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From strategic decisions shaping the future of the PEFC alliance to discussions on forest resilience, timber construction and sustainable innovation, the PEFC Forest Forum 2026 brought together the global forestry community for a week of exchange and collaboration in Istanbul, Türkiye. Source: Timberbiz Members and colleagues from 40 countries gathered from 11–14 May to strengthen connections across the network, share knowledge and explore how PEFC certification can support resilient forests, responsible supply chains and sustainable development. The week culminated in a public conference showcasing Türkiye’s growing role in advancing sustainable forest management and certification. Throughout the week, participants shared experiences and insights from across the PEFC network, discussing opportunities and challenges facing forests and forest-based industries around the world. A key milestone of the Forum was the 34th PEFC General Assembly, where members approved the PEFC Project Sourcing standard and the associated requirements for certification bodies. These approvals mark an important step forward in supporting responsible sourcing for construction and other project-based sectors. The General Assembly also welcomed The Navigator Company and Sumitomo Forestry as new PEFC international stakeholder members, further strengthening the PEFC alliance and expanding engagement across the forest sector value chain. Members additionally elected Emma Berglund and Kurt Ramskogler to the PEFC Nominations Committee. The public conference day focused on the opportunities and challenges facing Türkiye’s forest sector as it moves towards its first PEFC Sustainable Forest Management certifications. Four panel discussions brought together national and international experts to explore how certification can support resilient forests, responsible supply chains and sustainable economic growth. The first panel examined the role of timber construction in supporting low-carbon development and resilient infrastructure, particularly in earthquake-prone regions. Discussions highlighted innovation in modern timber architecture, the advantages of timber as a high-performance building material, and the growing role of PEFC Project certification in verifying responsible sourcing. The second panel focused on forest resilience and climate adaptation. Speakers explored how sustainable forest management and certification can help forests respond to increasing pressures from climate change, drought, pests, and wildfires, while supporting biodiversity conservation and resilient communities. Attention then turned to Türkiye’s certification journey, with discussions highlighting the expansion of forest certification, advances in digital monitoring and traceability systems, and the opportunities PEFC certification can create for international market access and credibility. The final panel explored the potential of non-timber forest products, including medicinal plants, honey, natural oils, mushrooms, and cork. Speakers highlighted opportunities for innovation and value-added production, as well as the role sustainable forest-based value chains can play in supporting rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. The Forum concluded with a field trip to Istanbul’s Atatürk Arboretum and Belgrade Forest. Guided by forestry students, participants explored the area’s rich diversity of tree and plant species and learned about its role in forest education and research. The visit also provided insights into forest fire monitoring and prevention efforts, including a stop at a fire observation tower overlooking the Bosphorus.

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As timber harvesting operations demand higher productivity, improved operator control and greater versatility across applications, Kesla introduces its new generation of forwarder cranes. Source: Timberbiz The new F-series covers the size classes KESLA 9F/FT, 10F/FT, 12F/FT and 14F/FT. The range has been developed to meet these evolving industry requirements by combining performance, precision and modularity with proven durability and life-cycle efficiency. The four size classes in the new range offer a gross lifting moment of 120–180 kNm, covering a wide spectrum of the most common forwarder sizes. Each model is available both as a single-extension F-version (reach 8.2 m) and a double-extension FT-version (reach 10.07 m), enabling an optimal solution for varying operational and reach requirements. Two different pillar height options for each model allow flexible integration with different base machines and applications. The KESLA F-series has been developed as a unified product family, where key structural solutions and operational characteristics remain consistent throughout the range. This supports: efficient production, easy maintenance, a consistent user experience, smooth integration with OEM partner machines, efficient spare parts management.   During development, extensive customer feedback from existing cranes on the market was collected and combined with comprehensive field testing across different markets. The cranes have been tested in multiple applications and on various base machines, with highly positive user feedback – particularly regarding motion control, power feel and swing torque. Key benefits for the operator Performance: strong lifting torque and smooth power delivery across the entire working range. Controllability: precise and predictable movements in all working situations. Geometry: optimized boom dimensions, efficient operation with minimal crane movement. Durability: thoroughly tested structure both in forest conditions and on test benches. Serviceability: designed for easy maintenance. Smart hydraulics: proven hose routing solutions and component selection; internal hose routing inside the extension boom is a patented solution.   The modular design of the F-series enables a wide range of configuration options to meet different customer needs. The cranes are compatible with various link options and offer multiple pillar height alternatives, facilitating integration with different base machines and applications. The modular approach also minimizes the number of spare part items, supporting efficient product support. Thanks to the versatility of configurations, the new F-series cranes are also well suited for feeding chippers and other industrial applications. “The F-series represents a new level in Kesla’s crane development. By listening closely to crane users, we have combined our long experience with modern product development to create a product family that meets the needs of both machine manufacturers and contractors well into the future,” said Mika Tahvanainen, Product Management Director at Kesla.

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Global oil prices fell on Monday following news of a tentative deal between Iran and the US to extend their ceasefire agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but a veteran oil watcher doesn’t see crude prices returning to pre-war levels anytime soon. BNN Bloomberg Eric Nuttall, partner and senior portfolio manager at Ninepoint Partners, told BNN Bloomberg on Monday that traders are trying to determine where the price of oil will settle out in the coming days and weeks, as many key details about the deal still need to be ironed out. “Will the Strait of Hormuz actually be toll-free? The (US) vice president this morning said that those details are going to be worked out over the next 60 days, and that has a really profound impact,” he said. Stay on top of your portfolio with real-time data, historical charts and the latest news on oil Nuttall noted that even if the strategically important Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened as a result of the Iran-US deal, it will take time for oil markets to recover from the volatility of the last three and a half months. “Let’s acknowledge where we sit today; the market has forfeited 1.7 billion barrels of Middle Eastern (oil) production by the time the lag effect ends,” he said. “We will have lost roughly 11 million barrels per day of that production, and it can’t come onstream until ships are actually willing to not just leave the Strait empty but actually come back.” In addition to the logistical backlog and supply chain disruption, the war in Iran has caused extensive damage to petroleum facilities across the Middle East, Nuttall explained. “We also have enormous damage at a number of facilities, about 70 in the world,” he said. “I was in Washington last week and some of the scuttlebutt was that damage in some countries is far worse than has been let on.” Although the Iran war led to higher oil prices, which is typically a positive for North America’s major petroleum producers, Nuttall noted that energy investors “should never have wanted” the direction oil markets were heading prior to Monday’s ceasefire extension. “The US strategic petroleum reserve only really had 50 million barrels left of actual usable capacity,” Nuttall said, citing information he and his team gathered after recent meetings in Washington. “That would have been exhausted by July to August, so we think the US administration was under far, far more pressure than what they acknowledged, and the new normal, so to speak, for the oil market is much, much different than what it was three or four months ago.” Nuttall said he believes around US$80 a barrel for the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate will “serve as the approximate floor” for oil prices going forward. Oil prices were sitting at roughly US$70 per barrel prior to the start of the Iran war in late February. “Just getting all of this unbelievable, nausea-inducing volatility out of the way, where we have to spend our Saturdays following Donald Trump’s Truth Social network, hopefully those days are over,” said Nuttall. “But again, we will not have details for either days, weeks, or up to two months.”

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