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Indigenous peoples and local communities from the world’s largest and most vital tropical forest basins – the Amazon, Congo, Southeast Asia and Latin America – will gather in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo for the First Global Congress of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from the Forest Basin. Source: Timberbiz The goal of the congress is defining the outcomes COP30 should deliver on to protect the territories they guard. This landmark global event will bring together more than 400 participants, with Indigenous and local community leaders and government representatives from around the world including Norway’s Special Envoy for the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Hans Brattskar, and Harlem Siu Mariño Saavedra with the Ministry of Environment of Peru. As discussions on COP30 continue to focus on logistics aspects of the conference, the congress hopes to bring depth and urgency to the protection of indigenous territories, with a focus on land titling and direct financing to their communities. “Our forests are not just carbon sinks or resources they are our homes, our histories, and our futures. As the world prepares for COP30, it must centre on the most effective climate solutions: securing Indigenous land rights and enabling us to protect our own territorie,” said Joseph Itongwa, Indigenous leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo and member of REPALEAC, and Co-chair of the GATC. “This convening will harness the power of the world’s largest rainforests, bringing together governments and our organizations to advance land rights and secure direct funding to defend our lands from growing threats.” The event will take place at the Grand Hôtel of Kintelé, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo May 26-30. It is hosted jointly by the Global Alliance for Territorial Communities and its member organizations, along with the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The Congress builds on major international milestones, from COP26 in Glasgow and COP15 in Montreal to COP29 in Baku, where Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities gained unprecedented visibility. The focus is now on translating pledges into concrete policies, direct financing mechanisms, and legal protections.  

After this year’s fires burned through the Palisades and Altadena neighbourhoods in the US, destroying more than 16,000 structures, the city is reckoning with 4.5 million tons of debris, according to LAist – “the largest municipal wildfire cleanup operation in recent history.” Source: Yahoo As a result, the Army Corps of Engineers is sending trucks to 18 different regional facilities including landfills and recycling plants to manage the process of clearing out build remnants and remediating hazardous materials. Trees that appear damaged or unviable are cut down and sent to a local golf course to be mulched, a fact that doesn’t sit right with local sawmill owner Jeff Perry. For the past decade, Perry’s mill, Angel City Lumber (ACL), has sourced trees from Los Angeles County that have been cut down due to disease, pests, or development and transformed them into usable lumber. In the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, Perry teamed up with local landscape architects Ruth Siegel (who is also the deputy director of the nonprofit Los Angeles Futures) and Blake Jopling (who works for Rana, a small landscape architecture practice) to create Altadena Reciprocity, an initiative that helps homeowners recycle an often-overlooked resource, neighborhood trees, into a product that residents can use for flooring, stair treads, door casings, and much more. By reusing these trees and selling the product at a low cost, post-disaster material reuse can immediately serve rebuilding efforts and address both the high costs of construction and the need for healing after disaster strikes. Recycling after natural disasters is a net-good; rather than sending these materials to the landfill, concrete and metals can be safely recomposed for future projects. The Environmental Protection Agency cites a myriad of benefits, including generating revenue, creating jobs, and offsetting carbon outputs from landfilling or new product manufacturing. The agency states that, after disasters, asphalt can be re-aggregated into asphalt-concrete pavements, and metals like steel, bronze, and copper have high values and can also be sold as scrap. Wood, however, is usually relegated to landscape mulch, which, says Perry, is replicative of how cities usually deal with their dead or dying tree canopy. Los Angeles County, for instance, has 13 million trees, says Perry. An average dieback scenario, wherein trees reach the end of their lifecycle, means around 10% of those trees die each year. “That’s a lot of trees coming down, and we’re mulching them all.” He calls this “insanity.” “We’re basically operating out of a post-industrial, commoditizing-natural-resources mentality, where all the wood you get is from the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Brazil, but all the wood that falls domestically – we chip it,” Perry explains. “There’s around two billion board feet of wood that is consumed in the housing market of Los Angeles,” adds Siegel. “Based on the dieback rates, there’s about the same or more wood in board feet available [locally], and we’re not using any of that.” The fires exacerbated the availability of dead, damaged, and downed trees; Jopling notes that the Army Corps also had to take down trees that might have survived but were planted too close to homes and needed to be removed so that heavy machinery could safely demolish and clean up properties. For trees still standing, the trio is fielding phone calls from residents who need help surveying their tree’s health, tagging trees for removal, and working with the Army Corps to identify those that would be suitable for reuse. These damaged trees, Perry explains, aren’t just future lumber. While other groups have assembled in Los Angeles to salvage materials like handmade fireplace tiles, which speak to the city’s Arts and Crafts architectural history, reusing trees is akin to preserving Los Angeles’s urban planning and botanical history. “Urban planners, over the last century or longer, chose certain species for ornamental reasons, usually to forest a given area, to give it more canopy,” says Perry. As settlers arrived during the Gold Rush and began building up present day LA, they chose eucalyptus, ficus, acacia, and a lot of Australasian species that are fast growing and robust in an arid environment,” he says, adding that Deodar cedar, California sycamore, and Aleppo pine, and Italian stone pine are also common. Jopling, who was born and raised in Altadena, notes that these trees flourished in the Palisades area, providing a distinct, dense canopy. “It has to do with the development pattern in Los Angeles in the ’20s and ’30s, which also coincided with a time where there was a great botanical interest in tree species,” Jopling says. Most of these species aren’t commercially used in structural lumber, but ACL will likely be able to produce enough millwork-grade board for 500 rebuilt homes, says Siegel. It will be milled, air dried, and ready to be sold in a few years to coincide with anticipated permitting timelines. Jopling notes that many Altadena residents are running into higher costs to rebuild as much as 40% more than originally anticipated, or are underinsured. To meet those needs, all of the repurposed lumber will be sold at or below market cost, primarily to Altadena residents who are looking to rebuild. “Lumber prices have doubled since pre-pandemic times … it’s going to get even worse, given the tariffs and given this rush to rebuild all at the same time,” explains Siegel. “I see this as an imperative mission to help with a rebuilding and to make it affordable for the community.” Altadena Reciprocity, she continues, could become a model for how cities and counties respond to natural disasters in the age of material scarcity. Federal agencies could see their endeavour as a sustainable model for repurposing trees after hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Importantly, trees also have meaning to many residents. As Jopling has travelled around Altadena to perform assessments, what should be a “quick process” quickly turns into a long and difficult conversation with homeowners about the struggle to rebuild. “It’s all these layers of sad, sad stories, but in great contrast to talking to people about their trees,” he says. “It’s small relative to all the things that need to happen, but I’ll go […]

Woodsafe Timber Protection and Tantimber have partnered to deliver sustainable fire-retardant wood with superior aesthetic and technical quality. Source: World Construction Network “For Tantimber, wood is more than just a building material – it’s a living resource that deserves to be treated with respect and innovation,” Tantimber CEO Yakup Kayatas said. “Our partnership with Woodsafe allows us to offer even more durable and safe solutions for indoor and outdoor environments worldwide.” Woodsafe Timber Protection, meanwhile, is recognised for overseeing more than 1,400 projects each year, with a distribution network that extends across Europe and other regions. The company has participated in significant projects, including the tallest wooden skyscraper globally, Mjøstårnet, and the world’s largest oak roof at Gardermoen Pir Nord. This partnership will utilise Tantimber’s proficiency in wood processing in conjunction with Woodsafe’s fire-retardant treatment methods. The synergy is anticipated to furnish architects and the timber sector with distinctive products that improve aesthetics, climate resilience, and enduring fire protection. “We are proud to join forces with Tantimber, a manufacturer that not only shares our passion for wood as a material, but also our belief that sustainability and technical performance must go hand in hand,” Woodsafe CEO Thomas Bengtsson said. “The collaboration with Tantimber opens new market opportunities for Woodsafe in a region where we have previously had limited presence. “Through Tantimber’s established network and market reach, we can now offer our fire-retardant wood solutions to projects and stakeholders across Europe and will have a deeper impact to the Middle East and nearby markets, where demand for sustainable and safe timber construction is on the rise.” Woodsafe Timber Protection is a manufacturer working exclusively with the industrial fire-retardant treatment of solid wood and plywood. Tantimber uses eco-friendly production methods to create wood products that can resist extreme climates and physical stress.

Scientists have discovered the oldest ancestor for all Australian tree frogs, with distant links to the tree frogs of South America. Newly discovered evidence of Australia’s earliest species of tree frog challenges what we know about when Australian and South American frogs parted ways on the evolutionary tree. Source: Timberbiz Previously, scientists believed Australian and South American tree frogs separated from each other about 33 million years ago. But in a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, palaeontologists from UNSW Sydney say the new species, Litoria tylerantiqua, is now at about 55 million years old, the earliest known member of the pelodryadid family of Australian tree frogs. The study is based on fossils unearthed from Murgon on the traditional lands of the Waka Waka people of south-eastern Queensland. The new species, Litoria tylerantiqua, is named in honour of the late Michael Tyler, a renowned Australian herpetologist globally celebrated for his research on frogs and toads. “It is only fitting to name Australia’s earliest tree frog in honour of a man who was a giant in Australian frog research and in particular the first to explore the fossil record for Australian frogs,” says study lead author Dr Roy Farman, an adjunct associate lecturer with UNSW School of Biological, Earth & and Environmental Sciences. Around 55 million years ago, Australia, Antarctica and South America were linked together as the last remnants of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. Global climates were warmer during this period, while a forested corridor linked South America and Australia. Up until now, it was thought the earliest Australian tree frogs came from the Late Oligocene (about 26 million years ago) and the Early Miocene (23 million years ago). Fossils of the Late Oligocene were found at Kangaroo Well in the Northern Territory and Etadunna Formation at Lake Palankarinna, South Australia, while the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland revealed tree frogs from the Early Miocene. But the new species extends the fossil record of pelodryadids by approximately 30 million years, to a time potentially close to the divergence of Australian tree frogs from the South American tree frogs. Previous estimates based on molecular clock studies – a method scientists use to figure out when different species split from a common ancestor by looking at the rate of genetic changes over time – suggested that Australian and South American tree frogs separated from each other at about 33 million years ago. “Our research indicates that that date is at least 22 million years too young,” Dr Farman says. “While molecular studies are important for understanding the evolutionary relationships of different groups of animals, these studies should be calibrated using knowledge from the fossil record and in this case the fossil record provides a more accurate time for separation of the southern world’s tree frogs.” To conduct this research, the authors used CT scans of spirit-preserved frogs from Australian museum collections to compare the three-dimensional shape of the fossil bones with those of living species. The technique – called three-dimensional geometric morphometrics – has only been used on fossil frogs once before. Using these new methods, they were able to unravel the relationships of these fossils to all other groups of frogs living and extinct. “We had a real problem at the start of this study because the pelvic bones of most living frogs were invisible inside whole pickled frogs rather than available for study as skeletons,” Dr Farman says. “Museums understandably want to ensure these often unique or rare pickled specimens remain intact for molecular studies because DNA can be obtained from their soft tissues. This meant that instead of skeletonising these specimens, we needed instead to make CT scans of them, enabling us to create 3D models of their otherwise invisible skeletons. “Using these cutting-edge investigative methods, we were able to determine from the shape of the fossil ilia – one of three bones that make up each side of the pelvis – that this new Murgon species of frog is more closely related to the Australian tree frogs (pelodryadids) than the South American tree frogs (phyllomedusids).” Litoria tylerantiqua joins the only other Murgon frog, the ground-dwelling Platyplectrum casca (previously described as Lechriodus casca), as the oldest frogs known from Australia. Both have living relatives in Australia and New Guinea demonstrating remarkable resilience over time. “Despite their delicate nature, frogs have been surprisingly successful at surviving several mass extinction events since their origins about 250 million years ago, including the mass extinction 66 million years ago that took out the non-flying dinosaurs,” Dr Farman says. “Although global extinction events triggered by human activities – such as rapid climate change and the spread of chytrid fungus – may be among the worst challenges frogs have had to face, the fossil record could reveal how some frog groups overcame previous challenges, perhaps by adapting to new, less-threatening habitats. This could provide clues about how we might be able to help by translocating some threatened frogs into more future-secure habitats.” Frogs such as the southern corroboree frog are threatened in their current habitats which have become more hostile due to climate change. The authors say that if the fossil record shows physically similar frogs living in very different habitats, today’s frogs may benefit by being reintroduced into similar environments.  

An increase of 42% in exports of logs, wood, and wood articles for April 2025 when compared with April 2024 as reported by Stats NZ is welcomed by the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of NZ (WPMA). Source: Timberbiz “It is pleasing to see wood products and log exports contributing NZ$481 million towards the NZ$7.8 billion record surplus, an increase of NZ$141 million from a year ago, said WPMA Chief Executive, Mark Ross. “This increase is encouraging for an industry that is doing is tough, but we need this trend to continue as a means of reigniting and growing our domestic wood processing sector.” This rise comes on the back of a national trade surplus driven by primary product exports of NZ$1.4 billion, with New Zealand importing NZ$6.4 billion and exporting $7.8 billion of goods in April 2025. Besides wood products the main export contributors were milk products, red meat and fruit. Stats NZ highlighting that the top growth export markets in the last 12 months included ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, along with Europe and China. When looking at the NZ$141 million increase in wood product exports in more depth the key articles contributing to this increase included wood in the rough, railway sleepers, sawn wood, veneer sheets, densified wood, along with particle board, oriented strand board and fibreboard. “Most of these exports are value-added wood products,” Mr Ross said. “To purposefully grow our industry we need to work together and invest in domestic processing of logs, which then allows for the creation of higher-value products like sawn timber, engineered wood, and other finished goods.” After all a thriving wood processing and forestry industry will create more jobs and economic opportunities in the regions, support our local communities and build economic resilience for New Zealand. More details on the Stats NZ report can be found here.  

Compared with most other countries, Australians consume a large quantity of tissue and tissue products. On some measures, second only to the USA. Source: IndustryEdge In 2023-24, IndustryEdge calculates Australia consumed 335.1 kt of tissue stock – for conversion into toilet paper, facial tissues, hand towels and other tissue products. The 33rd consecutive annual edition of the Pulp & Paper Strategic Reviews provides all the annualised details for the last decade, as well as the most recent year. In the same year, Australia also consumed 112.8 kt of imported ‘ready to sell’ toilet paper and facial tissues, along with hand towel, serviettes and similar products valued at AUD48.2 million, on a free-on-board basis. In total, IndustryEdge calculates total tissue and tissue product consumption was about 470.0 kt in 2023-24. Local production of tissue stock (almost all is converted and used in Australia) is dominated by ABC Tissue, Kimberly-Clark and The Sorbent Paper Company. At different times, all local producers will also import tissue stock and also finished tissue products. In New Zealand, the sole producer is the international business Essity. All the significant local producers have some sales both sides of the Tasman. The chart and table below show the consumption experience for tissue stock, for the last decade. Tissue stock imports dominated by China and Indonesia As the chart shows, tissue stock imports to Australia have long been dominated by mainland China, supported by consistent shipments from Indonesia. Tissue stock imports rose just 0.1% year-ended February Demonstrating stability, over the year-ended February 2025, tissue stock imports to Australia lifted just 0.1% to 108.0 kt. In February, imports totalled 6,801 tonnes, at a weighted average price of AUDFob1,603/tonne. Imports of tissue stock have been deteriorating over the last two years, with January import volumes the lowest in nearly nine years. Stock imports to NSW down 9.1% Tissue stock imports are dominated by three states: NSW, Victoria and WA. Over the year-ended February, imports to NSW fell 9.1%, while those to WA declined 7.5%. The suspicion is that some of these declines may be linked to increased imports of fully converted products. Manufacturing is centred in the most populous states – NSW, Victoria and Queensland. WA has converting capability to avoid excessive freight costs. It is notable that the weighted average price is operating toward the bottom of its medium-term range.   Pre-converted toilet paper imports at record levels – that is a sovereign manufacturing capacity issue! While the tissue stock consumption and trade data is important and useful, the really big story is the rapid growth in Australia’s imports of fully pre-converted tissue imports, especially toilet paper. When the nation thinks about sovereign capacity and security, we consider building products, a range of materials and of course defence. Perhaps its time to take a deeper understanding of sovereign manufacturing capability, because when we drill into details like toilet paper, we can observe that nearly ALL the additional consumption of toilet paper driven by a growing population, is being supplied by imports. Over the year-ended February 2025, Australia’s imports of pre-converted toilet paper totalled 72,900 tonnes, marginally below the record set the prior month. Imports have increased a very strong 31.8% over the year, with Indonesia tripling its imports to Australia, supported by market leader China and New Zealand, both of which recorded strong increases. Imports year-ended February 2025 were valued at AUD164.6 million on a free-on-board basis over the full year, just AUD0.2 million lower than the annualised record set the prior month. The value of converted toilet paper imports has risen 24.8% compared to the prior year and has tripled over the last five years. For more information visit: www.industryedge.com.au

Nominations for the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award 2025 are open. Established in 2015, the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award is a perpetual tribute to the enduring legacy of the late Richard Stanton, renowned for his pioneering contributions to Sustainable Forest Management in Australia and internationally. Source: Timberbiz This esteemed award recognises individuals who have made significant strides in Forest Management or Chain of Custody Certification within the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme. In 2024, with the support of the late Richard Stanton’s widow, Sonya Stanton, the award extended its eligibility to early-career professionals in forestry, environmental science, wood technologies, and design, as well as university students pursuing relevant studies, including those completing post-graduate degrees. The award recognises the multifaceted approach to sustainable forest management, emphasising environmental, social, cultural, and economic aspects, along with innovation in the use of forest products. Open to all individuals contributing to Sustainable Forest Management under AS/NZS 4708 or Chain of Custody under AS 4707 or PEFC ST 2002, the award welcomes participants from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to: Certified Forest Owners and Managers Chain of Custody Certificate Holders Certification Bodies Forest Scientists and Researchers Builders and Designers advocating for sustainable timber utilisation. Responsible Wood encourages indigenous Australian nominations for this award as it strives to recognise and celebrate Australia’s diverse talents and contributions to forestry and land management. Candidates must be nominated, with nominations accepted from Responsible Wood members, certificate holders, stakeholders, lecturers, or senior leaders within academic institutions. Candidates should be nominated based on their exemplary achievements in the following areas: Significant and valuable contributions to sustainability. Innovation, improvement, or excellence in sustainable forest management or the fabrication, supply, or utilisation of certified forest products. Strong commitment to the principles of sustainable forest management. Innovation and improvement in promoting Responsible Wood and/or PEFC-certified products. A Judging Panel will evaluate nominations, and their decision will be final. Each nomination will be ranked from 1 to 5 based on the following criteria: Contributions to the Principles of Sustainable Forest Management Promotion of Responsible Wood and/or PEFC-certified Forests and Forest Products Focus on Innovation and Leadership in the candidate’s sector Impact on the Development of the Responsible Wood Scheme Social contributions to promoting forest products, forest health and productivity, biodiversity, and/or indigenous forest values. The Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award includes a bursary of $2,000 to support the recipient’s continued professional development. This fund can be utilised for conference fees, related travel expenses, training courses, or any other activities aimed at skill enhancement or professional experience enrichment. Nominations should be submitted in written form, not exceeding 800 words, outlining the candidate’s demonstrated excellence in the Areas of Excellence and providing any other pertinent information and emailed to info@responsiblewood.org.au Nominations close at 5:00 pm on June 30th, 2025. Judging will take place in July 2025 with the nominees and the winner notified by early August.