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Three foresters have started in specialist roles within Forestry Corporation after completing a two-year graduate training program. Source: Timberbiz Staff members Lydia Kearns, based at Wauchope, Jack Power at Batemans Bay and Justin Yip at Tumut started with Forestry under the 2022/23 graduate intake. Over the course of the past two years, they have completed ‘on-the-job training’ undertaking a series of work rotations across different Forestry divisions. Graduating as foresters, they have now started in roles within their chosen fields of forest science. “It’s a position where I deal with many sides of the business, assisting teams who work across Tourism Partnerships, Roading and Production, Cultural Heritage and Ecology in a role that combines a good mix of time in the office with trips out into the field,” Ms Kearns said. Originally from the Blue Mountains, Ms Kearns started with Forestry Corporation after graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Advanced Studies Majoring in Environmental Science, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. “I really appreciated the opportunity to join Forestry as a graduate here in Wauchope. It was a great starting point where I got to learn the whole perspective of Forestry both as a science and as an industry,” she said. “The program is a good gateway for anyone wanting to get involved in this style of work, particularly university students who might not necessarily know what silviculture involves. “Highlights in the job for me have been helping to provide ecology plans and working in the field with ecologists on their wildlife monitoring and trapping programs. “I have also enjoyed the experience of becoming an accredited firefighter working on wildfires and hazard reduction burns to protect state forests and native wildlife from bushfires.” Justin Yip is now working with the Softwood Division’s Forest Resources Team on plantation and tree improvement programs. Originally from Sydney, Mr Yip started with Forestry Corporation after graduating from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management degree, specialising in Parks, Recreation and Heritage. “During the two-year program in Tumut, I rotated through Silviculture, Harvest and Roading, Forestry Resources and Fire and Stewardship. During this time, I was given the opportunity to gain an insight into the inner workings of each division,” he said. “What I appreciated most about this program was the opportunity to work with a range of talented people in different areas of the business.” Mr Yip said he gained a wealth of professional satisfaction working on significant State Forest projects. “During my rotation with Fire and Stewardship, I was privileged to be involved with the Bago State Forest Nature-Based Tourism Enhancement project, which is important because it represents the community’s ongoing recovery following the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires,” he said. “I played a part helping with the installation of infrastructure at the new iteration of the Sugar Pines and upgrade to the Lochinvar Rest Area. “I particularly enjoyed my involvement with these projects as open space management was one of the subjects I enjoyed most during my studies. “Throughout the program I was completely supported by each team. I felt my work was meaningful and contributed positively to the business with opportunities to develop professionally. I also formed positive working relationships with colleagues and contractors.” For decades, Forestry Corporation has offered pathways to university graduates, who have completed studies in the fields of forestry, agriculture, environmental science and natural resources. All Forestry Corporation staff train and serve as forest firefighters providing fire protection and land management across two million hectares of state forests in NSW.

To bring the Forestry Australia Professional Development Program to life, Forestry Australia is seeking a part-time, work-from-home Professional Development Manager (12-month contract). Source: Timberbiz This new role will lead Forestry Australia’s professional development initiatives and will be pivotal in establishing strategic learning frameworks and driving professional development initiatives A key focus will be developing and delivering the mentoring program for women in the industry, supporting diversity, career and leadership development. The position has been placed on Seek, more information can be found here.

Forestry Australia is gearing up to launch the Forestry Australia Professional Development Program, a strategic initiative designed to deliver high-quality learning opportunities for its members and the broader forest management profession. Source: Timberbiz This program builds on the success of our webinar series, mentoring program, and the Forestry Australia Symposium, creating even more opportunities for individuals to enhance their skills, knowledge, and career pathways. By investing in professional development, this empowers individuals and also strengthens the forestry sector as a whole ensuring our profession continues to lead in innovation, best practice and forest management leadership. The launch of this program has been made possible through a partnership with ForestWorks to develop and deliver a pilot mentoring program for women in the industry, an initiative supported by the Australian Government’s Forestry Workforce Training Program. Combined with Forestry Australia’s own resources and expertise, this represents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to establish a professional development offering that delivers significant value to members and the forest management profession. To help shape and guide this initiative, Forestry Australia is inviting expressions of interest from members to join the Forestry Australia Professional Development Committee. Chaired by Professor Mark Brown, this committee will oversee the development of our professional development initiatives, ensuring they are relevant, impactful, and aligned with the forest sector’s needs. If you are passionate about professional learning and want to contribute to this exciting initiative please submit an expression of interest (max 200 words) outlining your experience in professional development and how you see this program benefiting Forestry Australia and the sector. Expressions of interest close: Midnight, Monday 17 March Submit to: Jacquie Martin ceo@forestry.org.au Terms of reference can be downloaded here.    

All imported timber sold in Australia would carry a label indicating where it was grown, under a proposal by the national forest industry aimed at boosting the local sector and cracking down on illegal imports. Source: The Australian The proposal is one of several put to both major parties ahead of the federal election by the timber industry’s peak body, which will roll out billboard and radio advertisements in marginal seats calling for industry-friendly policies. Country of origin labelling regulations, similar to those promised by Labor for seafood sales, would make it easier for consumers to choose where their timber comes from, the Australian Forest Products Association says. Under the proposal, the regulations would be backed by an ­enforcement regime that could use new technology to trace the provenance of timber. AFPA chief executive Diana Hallam said buying Australian timber could give consumers satisfaction that the products they used were sustainably sourced. “When consumers are presented with information and have a choice and prices are basically the same, they choose Australian because they want to support the jobs and industry behind it,” Ms Hallam said. “They want to support the towns and community and employees who have contributed to that over generations. “Country of origin labelling is a cost-effective measure that parties can support. Ensuring that consumers have visibility of the origin of products at their hardware stores is important and is good for the entire supply chain.” A verification trial conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry last year found about a quarter of timber tested had “inconsistent” species or origin claims. The Albanese government last year introduced new legislation requiring importers and processors of regulated timber products to conduct “due diligence” to determine the provenance of their stock. Aimed at cracking down on illegal logging imports, the laws, which come into effect next month, also enable the department to use new timber testing technologies to verify species and origin claims. “All of our forestry activities in Australia on public land are certified,” Ms Hallam said. “If you’re harvesting here, you are adhering to the strongest environmental regulation. That is not evident on timber from everywhere else.” Of particular concern is so-called “conflict timber” from war zones or from countries subject to sanctions, such as Russia. Australian timber suppliers suspect timber harvested in Russia and Belarus is being sold in Australia under false country-of-origin labels to circumvent tariffs imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. AFPA’s federal election platform also called for better integration of Australian timber products into solutions to meet the housing crisis, as well as the adoption of a new carbon credit method incentivising the use of timber in construction. Ms Hallam said Australia was already a net importer of timber and urged the government to implement policies to encourage establishment of more plantations.  

Oji Fibre Solutions (OjiFS) announced the outcome of a consultation process to simplify operations at Kinleith Mill, aimed at further action to stabilise and strengthen the company. This will result in about 230 workers losing their jobs. Source: Timberbiz “We are grateful to our people for their thoughtful feedback, and for their continued focus on safety and maintaining critical production at Kinleith Mill throughout this unsettling time,” Chief Executive Officer Dr Jon Ryder said. “After extensive work and considering a variety of options and feedback from Unions and our team, we see no feasible alternative to our proposal to simplify operations, which will keep Kinleith Mill operating, maintain jobs in the region and continue reliable supply of product to our customers. “Therefore, we will proceed with our proposal to transition the mill to a new operating model by focusing on pulp and ceasing loss-making paper production. We can confirm, we will permanently shut the PM6 paper machine at Kinleith Mill at the end of June 2025 and move to a paper import model for our packaging operations. “We expect this decision will result in the loss of around 230 jobs. We will now work with our people on a new mill structure and processes, and the outcome of that work will define role requirements moving forward. “We know for many of our people and the local and regional community, this is not the news anyone was hoping to hear. “We recognise the impact on our people and their loved ones and will be wrapping support around them. “This difficult decision is in no way a reflection of the experience, skills and dedication of all the team and leadership at Kinleith Mill. We will now be focused on a transition plan to close the paper machine safely, ensure the welfare of our affected people, and continue sustainable pulp operations at Kinleith Mill. We look forward to working closely with the Government as we move through this period and into the future. “We plan to continue producing paper at Kinleith Mill through to the end of June 2025. This provides a period in which options for affected staff can be explored; while ensuring we meet our customer obligations and provide a smooth transition to alternative paper supply arrangements for our packaging operations. The decision to discontinue production of paper at Kinleith Mill aims to: Keep the mill operating and reduce the complexity involved in running the mill Maintain continuous supply to our pulp customers Introduce a new supply model for our packaging operations Create projected profit rather than ongoing losses for the mill Reduce our energy footprint and exposure to the NZ energy market Avoid exposure to expensive saw log fibre supply Provide the opportunity for synergies with Tasman Mill through simplified product configuration. Last November the company said it was looking at simplifying the mill’s operations and discontinuing paper production which was running at a loss.