a prepared statement. “These firings are not about poor performance – there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence.” At least 14 states are plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging Trump illegally appointed Musk to a position with powers not authorized in the US Constitution, including withholding funds for programs approved by Congress. Musk also presided over a buyout offer to federal employees that would pay them through the end of September, which a judge on Wednesday allowed to proceed following a legal challenge. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters about 77,000 workers representing nearly 4% of federal employees who received the offer accepted it by a Wednesday evening deadline. “Cutting government personnel by one-fourth would reduce federal spending by about 1%,” the Washington Post reported Thursday evening.

International Paper announced the permanent closure of the company’s Red River containerboard mill in Campti, Los Angeles., recycling plant in Phoenix, Arizona., box plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania., and sheet feeder facility in St. Louis, Mossouri. Source: Timberbiz All facilities will cease operations by the end of April 2025. The Red River containerboard mill closure is expected to reduce the company’s containerboard capacity by approximately 800,000 tons on an annualized basis. In total, 495 hourly employees and 179 salaried employees will be affected. The company will work to minimize the impact on employees by using attrition, retirements and current vacancies at other International Paper locations. Team members at these locations will receive outplacement assistance, access to mental health support resources and where possible, severance benefits. “The decision to close any facility is difficult because of the impact on our team members, their families and the surrounding communities,” said Tom Hamic, executive vice president and president, North American Packaging Solutions, International Paper. “We greatly appreciate the contributions from our departing team members and will do all we can to support them.” International Paper is undergoing a transformational journey to become a stronger sustainable packaging solutions company. A critical step in this journey is to streamline IP’s footprint to focus investments on facilities that will best serve customers and accelerate strategic initiatives to improve quality, reliability and service delivery.

The Trimble Forestry User Conference 2025 (TFUC) in New Zealand will start with a reception on Tuesday evening, followed by one and a half days of interesting sessions on September 10 and 11. Source: Timberbiz After the Conference, thereis an option for one-on-one meetings in the afternoon of Thursday, September 11. The theme of TFUC 2025 is Empowering Users and the planned program includes first-hand demos, workshops, roundtable discussions, a tech lab, and product announcements. The event will be held at the Novotel Auckland Airport, 35 Tom Pearce Drive, Mangere, New Zealand and will feature: Exclusive Product Insights: Discover the latest updates in Trimble’s Forestry product roadmap, including live demonstrations and new product announcements. Hands-On Workshops: Experience the company’s newest products firsthand and learn how to integrate them into your workflows. Targeted Breakout Sessions: Dive into CFLogistics: WSX, LIMS, LRM, and CFXMobile-specific use cases and workflows to improve efficiency and effectiveness in your daily tasks. Collaborative Roundtables: Contribute to shaping the product roadmap and priorities in interactive discussions. User Group Sessions: Engage with peers in your field to share best practices, challenges, and success stories in a collaborative environment. In-Depth Deep Dive Sessions: Take a closer look at advanced topics and complex workflows to gain a comprehensive understanding and practical expertise. One-on-One Networking: Connect directly with the Trimble forestry team to discuss your needs and goals. TechLab Experience: Meet the developers and explore tailored solutions for your specific applications. More information here.  

Australia should keep its technical design rules for trucks and heavy trailers but completely harmonise its light vehicle rules with international standards, Australian Trucking Association Chair Mark Parry said today. Source: Timberbiz Mr Parry was releasing the ATA submission to the Government’s review of Australian Design Rule (ADR) harmonisation. The ADRs are technical standards that apply to new and used vehicles being provided to the Australian market for the first time. Mr Parry said that Australia must retain its own design rules for heavy vehicles. “Australia is the world leader in allowing long and heavy vehicles onto the road network. We have specific ADRs for issues relating to mass and the design of vehicles used in B-doubles and road trains. Other ADRs include technical requirements based on the needs of multi-combination vehicle users,” he said. “In addition, Australia has a domestic truck and trailer manufacturing industry that provides an individual and customised product to the Australian market. “Businesses that choose to purchase Australian built trucks and trailers for the long haul market, hostile environments or heavy haulage applications chose those vehicles because they suit their business needs. “While the heavy vehicle ADRs should be harmonised with the United Nations regulations wherever possible, their development needs to evolve at a pace that can be met by Australia’s local manufacturers and international suppliers who develop specific Australian models,” he said. Mr Parry said that Australia’s light vehicle ADRs should completely harmonised with the UN regulations, to enable global vehicle manufacturers to release new vehicles into our market with the latest technologies in a shorter time frame at lower cost. “Light vehicles approved for release into the market would meet the latest global safety and emission standards. Australia would continue to have input into these global standards through the international standards development process,” he said.