Australian timber industry news

Ponsse is presenting new features to support forest machine operators’ daily work and to assist forestry entrepreneurs to follow up on the fleet’s profitability and productivity: the PONSSE Scale crane system, which manages load data during all working stages, and the PONSSE High-Precision Positioning solution, which helps the machine operator know the exact location of the machine and the harvester head. Source: Timberbiz Ponsse is the first forest machine manufacturer in the world to show a part of forest machine made of SSAB fossil-free steel. At its Vieremä factory the company has manufactured the Buffalo forwarder´s load space of SSAB fossil free steel. This is a material concept to invest in the workability, behaviour and characteristics of the new material used in forest machine manufacturing. The load space is designed only for material testing and does not correspond to production models. The material concept is part of the FORWARD27 ecosystem project. PONSSE Scale is a crane scale system that weighs, sorts, saves and manages load data during all working stages. The collected weighing data makes load handling routines easier. Precise weight measurements ensure an optimal load at all times. It features full weighing automation during both loading and unloading, with detailed load registration. Whether loads are grabbed in the middle or off-centre does not affect the weight result. Load details, load logbooks and measuring accuracy data are available in easy-to-read reports. PONSSE Scale has excellent weather resistance, with accurate results in both hot summer temperatures and winter’s sub-zero temperatures. PONSSE Scale can be installed in all PONSSE forwarder loader models. PONSSE High-Precision Positioning is a solution that helps the machine operator know the exact location of the machine and the harvester head. This enables the effectiveness of logging operations to be maintained, even in changing conditions. Utilising industry-leading navigation and location tools, as well as Ponsse’s own advanced technologies such as Active Crane, High-Precision Positioning can raise the reliability bar to a level conventional positioning systems often don’t reach. By defining the exact location of the harvester head and presenting it on a map view, High-Precision Positioning can significantly improve harvesting productivity. The solution clearly shows where the operator should harvest and the areas that should be avoided. Every stump location is saved in the production file, and the driving path the harvester creates is clearly visible to the forwarder.

A new manifesto from the timber industries calls for the next Government to unlock a wave of sustainable timber construction. Source: TTJ online Published by the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), an alliance of associations from across the UK timber supply chain including Timber Development UK, the manifesto outlines the quick policy wins which could help support the rapid growth of a low-carbon built environment. The timber industry in the UK contributes more than £10bn to the economy, is home to more than 51,000 businesses, and directly employs more than 300,000 people in green jobs. A few small policy changes could provide a pathway for rapid growth, according to the Timber in Construction Manifesto. “Over the past five years, there has been some incredible work by our colleagues from all of the built environment professions to lay the groundwork for a switch to more sustainable forms of construction,” says CTI Chair, Alex Goodfellow. “The construction industry is ahead of the regulation, with existing capacity and expertise to rapidly scale up low-carbon, high-quality, and safe use of timber in construction – as has long been recommended by the Climate Change Committee – within the right policy framework.” “With this manifesto we wanted to provide references for the next Government of the key policies – like Part Z, an amendment to the building regulations to include embodied carbon –which they could put in place in their first 100 days to get Britain building.” “The core policies we included, whether boosting sustainable construction, enabling retrofit, or scaling up housebuilding – are all independently conceived. They focus on providing a level playing field for businesses to compete to build homes, while ensuring the UK can meet its legal commitment to reduce carbon emissions.” The manifesto’s core policy recommendations are entirely material neutral, but the CTI believes in timber frame construction’s ability to compete. Other manifesto points include policy calls to support businesses in the timber industry and scale up tree planting, as well as sharing examples of how timber is prepared to provide solutions today. These includes long standing timber frame solutions, and approaches like Optoppen, adding timber floors to existing buildings, and new sustainable developments, like the Phoenix in Lewes, CTI is strongly encouraging the industry, and anyone interested in a sustainable future to contact their local MP and tell them about the manifesto. For more information visit: TTJ online https://www.ttjonline.com/

Felling in Swedish forests decreased by 6% in 2023 to just under 90 million cubic meters, according to the Norwegian Forestry Agency’s preliminary statistics. Harvesting has not been this low in seven years and thus the upward trend of recent years was also broken. Source: Timberbiz According to the Forestry Agency’s preliminary statistics, the gross felling in 2023 amounted to 89.6 million cubic meters (cubic meters of forest), to be compared with 2022 when felling landed at 95.0 million cubic meters. The reason for the reduction is mainly a reduced demand in the wood-consuming industry, especially in the sawmill industry. The reduced production in the sawmills meant that the felling of sawn timber decreased by 10% in 2023, according to Jonas Paulsson, statistician at the Norwegian Forestry Agency. In the years 2021 and 2022, record fellings were noted, if you ignore 2005 and 2007 when fellings were very high due to the storms Gudrun and Per. The trend with high felling levels was thus broken in 2023 with a reduced felling. The reduction was so great that you need to go back to 2016 to find a lower level. The reduction was noticeable in all parts of the country. In Norra Norrland and Södra Norrland felling fell by 7%, in Svealand by 6% and in Götaland by 5%. Most of it was harvested in Västra Götaland County. There, felling in 2023 was 8.2 million cubic meters, which was 9 percent of the total felling in the country. Felling was also large in Värmland County, where 8.0 million cubic meters were felled. Barely 2% of Swedish felling was exported in 2023. Exports decreased in 2023, from 2.0 million cubic meters in 2022 to a preliminary 1.3 million cubic meters in 2023. In 2023, imports of roundwood amounted to a preliminary 7.3 million cubic meters, which is around 0, 8 million cubic meters more than the year before. Spruce makes up more than half of the felled volume, pine a third and hardwoods around a tenth. About 68% of the felled volume comes from final felling, 22% from thinning and the rest from other felling. The average final felling for fellings larger than 0.5 hectares amounted to 3.6 hectares in 2022. The size of the final harvests was on average more than twice as large in Norra Norrland (5.6 hectares) as in Götaland (2.5 hectares). The average area in final felling for individual forest owners is approximately 40% smaller than that of other forest owners.

The late Dr Warren Parker was recognised for his lifetime of dedication to the primary sector with the New Zealand Primary Industries Champion Award. The award entry was submitted by Pāmu Farms of New Zealand in collaboration with stalwarts of the industry who had worked with Dr Parker over the years. Source: Timberbiz His entry was facilitated by Rob Hewett, Chair of Farmlands; Andrew MacPherson, Chair of Focus Genetics; Tim Payn, Scion Research; Richard Gordon, then CE of Manaaki Whenua; Robert Anderson, Massey University; and others. The highly respected Dr Warren Parker was the Chair of Pāmu until his sudden passing in December 2023. Mark Leslie, CEO of Pāmu, said that Dr Parker was held in high esteem across the sector, government, and education. “Warren knew the primary industries at all levels,” said Mr Leslie. “He was a unique individual who encouraged others and worked hard on many things important to New Zealand agriculture – often the difficult tasks but also the right ones. He exemplified the Pāmu values of grounded, bold, shoulder-to-shoulder, and genuine. Dr Parker’s agricultural knowledge has been described as encyclopaedic. A particular strength was his understanding of and views on carbon and emissions. Of immense benefit to the boards he chaired, he could distil complex issues into simple, easily digested chunks of relevant information and make a convincing argument. “Warren had a passion for leaving the environment better for future generations and sharing his knowledge and wisdom through mentoring. We would talk about the fact that Pāmu was able to trial ideas to solve agricultural challenges, striving towards a greater vision for Aotearoa, and then share the learnings with neighbours and industry with warmth and humility. It spoke to the person Warren was,” Mr Leslie said. Mr Leslie said Dr Parker could relate to anyone. He would sit and chat with a farm manager over a cup of tea in their kitchen, while also advising the highest levels of primary sector governance. Mr Leslie said his warmth and kindness also shone through when Cyclone Gabrielle hit, seriously impacting several Pāmu farms on the East Coast. Warren held many positions of influence over the years including former chief executive of Scion (Forest Research Institute) and Manaaki Whenua – Land Care Research, and previously chief operating officer of AgResearch. He held board roles on Genomics Aotearoa, Farmlands Co-operative Society, Predator Free 2050. He was chair of the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group, the NZ Conservation Authority, and recently appointed independent chair of Quayside Holdings. Warren held a PhD in animal science and was previously a professor of Agribusiness and Resource Management at Massey University, where he spent 18 years in various roles including supervising the 9000 SU Riverside Farm in Wairarapa. With this award, Warren is remembered for his natural leadership, insightful brilliance, candour, conversations on-farm, and kindness.

The archetypal art gallery, with expanses of white, square set walls may often feel somewhat institutional, rather than inclusive and cultural. This was precisely the type of experience that renowned gallery owner James Makin wanted to avoid when he opened his new exhibition space in Islington Street in Collingwood, Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz, images Michael Pham The brief to architect Tristan Wong was for a space that challenged the seriousness and sterility of the gallery stereotype. Makin wanted to provide customers with the chance to explore and discover art in an environment which was both inviting and intriguing. Wong’s design is a counterpoint to art gallery conventions, using blackened and curved timber to create a space that is dramatic, textural and tactile. Entering through a sliding, black stained hardwood door, visitors are guided past a 4.5-metre-high curved timber wall that narrows at its end providing a glimpse of the artwork beyond. Coves and recesses that house some works facilitate a gradual discovery of the main space towards the back of the gallery. The timber selected for the project is thermally modified American ash (CAMBIA), stained black and wire-brushed to emphasise the distinctive grain. CAMBIA was chosen for its stability, aesthetic qualities, and strong sustainability profile. As Wong explains, “James’ brother Hugh is an established furniture designer and maker who had personal experience of thermally modified timbers. Following a discussion with him, we selected CAMBIA. We wanted something with a strong grain, that aligned with our sustainability objectives for the project and, importantly that would be dimensionally stable over time” The stability of CAMBIA was an important consideration, as artworks will occasionally be hung directly on the timber wall. To facilitate this without damaging the wood, the boards have been installed with purposeful 4mm shadow gaps. This allows screws to be inserted between the boards without damage. “This way the screw goes into the backing piece and there are no visible holes. It also provides a purposeful staggered aesthetic of 3 different board widths with the shadow line between,” notes Wong. Another key factor in material selection was the biophilic qualities of the timber. Wong states, “Timber was a material we used to soften the experience aesthetically – there is that unconscious response to natural materials including timber that is relaxing”. The warmth and character of the wire-brushed thermally modified American ash, even when stained black, provides a sensory richness in contrast to standard white gallery walls. The amplified timber grain is almost topographical in effect. Sustainability was also front of mind, with Wong seeking to retain and reuse elements of the existing warehouse where possible. The old translucent corrugated roof was relined internally to let in diffused natural light, meaning almost no artificial lighting is required during the day. Low energy LEDs provide supplementary lighting when needed. In addition to astute material choices, Wong restructured the typical gallery layout to enhance the social aspects of viewing art. The oversized reception desk morphs into a bar area, while a concealed viewing room, accessed through an enormous pivoting door, creates a space for quiet contemplation. As Wong explains, “There are often aspects to a gallery that are left to the end and shoved in a corner… bathrooms, reception, bar, prep area, viewing room, storage. We wanted to rethink that and actually brought a lot of it to the front. It’s all wrapped up in that main towering blackened timber wall, challenging not just the visual experience but also the programmatic arrangement.” The result is a gallery that feels welcoming and inclusive, enticing visitors to engage with art in a multi-sensory way. “We wanted to structure the spaces so that they are permanent and interesting even when not occupied,” says Wong. The curved CAMBIA wall and integrated joinery elements create a dynamic spatial experience compels visitors to explore the crafted, textural spaces and discover art in a personal and unhurried manner. The James Makin Gallery provides an intriguing model for reimagining the art gallery experience. Through unconventional use of materials such as the thermally modified American ash and a reconfiguration of the typical gallery layout, Wong has created a space that challenges conventions and invites engagement.

John O’Donnell considers that large numbers of Australian towns and cities are inadequately prepared for bushfires, and this is one of the reasons for undertaking this review. Source: Timberbiz, John O’Donnell Readers can assess bushfire preparation in relation to their own and other towns/ cities and assess if bushfire preparation is well managed, has improved after earlier bushfires and if it has improved since the 2019/ 20 bushfires. The full document titled Town and city bushfire disaster review, case studies and lessons across Australia is linked here. Town bushfire disaster review and lessons O’Donnell 2024 Nineteen Australian town and city impact and disaster bushfire case studies are highlighted in Section 2 of the review.  These outline bushfire information in relation to each of the selected bushfires, and in most cases bushfire lessons and insights. These case studies are from Victoria 5, NSW 4, SA 3, WA 3, Tas 1, ACT 1, Australia 1 and a combined Vic/ SA case study, a broad representation of town and city disasters across most of Australia. Seven older case studies are included in the bushfire disaster assessment from 1851 to 1967, it is important to note that town and city bushfire disasters are not just a recent phenomenon and have occurred since European settlement and the curtailment of Aboriginal burning practices. The other twelve case studies range from 1983 to 2021. Inadequate bushfire preparedness and mitigation has resulted in the continuation of large intense bushfires across SE Australia, including impacts on towns and cities, and are often associated with long fire runs. Another issue that greatly concerns the author is that Australia has never really fully nor effectively captured and locked in many of the key lessons in relation to avoiding and reducing town and city bushfire disasters across these communities on an ongoing basis. A major focus of Section 3 of the review is capturing key bushfire disaster lessons and insights in relation to town and city bushfire disaster avoidance, sound fire and fuel mitigation, fuel management, preparedness for bushfires, community and firefighter safety, infrastructure protection, firefighting attack and a range of other lessons from case studies over the last 170 years. Twenty-two lesson and insight broad areas are outlined, and include a considerable number of lessons and insights, 127 in all. The analysis was detailed and assessed the case study lessons in Section 2 and also a large number of bushfire disaster documentation, as outlined at the start of Section 3. If we don’t improve actioning in regards to capturing and implementing bushfire lessons and insights, there will continue to be large scale impacts on communities, community members, infrastructure, fire fighters, forestry plantations, forests, the environment and massive economic impacts. There appear to be a lot of opportunities for the forestry/ plantation sector to be involved in alliances  improving community and forest/ plantation preparedness for bushfires, including the following opportunities: Bushfire preparedness Improve community, forestry and infrastructure preparedness for bushfires using alliancing opportunities. Optimise regular landscape prescribed burning which makes bushfire suppression easier, safer and cheaper and also reduces bushfire losses, human, built and environmental. Utilise opportunities for upskilling and fire mitigation training for bushfires using coordinated prescribed burning programs to develop fire skills. Ensure fire safe establishment of track/ trail networks to access areas for prescribed burning and bushfire fighting. Ensure tracks/ trails are permanent and suitable for the movement of heavy vehicles and personnel safely and quickly. Optimise regular burning programs in the forest areas where the tracks are located in order to optimize firefighter safety. Collaboration in fire management Increase bushfire collaboration between public and private sectors, including and local and state governments, landholders and the forestry sector. Improved bushfire detection and communication Optimise improved bushfire detection over broad areas. Establish efficient and innovative systems to quickly detect, locate, report and geo-reference new and incipient fires for quick coordinated initial attack. Camera and satellite systems have advantages but fire towers can cover large areas. Optimise communication systems to best handle communication in bushfire events, reducing bushfire safety risks. Cooperatively address increasing bushfire disaster and disaster insurance costs Urgently address high and rising bushfire disaster insurance costs via increased mitigation funding/ opportunities, this can be optimised in collaborative approaches. Cooperative approaches for funding submissions Cooperative approaches may improve opportunities for broader projects to reduce bushfire risks and may increase success of funding. A greater range of skillsets are valuable in seeking funding. Cooperative bushfire risk reduction measures Utilise bushfire path mapping is available for all towns, cities and local government areas. Increase district/ community/ town/ city awareness of previous bushfire travel paths over the last 80 plus years and authorise local town/ city bushfire plan members to progress this in relation to preparedness and mitigation and optimise escape routes. Ensure mapping of all major sources of firebrands such as eucalypt/ other species with loose bark that increase the risk of fire brand storms over communities and landscapes and manage these areas for firebrand fuel. Understand that firebrands can travel up to 35 km and map where major firebrand forests are located in bushfire suppression planning. Lead the way and refine the focus from a bushfire suppression focus to an effective mitigation and suppression focus. A Menzies Research Centre (2020) report noted that in 2014, a report released by the Productivity Commission into Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements found that government natural disaster funding arrangements had been inefficient, inequitable and unsustainable and noted mitigation funding amounted to only three per cent of what is spent on post-disaster recovery. Continue to refine quick first attack techniques and approaches, noting this could be optimised in collaborative approaches. Ensure dozers and plant are on the bushfire fire grounds quickly, as required. Utilise airports, roads and fire trails for bushfire mitigation and suppression and wherever possible ensure safe for vehicle passing and turning. Cooperative prescribed burning, fuel reduction and forest health measures across landscapes Increase rates of cooperative prescribed burning across landscapes and utilization of low intensity burns every 3-6 years, where approved, hopefully under 10 […]

While shoppers eagerly await IKEA opening its first New Zealand store, its parent company continues to grow its forestry portfolio in the country. Source: RNZ The Swedish furniture giant has begun construction of its Auckland store which is due to open in late 2025. Since August 2021, its parent company Ingka Investments has been buying farmland, to convert to forestry, and existing forestry blocks around New Zealand as part of IKEA’s sustainability strategy. Data from the Overseas Investment Office shows Ingka Investments has been given approval for 25 sales in New Zealand which cover 23,495 hectares, while one application is awaiting a decision. Existing forestry blocks cover 4290 hectares while 19,205 hectares of farmland had been bought to turn into rotational pine forests. On its website it said it’s buying land in New Zealand, the US, Romania and Baltic states was part of its long-term commitment to responsible forest management. “Wood is an essential part of the IKEA identity. We invest in forestland because we believe we can play an important role in supplying wood from more sustainable sources for our everyday lives.” Some of the more prominent sales include Huiarua Station and Matanui Station in the Gisborne region with a combined area of just over 6000 hectares. Ingka Investments paid NZ$88 million for the two farms which were being planted into rotational forestry through until 2026. An Ingka Investments spokesperson said while the company did not have a specific land acquisition target, it did intend to make further investments. “We are committed to being in Aotearoa New Zealand for many years and are taking a long-term approach to our planning. “Our goal is to protect and support forest resources for generations to come, we want to create long-term employment opportunities, support local biodiversity through the protected parts of our forests, and help to sequester GHGs through the growth of our trees and through the soil of the protected parts of our forests.” The company said it had a small management team based in Tauranga that oversees all Ingka Investments properties, and it also worked with forest management companies Forest 360, Logic Forest Solutions, IFS Growth, and Southern Forests. “Our general approach is to invest in areas of resilience and sustainability that also offer returns. These are long-term investments spanning across decades in a material that is a significant part of the IKEA identity. In Aotearoa New Zealand, we have invested in both afforestation projects and existing forestland. “However, we do not participate in any type of carbon farming. We do not intend to sell carbon credits as part of our routine business practices, and we are not currently engaged in carbon offsetting. We are proud that our forests can be part of the solution to climate change but using them as a source for other companies to offset their carbon emissions is not why we have forests, Ingka Investments said.

ABARES Australian forest and wood products statistics (AFWPS) is a collection of data on key indicators of activity in the Australian forest and wood products sector. The production statistics for the 2022-23 year have been released. Source: Timberbiz The overview is supported by summary tables in Excel format and a Power BI data visualisation that provides users with an interactive dashboard to interrogate the data. This issue includes new 2022–23 data for key domestic indicators of forestry sector activity such as the value and volume of logs harvested, the performance of the wood product manufacturing sector and changes in Australia’s commercial plantation estate. This report also presents 2022–23 data (first published in November 2023) on forest sector employment, data on new housing commencements and the trade of wood products. Time series charts are expressed in real terms (adjusted for inflation). You can download the statistics here.    

Australia’s drive towards sustainability and a circular economy has heightened the focus on recycling timber, a renewable, natural resource, ideal for the circular bioeconomy. Currently, 60% of used timber ends up in landfill, with the remainder mostly burnt as fuel. Source: Timberbiz Using timber over multiple life cycles ensures long term carbon sequestration and increased resource efficiency. Preservative treated timber and engineered wood products (EWP) provide additional advantages; the life of treated timber is extended by more than 10 times and EWP increases use of wood resources, structural integrity, and size. These wood products directly contribute to carbon neutrality and will aid the transition to a net positive future. However, while beneficial during their service life for their durability and strength, these materials pose significant challenges for reuse and recycling at end-of-life due to chemical treatments and adhesives. The Timber Circularity Project is a three-year industry-funded initiative led by the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life (NCTDDL) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). The project has been running for just over a year with support from Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and key industry stakeholders including Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Wine Australia (WA), Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA), Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia (FTMA), Koppers, Hexion and Azelis. Professor Tripti Singh, NCTDDL Director, overseas a team of individuals working on the project including Dr Penelope Mitchell, who is working full time as Project Leader, Dr Martin Strandgard, Dr Melanie Harris, Dr Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan, Dr Nami Kartal, and Associate Professor Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava. The project addresses the challenges of recycling treated timber and EWP, and some significant advances have already been made in quantifying and analysing the condition of end-of-life resources nationally. The team has conducted site visits and surveys and are currently geospatially mapping resource volumes by location and type. Regulatory challenges have also been assessed and a draft report completed, which is aiding the development of Information sheets designed to aid industry advocacy with regulators. Industry insights to align key messaging for regulators will be obtained during an upcoming workshop. Logistics, which are critical for integrating treated timber into a circular economy, are also being analysed, and an initial case study has been undertaken to compare different scenarios for collection, loading, transport, and chipping of resources for use in new applications. “Recycled wood fibre will be required for existing products such as particleboard as well as emerging products including low-carbon concrete blocks and wood-plastic composites,” said Dr. Penelope Mitchell, project leader. “However, the presence in wood products of glues and chemical treatments such as copper chromium arsenic (CCA), complicates recycling efforts.” CCA treated timber, comprising 30% of treated timber in Australia, poses specific challenges due to potential leaching of chemicals and heavy metals when recycled. Research to extract these substances effectively and economically has been conducted over the last few decades. “Research into extraction methods using chemical and biological means has shown promise,” continued Professor Tripti Singh, NCTDDL Director. “Yet, scaling these methods to meet regulatory standards and managing resultant toxic waste remain significant hurdles.” Although high extraction rates are possible in laboratory scenarios, scaling up is costly and not currently viable under current economic models. There is also the issue with the resultant hazardous extractants produced by any remediation methods. Clean timber will be required for many applications, particularly if the timber is used in concrete or other porous applications where leaching may occur. While the project team are continuing to investigate viable remediation options, other avenues for CCA treated timber are required immediately if the 2030 Government target for a circular economy are to be met. The Timber Circularity team has undertaken an assessment on potential solutions for Australian end-of-life timber resources and ordered them in a hierarchy from reuse through to energy production. The solutions have been mapped against considerations including ecological impact, technical issues, scale, and economics. After analysis of the solutions and subsequent site visits, three distinct opportunities have been selected to further as pilot studies across different states in Australia. Undertaking different pilots in three states will allow the evaluation of the regulatory landscapes, logistical requirements, and market potential for recycled timber products. These pilot studies are crucial for understanding the feasibility of large-scale implementation and identifying scalable solutions. “With the Australian Government’s target of achieving a circular economy by 2030, it’s essential that we find sustainable pathways for all timber,” highlighted Dr Mitchell. “This project not only addresses environmental concerns but also explores the economic viability, logistics and regulatory challenges for recycling timber into higher-value products.” The project’s comprehensive approach includes: Quantifying available end-of-life timber resources and their condition Mapping geospatial data to visualize resource distribution Addressing state-by-state regulatory challenges Analysing logistics and infrastructure needs for timber recycling Developing a hierarchy matrix for evaluating recycling solutions Undertaking pilot projects and documenting case studies. “By converting challenges into opportunities, the Timber Circularity project aims to demonstrate how treated timber can play a pivotal role in Australia’s circular bioeconomy,” concluded Professor Singh.

The long-awaited concept design for Hobart’s proposed multi-purpose stadium at Macquarie Point reveals it will be “the largest timber roofed stadium in the world”. Source: Hobart Mercury The release of the design comes more than two years after former Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein announced in March 2022 plans for the stadium to “create a spectacular and iconic entry to the city.” The concept designs have been done just eight weeks after Australian firm, Cox Architecture, was awarded the $37.9m contract as the lead architect in early May. It has been involved in Australia’s last four major oval stadiums, including Perth Stadium and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval. Sport and Events Minister Nic Street said he was excited to share the eagerly awaited concept designs for the stadium which is still to be assessed as a Project of State Significance by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. “We’ve worked to design a welcoming, functional and uniquely Tasmanian multipurpose stadium, for this space,” he said. “When completed, the stadium will be the largest timber roofed stadium in the world. “While developing this stadium is an important step in realising our dream of seeing our own AFL and AFLW teams running out on our own field, this facility will offer so much more.” The concept design features a low profile built-form and a woven-style façade that the architects say has been informed by the form and shape of the roundhouse structure that used to be part of the Hobart Rail Yard at Macquarie Point. Mr Street said the fixed, dome-shaped roof also was an important part of the design. “The maritime heritage of the broader area has also been taken into account, and culturally informed under the guidance of Aboriginal community members,” he said. “The transparent roof, which is supported by an internal steel and timber frame, provides an opportunity to showcase Tasmanian timber. “The frame will support a fully transparent ETFE material, which is a plastic based material designed to have a high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. “This will allow light in, support natural turf growth, and avoid the need for large light towers.” The stadium includes a 1500-person function room with views to kunanyi/ Mount Wellington, a design suitable to host top quality cricket games and a stage pocket in a stand to support concerts and events, which will minimise impact on the field and reduce costs for event operators. The architects say the easy to follow and accessible design features include a single continuous concourse that services the whole stadium, “which means you can enter any gate and easily find your seat”. A seating bowl design is aimed at bringing crowds “close to the action”. There will be separated back of house and catering facilities with a below ground service road to separate vehicles and stadium visitors and users. Mr Street said as well as the concept designs work was continuing on preparing an application to assess the multipurpose stadium through the Project of State Significance process. He said a submission was expected to be made this month. The state government has capped its expenditure on the stadium at $375m. State Parliament approved an order for the stadium to be declared project of state significance in November last year. (State Significance) Order 2023. This Premier Jeremy Rockliff directed the Planning Commission to undertake an integrated assessment of the project and address the environmental, social, economic and community impacts. The commission met the Macquarie Point Development Corporation last month to discuss matters including the timing of submission of reports, clarification of the level of information required to satisfy the guidelines and the process for managing amendments and for consultation with relevant agencies. The AFL agreed to Tasmania getting the 19th licence for an AFL and AFLW team provided it partnered with the federal government for construction of a 23,000-seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The concept designs are available at www.macpoint.com/stadium

Irish Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, announced the publication of the Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2024. Source: Timberbiz This annual report, prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provides an annual compilation of statistics on Ireland’s forest sector and the forest industry. These forest statistics provide stakeholders with a repository of reliable and transparent information about the forest sector over the past year. “As an annual report, Forest Statistics Ireland 2024 is an essential publication for anybody interested in a detailed overview of our forestry sector. This annual report provides vital information for researchers, students and practitioners who wish to understand where the sector sits in our overall national economic picture,” Ms Hackett said. “Clearly the pace at which we are expanding our forest estate needs to increase substantially. The impact of the length of the State Aid approval process for the new Forestry Programme is reflected in the afforestation figures for last year, with afforestation under the new Forestry Program only beginning in September 2023. “Notwithstanding that, over 4,000 hectares have been made available for planting by the Forest Service since then, which I expect to result in increased afforestation figures for 2024. “While afforestation is ultimately a voluntary land use choice and there is much competition for land in the current market, the significantly increased funding in place for the new program combined with efficiencies in the licensing process make afforestation a highly attractive option for farmers and landowners, and I expect that the pace at which we continue to expand the forest estate will increase significantly over the remainder of the rogram to 2027.” The report highlights that total expenditure on forest activities, including maintenance grants, grants for forest road infrastructure, annual premium payments and supports for the afforestation of 1,651 hectares, was €73.8 million in 2023. “The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2023 was 54%, which is the first time that the proportion of broadleaves planted exceeded conifer tree planting. My department also supported the construction of 78 km of private forest roads during 2023, an increase of 8 km over 2022. This will be essential to mobilising the projected increase in harvesting, which is expected to double by 2030,” Ms Hackett said. The continuation of the National Forest Inventory is essential to monitor change in Ireland’s forest estate, in terms of extent composition and health. Later this year, the Department will begin the planning for the fifth National Forest Inventory, which is due to commence in 2025. The recent proposal by the European Commission of a new forest monitoring law will make it mandatory for Member States to report national level information about their forests, emphasising the benefit of ongoing forest monitoring in Ireland. “The production of statistics by my department on a weekly, monthly and annual basis is essential to evaluating progress towards the implementation of Ireland’s Forest Strategy (2023 – 2030),” Ms Hackett said. Ten key statistics from Forest Statistics – Ireland 2024 include: Total expenditure in 2023 by DAFM on forest activities including afforestation, maintenance grants, annual premium payments and grants for forest road infrastructure was €73.8 million. The area of new forest created during 2023 totalled 1,651 hectares with the greatest afforestation taking place in Co. Roscommon with 189 hectares followed by Co. Galway with 139 hectares. The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2023 was 54%, which was up from 43% in the previous year. This is the first time that proportion of broadleaves planted exceeded conifer tree planting. Between 1980 and 2023, over 24,000 private landowners have accessed the grants available to establish new forests, with an average size of 8.6 hectares. Farmers have accounted for 82% of afforestation on private lands. The percentage of land afforested by farmers during 2023 was 47%, which was up from 23% in the previous year. Over the period 2006-2023, 40% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more. In 2023, 57% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more and for those in receipt of premium payments, 61% were aged 60 years or more. In 2023, a total of 3.5 tonnes of Pedunculate Oak seed was sown in forestry nurseries, equating to over 3.4 million plants. The other main broadleaf species were Downy Birch and Common Alder. The main conifer species included Sitka spruce, Scots pine and, lodgepole pine. The construction of 78 km of private forest roads was funded during 2023, an increase of 8 km over 2022. This reflects the projected increase in timber and wood to be harvested, which is expected to double by 2030. During 2023, felling licences were issued for the thinning of 8,144 hectares and the clearfelling of 24,444 hectares. These sum to a total 505,814 hectares licenced for thinning since 2010 and 184,081 ha licenced for clearfell over the same period. Approximately half of Ireland’s forest estate is certified by international non-governmental organisations to promote good forest practice. The vast majority of this area is in the public forest estate, with 33,064 hectares of private forests currently certified. In 2022 Ireland’s forests removed 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, an increase of 0.34 million tonnes compared to 2021. The Census of Ireland has shown that employment in the forestry sector fell from 2,468 in 2016 to 2,138 in 2022. While in the Logging and Manufacture of wood and wood products employment grew from 4,000 in 2016 to 4,274 in 2022. The full report is at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/15b56-forest-statistics-and-mapping/#annual-forest-sector-statistics    

Climate change is likely to drive tree species towards colder and wetter regions of their geographical distribution, a new study has shown. The research, led by the University of Alcalá (UAH), in Spain, and including researchers at the University of Birmingham, draws together data from across Europe and North America to show that tree species in the Northern Hemisphere are starting to become denser in colder and wetter regions. Source: Timberbiz The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides the first quantitative evidence that climate change is driving this change in the numbers of trees of each species across temperate forests on a continental scale. The researchers analysed data from over two million trees, representing 73 species widely distributed across Europe and the United States. They investigated whether changes in tree density could be attributed to specific characteristics of each species, such as tolerance to arid conditions, or their capacity to disperse. Importantly, however, the study did not identify any single trait of the tree species as being decisive for these changes. “Some tree species which are currently used for ecosystem restoration in Europe may no longer be suitable in these regions in the near future… massive reforestation programmes planned as a solution for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere might be limited in their effectiveness if they do not account for these responses,” Dr Thomas Pugh  of the University of Birmingham and Lund University and co-author explained. Julen Astigarraga, from UAH and lead author of the study said that this lack of a definitive trait suggests that most species possess a degree of acclimation capability. Understanding how forest species are responding to climate change through increasing their density in these more northerly regions is essential for planning ecosystem conservation, management and restoration. “Some tree species which are currently used for ecosystem restoration in Europe may no longer be suitable in these regions in the near future,” Dr Pugh said. “In addition, massive reforestation programs planned as a solution for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere might be limited in their effectiveness if they do not account for these responses.” The study represented a significant international collaboration, with scientists from 12 countries, and data analysis from more than 125,000 forest plots across Europe and North America. Adriane Esquivel Muelbert, an expert in forest ecology at the University of Birmingham and co-author on the paper, said: “This study required a significant international effort to pull together and harmonise data from many different sources. The data from these forest inventories is crucial for advancing our understanding of forest dynamics and their resilience to climate change.” The study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and by the European Research Council’s TreeMort project. It included data and analysis from the Spanish National Forest Inventory, the Flemish Forest Inventory, the CzechTerra Landscape Inventory, the Finnish Forest Health Monitoring Network, the Dutch Forest Inventory, the Polish National Forest Inventory, the Swedish National Forest Inventory, and the United States Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis research program.

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, extensive land areas have been left sitting idle after tropical forests were cleared in Indonesia, a country renowned for its biodiverse rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands. Source: PhysOrg Since 1990, the country has lost 25% of its old-growth forest, and while over one-quarter (7.8 million hectares) of Indonesia’s deforested lands have been converted to palm oil plantations since 2020, an even larger area (8.8 million hectares), remain vacant. The study, which focused on Indonesian deforestation trends from 1991 to 2020, also found that over half of Indonesia’s deforested lands were left idle for at least one year after forest clearing, and that 44% remained idle for at least five years. “Old-growth tropical forests are an extremely valuable resource, both locally and globally,” said Diana Parker, a postdoctoral associate in the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences and the lead author of the paper. “The fact that such a large area of old-growth forest has been cleared then left empty is surprising.” To understand why so much idle land was being created, researchers first had to determine how the forests were cleared. During the 2015 El Niño event, forest and land fires in Indonesia created a major public health crisis both in Indonesia and in neighbouring countries. Some researchers have speculated that forest fires such as those that occurred in 2015 are largely responsible for the extensive areas of idle non-forest land. This study, however, found that fires resulting in tree cover loss accounted for less than half of all idle land clearing; 54% were cleared mechanically, either through manual clearing or using heavy machinery. “Forest fires can be either intentional or accidental,” said Parker. “Mechanical clearing, however, is not only intentional but can be time consuming and costly. Once we realized that more than half of idle areas were not created by fires, it led to a new question: why would people expend so much effort to clear forests then leave the land empty?” To answer this question, the researchers involved in the study, “Land in limbo: nearly one third of Indonesia’s cleared old-growth forests left idle,” used satellite imagery to examine the histories of deforested areas, both before and after clearing. They found that most forests are degraded, for example by selective logging, before they are cleared, suggesting that timber demand is not the main cause of idle-land creation. Case studies in regions with extensive idle land have also found that clearing increases, rather than decreases, land prices, further suggesting that timber is not the primary driver. After forest clearing, the researchers found that some idle areas were eventually converted to productive uses. Of mechanically cleared idle areas, about one quarter were converted to a productive land use within five years of the deforestation event and half were being used productively in 2020. In these cases, palm oil plantations were by far the most common outcome. “About 80% of mechanically cleared idle land that was converted to a productive use became a palm oil plantation,” said Parker. “This means that the true environmental impact of palm oil is likely much larger than the area planted immediately after forest loss, and is potentially larger than the total deforested area currently planted with oil palms.” This lagged conversion dynamic appears to be unique to palm oil. The researchers found that two-thirds of all palm oil plantations established in deforested areas were planted after a lag of at least one year. Other major deforestation drivers, such as smallholder land use or tree plantations, were almost always established immediately after clearing. “The satellite imagery can’t tell us exactly how idle land creation and the palm oil industry are linked, but the land use trends suggest a relationship,” said Parker. “In some cases, companies or individuals may intend to sell deforested land but are waiting for land prices to rise. Or they may plan to develop the land later, holding it as part of their land bank.” “In other cases, young seedlings may have died before they could be detected in satellite imagery, or conflicts with communities or other concession holders could have delayed planting,” Parker explained. Findings from the study include some hopeful news for the country’s remaining forests: From 2017–2020, Indonesia experienced the lowest deforestation rates observed during the entire study period. “Indonesia is one of the few tropical forest countries that has been able to successfully slow deforestation,” said Matthew Hansen, a professor at the University of Maryland and paper co-author. “Given how much idle land is currently available, Indonesia could stop clearing forests altogether while still increasing palm oil production.” Governments and private companies have increasingly adopted policies designed to eliminate deforestation from commodity supply chains. Under the EU Deforestation Policy (EUDR), set to be implemented later this year, certain commodities, including palm oil, cannot be imported into the EU if they were produced on land deforested after 2020. “This research shows that Indonesia contains vast areas of land deforested before 2020 that are underutilized,” Hansen said. “Using these areas for commodity expansion could allow Indonesia to comply with the EUDR while protecting its remaining natural forests.”

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In a new report, Otago Regional Council (ORC) has released its Regional Threat Assessment for vascular plants – the third in a series of threat assessments for indigenous species in Otago. Source: Timberbiz For the first time, ORC has led an assessment of the threat status of vascular plants in Otago, alongside a panel of plant experts, including John Barkla, Brian Rance, Dr Geoff Rogers, Richard Ewans, and Dr Mike Thorsen. “Knowing what species we have, and where they can be found, is critical for their protection and also for ecological restoration,” says Dr Scott Jarvie, ORC’s Senior Terrestrial Ecologist, who led this work. While much is known about vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, there are fewer details on the diversity of local species and where they occur. Vascular plants have a system of tubes which connect all parts of the plant – roots, shoots, and leaves – to transport water and nutrients from one part of the plant to another, much like the circulatory system in humans. The main groups of vascular plants are flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and club mosses. The report provides a comprehensive look at the population size and trends of indigenous vascular plants in Otago. A total of 1242 indigenous plant species were identified for Otago. This number of species makes Otago one of the most botanically diverse parts of New Zealand, containing a high proportion of the national indigenous flora. Some iconic Otago plants include narrow-leaved snow tussock, copper tussock, golden speargrass, matagouri, tōtara, rimu, southern rata, kōwhai, silver beech, among others. Otago has a major role to play in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s amazing and unique plant life. Around a quarter of Otago flora is nationally threatened or at risk. Using a methodology developed for regional councils, 227 species were regionally assessed as being “threatened”, 275 as “at risk”, 614 as “not threatened”, and one as non-resident native, and 115 as “data deficient”. A total of 10 species were identified as having become extinct in the region. Otago was identified as have at least 36 vascular plant species that are regional endemics, meaning they are not found elsewhere. Regional endemics include plants on Otago Peninsula such as Helichrysum simpsonii subsp. tumidum, Craspedia (y) (CHR 516260; Cape Saunders), and Melicytus aff. crassifolius (b) (CHR 616706; Cape Saunders), in the Catlins such as Celmisia lindsayi, in north-eastern Otago such as Gingidia grisea, and in Central Otago such as Myosotis hikuwai, Cardamine sciaphila and Carmichaelia compacta. Of these regional endemics, 28 have heightened risks of extinction (in either nationally threatened or at-risk categories). It is important for biodiversity agencies in Otago to be aware of these species if they are to be maintained and enhanced. While there was a good understanding of nationally threatened or at-risk plant species found in Otago, it was not known which species were regionally threatened in Otago. Dr Jarvie says this report remedies that. “We also discussed in the expert panel assessments how many of our threatened plants are found in non-forest locations, instead growing in habitats with high disturbance and open areas,” says Dr Jarvie. “Some of these areas are known as naturally uncommon ecosystems, of which to date 72 have been identified in Aotearoa New Zealand with Otago having at least 38. Such ecosystems contribute enormously to national biodiversity, typically come about due to unusual environmental conditions, and are often small in area (up to 1000 hectares). Their rarity means they often support unique biodiversity, are poorly understood, and due to where they are found many are threatened.” For example, Lepidium kirkii, also known as salt-pan cress or Kirk’s scurvy grass, occurs only in the inland saline type of ecosystem, a type of naturally uncommon ecosystem found only in Otago. Another example is Craspedia argentea, commonly known as the Pisa Flats woolyhead, found on the inland outwash gravels type of ecosystem. Both the inland saline and inland outwash gravel ecosystem types are Critically Endangered. Plants are essential to land and water-based ecosystems, as well as supporting the survival of humans on Earth. The assessment of indigenous vascular plants in Otago followed a standardised regional methodology that leveraged off the New Zealand Threat Classification System, administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC) – Te Papa Atawhai on behalf of all New Zealanders. This includes informing how to manage threats to indigenous plants, such as from competition from weeds, browsing by animal pests, destruction or modification of habitats, and pathogens. Tom Dyer, ORC’s Science Manager, says “a knowledge of plant distributions is also critical for informing ecological restoration, to ensure the right choice of native and provenances.” The report will be presented at tomorrow’s Environmental Science and Policy Committee. New Zealand Threat Classification System The regional threat classification system leverages off the New Zealand Threat Classification System administered by DOC. While DOC is tasked with managing indigenous species nationally, regional and district councils have statutory obligations to maintain indigenous biodiversity under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), including to manage the habitats of threatened species. Threat classifications can play a key role in assessing status and trends in indigenous species and a key requirement of managing the habitats of threatened species is to understand population sizes.

FSC Forest Week is an annual campaign in which FSC and major global brands celebrate their collective sustainable forestry efforts and encourage consumers to take action for our forests. This year the event will be from 21-27 September. Source: Timberbiz Last year more than 1,270 companies and NGOs participated, highlighting the role forest stewards have in combating climate change and biodiversity loss by supporting sustainable forestry. If you would like to participate in FSC Forest Week 2024, fill in the registration form online or contact s.day@au.fsc.org

New data released from the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research shows building and construction apprenticeship commencements have fallen 22% in the year to December 2023. Source: Timberbiz Only 41,935 people commenced a building and construction-related apprenticeship in 2023, down from 54,035. In response, Master Builders Australia is releasing the Future of the workforce: apprentices in building and construction report, which shows it will take a village to ensure Australia attracts and retains our next generation of trade apprentices. The report highlights some of the barriers impacting the industry’s ability to attract and retain apprentices and puts forward a holistic list of recommendations to reverse this trend. “Despite a sizeable workforce of over 1.35 million people, the industry is facing acute shortages with an annual exit rate of 8%, of which we are currently only replacing half of that rate,” CEO Denita Wawn said. “Prolonged construction labour shortages will lead to a $57 billion reduction in Australia’s GDP over the next five years. “The role of improving our domestic pipeline of workers is critical to overcoming the housing crisis. “For decades, we have seen the cultural erosion of trade apprenticeships with students being pushed towards the university system,” she said. “Apprentices are paid to learn, unlike their higher education counterparts who pay to learn. “VET and higher education are both integral parts of Australia’s education system and should be viewed as such. “It will take a concerted effort by governments, industry, schools and the broader community to turn this ship around. “The Federal Government made a range of positive announcements aimed at attracting more apprentices into the building and construction industry in the recent Budget. “We would like to see these measures expanded with stronger support from states and territories,” Ms Wawn said. Recommendations include: Promoting varied and rewarding pathways to school-aged students, their parents and careers advisers. Overhauling the funding for and quality of careers education in schools. Investing in programs that provide clear and practical information on what an apprenticeship and future career pathway in the industry could be. Supporting schools to adopt better integrated vocational education and training into the school curriculum especially in early high-school years. Encouraging secondary school students to undertake their White Card training. Expanding support for women in building and construction programs. Reintroducing an incentive system with commencement and completion bonuses to apprentices and employers. Introducing a tiered wage subsidy that better supports mature-aged apprentices and reflects existing skill levels. Funding the cost differential for Group Training Organisations to host an apprentice and provide vital pastoral care services. Introducing incentives to encourage industry upskilling from a Certificate III to a Certificate IV. Ensuring funding is proportionally distributed between TAFE and industry-led Registered Training Organisations. Reviewing the restrictive nature of Modern Awards and pattern Enterprise Bargaining Agreements on flexible work arrangements.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its monthly building approvals data for May 2024 for detached houses and multi-units covering all states and territories. Source: Timberbiz In seasonally adjusted terms, approvals in the three months to May 2024 saw an increase of 51.1%in Western Australia compared to the same time in the previous year. This was followed by Victoria (+10.0%). The other jurisdictions recorded declines over the same period, led by the New South Wales (-21.6%), followed by South Australia (-6.0%) and Queensland (-4.8%). In original terms, the Australian Capital Territory recorded a 33.4% increase in approvals in the three months to May 2024 compared with the previous year. Approvals over the same period fell in the Northern Territory (-34.3%) and in Tasmania (-16.3%). “This leaves approvals in the three months to May 2024 down by 1.5% compared with the same period in the previous year,” HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said. There were 14,180 residential building approvals in the month of May, with 9,260 detached house approvals and 4,920 multi-units. Detached house approvals increased by 1.3% in May 2024 and have been slowly strengthening in recent months. Detached approvals in the three months to May 2024 are up by 10.0% compared with the same period in the previous year. “Multi-unit approvals increased by 14.3% in May from very low levels in recent months. Over the three months to May 2024, multi-unit approvals remain 19.1% lower than in the same period in the previous year,” Mr Reardon said. “There have been 163,760 total dwelling approvals over the most recent 12 months to May 2024. “This is well below the 240,000 new homes needed each year from 1 July 2024 to achieve National Cabinet’s goal,” he said. “The low approvals numbers indicate a slow start to building 1.2 million homes over the next five years. “Increasing the number of homes built will be necessary to address longstanding housing shortages. “Addressing tax, planning, land and regulatory constraints will be necessary to increasing the supply of homes in Australia,” Mr Reardon said. Meanwhile CEO Denita Wawn said Monday marked the first day of the Housing Accord race to building 1.2 million homes, but we are not race ready. “Governments have had over 600 days to align all policy levers and help put the industry in the best possible position to build enough new homes. “While there’s been some progress at a state and federal level, particularly in the housing portfolios, it has simply not been fast enough or is being undermined by other policies. “Simply put, investment in new home building does not stack up without further reform. “Industrial relations laws, worker shortages, slow planning approvals, a lack of critical infrastructure, high developer taxes and charges, and licensing delays all add to the cost and time it takes to build. “We need to build a significant amount of higher-density homes, particularly to relieve the pressure on the rental market, but the builders who are relied upon to deliver these projects are now hamstrung by restrictive CFMEU pattern EBAs,” Ms Wawn said.

The following is taken from Nationals’ MP for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath’s Second Reading speech during debate on the Sustainable Forests (Timber) Repeal Bill 2024 which abolished VicForests and removed the legal framework that previously made commercial logging possible in Victoria’s state forests. This is a sad day, a dark day in Victoria’s history. This is a disaster of a bill, and the Nationals and the Liberals will seek to amend and oppose this abomination. This government, the former Premier and the current Premier, have abandoned regional Victoria. They have wilfully neglected to listen to the science. They have listened to the chirpy ideologues and inner-city elites who want to see a sustainable and world-class industry closed. On the day the then Premier Daniel Andrews was choosing the beautiful, high-quality hardwood manufactured in Heyfield from world-class ash timber for our $42 million expansion of this Parliament – he was choosing that because it is the best in the world – he signed the death knell for this industry. It is an abomination, and they should all be ashamed of themselves. Killing off Victoria’s sustainable native industry is economically, environmentally, socially and morally wrong. I would like to pay homage to and thank the industry, the industry workers, the towns and the various people and entities associated. Over my time in this place, I have met some wonderful people in regional Victoria, not only in regional Victoria but in metropolitan Melbourne, who are part of the supply chain for our native timber industry. I would like to thank the haulage and harvest operators, the contractors and the sole traders, who are doing it so tough at the moment because the government is not honouring a commitment to fully pay them out as required and is putting blocks in the road. I would like to thank so much the machinery workers and those employed by the VicForests contractors. I also want to thank and pay homage to the civil contractors who are not associated with VicForests. So many of those do an amazing job, and some have moved between department contracts and VicForests contracts over the past 20 years as well. I want to pay homage to them. When the fires are burning and for various reasons have not been able to be put out, they drive towards those fires, putting their own life in peril to protect our regional communities and towns. I want to particularly thank the mill owners – and there have been many in the time, their workers and their administrations. I thank them for their ingenuity, for their integrity and for their grit and hard work on the floor – for value-adding this beautiful hardwood timber product which adorns our homes, our offices, our cultural centres, our GovHubs, our schools, our libraries and indeed the $42 million offices that we inhabit when we are here. To all of those, I thank them so much for their ingenuity and craftsmanship. I want to thank, in particular, the engineers as well. I thank the registered training organisations. I have spoken with so many training officers who upskill and educate haulage and harvest operators, who provide that safety. And I thank the TAFE teachers. I know many of them have been so frustrated with third-party litigation. I also thank the seed collectors and boy, haven’t they done it tough at the end of this, because the government has not been recognising them for their services. I want to thank the VicForests staff, the biodiversity experts, the forest scientists, the surveyors, the assessors, the forest managers and the regenerators. I also thank Monique Dawson for giving a damn. When the courts have said to VicForests ‘How high?’, they have attempted in many and various ways to perform those tasks: lidar data, forest surveys, middle-of-the-night and heat sensor surveys, and it goes on. On occasion VicForests has been in an uncomfortable position. They are not universally loved by the contractors, but they have been pulled and pushed and abandoned by this government. Twenty years ago, Steve Bracks in actual fact introduced VicForests, and like timber workers in our community, I think that VicForests has been collateral damage for the elites and the egos that inhabit this place. As I said earlier, it has been a passion of mine for all of my time in here to espouse and share the importance of this industry and the science behind it. In one of my first days in this place, when Federation Room was operational, there was a buzz in that place, and the minister then was Jaala Pulford. There was a buzz of forestry people. The room was full, and the future looked bright. Well, weren’t we conned indeed. We know that there have been improvements over the time for harvest practices. We know that in the past it was always evolving to better serve biodiversity and better serve outcomes, conservation and protection of zones. We have got special protection zones and we have got buffer zones. There have been five ministers in my time of the ag department of this government. It seems like a hot potato that nobody wants. All of the National Party would relish it, and I am sure many of the Liberals would relish being the minister for ag. There are various things. Let us look at this: 94% of the public land estate is not available for timber harvesting – 94% of roughly eight million hectares is excluded from harvest. In the last few years around 3000 trees per hectare were harvested every year and regrown. These are the facts: four in 10,000 trees are harvested and regrown. The national state of the forests 2018 report stated that there was a 95% success rate for VicForests for Victorian forest regeneration. There was a 95% success rate for that regeneration. We also know that there is no such thing as deforestation. What I do also know is that the wilderness groups – these Wilderness Society groups – peddle […]

With the formal closure of VicForests on Sunday (30 June) symbolising the final destruction of Victoria’s native forest industry, thoughts turn to an essay by a revered Australian forester, Dr Alf Leslie: Stupidity Nearly Always Wins. Source: Phillip Hopkins, Latrobe Valley Express Issues surrounding forestry are proof of that proposition. Dr Leslie, who died aged 88 in 2009, had an outstanding career in Australian forestry before soaring to new heights internationally. A sceptic and teacher who urged critical and independent thought, he combined his knowledge of ecology with economics and business management. He was variously a director of the forestry division of the of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a project officer at the University of Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war, the Forest Economist with the FAO in Rome, and later Director of Forest Industries with the FAO. In his essay, published in September 1999, Dr Leslie said Man, we are told, is a rational animal. “But rationalism does more than imply that man has and uses this capacity; it accepts, without question, that he does. Yet the evidence hardly supports that belief.” Dr Leslie said the historian Barbara Tuchman used the word “folly” to describe a major war, but that was really just a harsher way of saying “stupidity”. “The idea of stupidity more than reason ruling man’s decisions and actions has a long history,” he said. However, as a contender for the title of the most outstanding example of the invincibility of stupidity, “the environmental conflict affecting forestry over the last two to three decades must be a firm favourite”. “For stupidity is the most consistent and repeated common attribute found on both sides of the argument. Neither side has shown much respect for the facts of for rational argument from them, although this failing is much less marked on the forestry side,” he said. “Forestry’s credibility was fatally undone by its initial denial of the indisputable evidence of the damage done by conventional logging, the problem which lies at the core of the dispute, and then by its justification of the damage as an unavoidable economic necessity before finally recognising there was a need for some (relatively modest and not too costly) modification.” However, on the environmental side, Dr Leslie said the damage done by logging was exaggerated, misrepresented and blamed for all forms of deforestation so as to make a visually dramatic and appalling case. “No exceptions were allowed, although there were more than a few, while scientific evidence of beneficial environmental effects of logging, of which there were some, was denigrated and denied,” he said. “Both sides thus forced themselves into extreme positions from which they were unable to withdraw, even slightly, without loss of face, so they did not.” Dr Leslie said that forests can be conserved while simultaneously being used for multiple purposes including timber production and conservation. “The evidence for this, although not numerically great, is enough to be scientifically irrefutable. That they rarely are under conventional logging has been allowed to dominate the conflict so that the real possibilities have not even been explored,” he said. “And since to recognise this would breach the edicts of political correctness (incidentally another monumental load of stupidity) they are likely to stay that way. Society, as usually happens when stupidity prevails, is the loser, but this hardly matters.” Dr Leslie said another example was the way the environmental movements had been allowed to transform the term “clear felling”. “A technical term for an ecologically correct type of treatment for regeneration, it has become a public term of abuse and for shame. However, instead of educating the public as to its true ecological meaning, the responses have tended to emphasise its economic necessity and thus applying areas of clear cut much greater than the ecologically necessary minimum. Anything less likely to win public support would be hard to imagine.” Dr Leslie said the fact that stupidity nearly always wins out against rationality was a very important one for forestry and especially for forestry education. “One stupidity is the myth that a forestry education is not needed to practice forestry. Anybody, it seems, who has a modicum of practical experience, or of biology or of ecology or of sociology or of almost anything is apparently as well, if not better qualified,” he said. “It is nonsense, but it is widely propagated and accepted, nonsense. And foresters have played along with it. To recognise that other disciplines have a place in forestry is sensible enough. To accept they are substitutes for it is stupid, unless the idea of forestry is a separate discipline is itself a myth.” Dr Leslie said to some extent, both misinformation and disinformation originated in stupid decisions reached either within forestry or coming from outside affecting it. “Rather than becoming an expert in information technology and the techniques and mathematics of rational decision theory what is, therefore, first needed is a theory of stupid decision making,” he said. “Not so that foresters can learn how to make stupid decisions – the record shows that they are already fairly capable of that – but, in order to anticipate the sort of stupid decisions which are likely to be reached in the governing political and social environmental outside and thus to recognise the nonsense, masquerading as information, with which they will, as a result, be fed. “Only then will they be in a position to counterattack with their own rationally-based decisions before they are defeated or constrained by the stupidities imposed on them.” Dr Leslie said the trouble is that the fiction of man as a rational animal was so ingrained in education, research and thinking, that no theory of stupid decision making had yet emerged from which to learn or even the elements of one. “Yet foresters are so exposed by the long-term nature of the forestry production process that they probably have a more urgent need for one than most. By default, therefore, they will have to start the development by […]