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Komatsu Forest recently hosted a demonstration of the new Komatsu 895 Firefighter, a forwarder equipped with the RL21 firefighting kit, developed by Rodwell Logging of Bombala, NSW. Source: Timberbiz The event, held at the HVP headquarters in Rennick, Victoria, drew strong interest from across the local forestry and fire management sectors, with nearly 50 attendees present. The demonstration began with a general introduction, followed by a key presentation from Peter Rodwell, the principal designer of the RL21. Mr Rodwell provided an insightful overview of the development, design, and practical application of the RL21 system, drawing on Rodwell Logging’s firsthand experience using the equipment in wildfire response. A standout feature of the RL21 is its quick-mount design, which allows it to be easily installed or removed from a standard Komatsu 895 forwarder. This flexibility enables the machine to be quickly converted between fire response and conventional forwarding operations. The RL21 is equipped with a custom-designed 20,000-litre water tank integrated into the forwarder’s log bunk. A high-pressure pump powers dual water cannons mounted on either side of the headgate, capable of delivering up to 450 litres per minute with a range of up to 40 metres. For added safety, a 3,000-litre emergency reserve tank can be activated from the cabin to douse the engine and cab, giving the operator a critical window to retreat from danger if required. Following the presentation, the machine was started up by Steve Witherow MD of Tabeel Trading and driven along a fire break near the HVP facility, where the water cannons were demonstrated in various configurations. Afterwards, the machine was parked and its access panels opened, giving attendees the chance to inspect the inner workings and system components up close. Garry Kennedy from Kennedy Trailers was on hand to answer any queries on the RL21 water tank fabrication process. The demonstration was well received by the diverse audience, which included forest owners and managers, fire department personnel, and resource management professionals from companies such as HVP, OneFortyOne, PF Olsen, AKD, CFA Victoria and Green Triangle Fire Alliance. Brett Jones, Managing Director of Komatsu Forest, took a very keen interest in the RL21’s development by visiting Rodwell’s to inspect the prototype, and finalised a marketing agreement with Rodwell Logging in late 2024. Since then, momentum has accelerated. Komatsu Forest delivered its first RL21 Fire Tanker in December 2024, and a second unit on a Komatsu 895.3 Speed Shift was delivered in June this year. Komatsu Forest currently has a third RL21 in stock with two more units in production for future sales. “The RL21 Fire Tanker will be a game changer in Australia for fire prevention and fire management,” Mr Jones said. “The key is the machine’s versatility to access a fire at ground level, which has not been possible with conventional road vehicles.” Rodwell Logging’s innovation highlights the vital role of local expertise in addressing complex environmental challenges. Their commitment to community safety, practical engineering, and resilience sets a benchmark for bushfire preparedness in Australia.

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The latest Housing Industry Association forecasts show that recent policy announcements will see more than one million new homes commencing construction over the next five years. Source: Timberbiz The HIA recently released its quarterly Housing and Economic Outlook Report, covering forecasts for residential building activity across Australia. This HIA Outlook has revised the forecast for the number of new homes to commence construction in the five years to June 2029 from 986,000 to 1.01 million considering recent policy decisions. “Higher than previously anticipated population growth, and changes to government policy, have resulted in an upgrade to our forecasts for the number of homes that will commence construction over the next five years,” HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said. “Despite the upgrade in the Outlook, policy settings remain too restrictive to achieve the goal of 1.2 million new homes over the next five years. “The decline in the cash rate has seen home building activity pick up, but this improvement is not evenly spread across regions or building types as government policies remain the main determinant of the volume of home building,” he said. “Indications are that Australia’s population growth will remain elevated and exceed 30 million before the end of 2030. This will force up the price of established homes and increasingly see new home construction as a cheaper alternative to purchasing an established home.” Mr Reardon said that changes to government policies were starting to focus on reducing the costs and barriers to new home building and would add further to the supply of new homes. “In this Outlook there is an upgrade to the forecast number of homes to commence construction in New South Wales due to recent changes announced in this year’s state Budget,” he said. “A plan for the government to underwrite apartment sales, the pattern book and fast-tracking approvals will have a tangible uplift in commencements in New South Wales over the next few years. “The announcement by the Australian Government to lower the cost of Lenders Mortgage Insurance (5% deposit) will also see an ongoing increase in first home buyers building a new home. This policy could add as much as 10,000 new homes, per year, to supply. Further reform of macro-prudential restrictions introduced since the GFC also warrant review and could add further to the supply of new homes.” Mr Reardon said that home building activity would flow to those regions with the lower cost of delivering new homes to market. “For this reason, home building activity increased first in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. New South Wales and Victoria remain laggards given the significantly higher cost of land and home supply in those states,” he said. “Upside risks could emerge in other regions if governments remove constraints on new home supply. “Interest rates will remain the most significant cyclical factor affecting new home building volumes. Structural factors such as population flows and policy decisions will determine which regions capitalise on this opportunity.” Forecasts: Detached houses: There were 28,620 detached houses that commenced construction in the March quarter 2025, with a similar 28,240 forecast for the June quarter, working its way back up to 29,470 by the final quarter of 2025. This will produce a 2025 calendar year total of 115,070 detached house starts, 7.2% up on 2024. A steady improvement is expected to continue from here, reaching a 2027 peak of 125,840, before moderating back to 116,370 in 2029 as land constraints become more binding and new multi-units become relatively more affordable. Multi-unit dwellings: There were 19,450 multi-unit dwellings that commenced construction in the March quarter 2025, which is expected to moderate back down to 17,440 in the June quarter and remain relatively steady for the rest of the year. This will produce a 2025 calendar year total of 72,070, up by 17.2% on 2024’s 13-year low. A modest further improvement is expected to 76,570 in 2026, before accelerating towards 96,910 by 2028 and 99,960 in 2029, as rising prices in the established market catalyse the feasibility of new apartment projects.

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The Hyne Group, through its national Hyne Pallets network, has announced its acquisition of Seapal Pallets & Crates located in Kilcoy, South-East Queensland. This marks the sixth pallet manufacturing acquisition in less than two years and the second in Queensland. Source: Timberbiz Hyne Group CEO, Jim Bindon, acknowledged the history of Seapal which has been in operation since 1998 under the current ownership of Trevor Carter. “As we continue to grow our national pallet network, we welcome Seapal, which, like the Hyne Group, has a long history across Queensland and Northern NSW. In addition to standard pallet manufacturing, the business delivers custom solutions to service the unique freighting requirements such as those of large manufacturing businesses. “We see some strong, future synergies with our Express Pallets & Crates business located close by in Narangba. This includes fibre supply, freight, staffing & management, production planning and raw material scale efficiencies.” Mr Bindon said. Seapal has an extensive network of customers across the mining, agriculture, logistics and food sectors, with Peter Hyne recently addressing staff on site and welcoming them to the Hyne Pallets structure. Timber supply for the Seapal business will continue from the co-located sawmill, ownership of which will be retained by Trevor Carter. But this will be complemented by Hyne’s leading Queensland sawmill business at Tuan, one of the largest sawmills in Australia. This supply capability and flexibility, ensures certainty and consistency for all existing and future customers. The Seapal trading name will remain the same and the team will transition across to Hyne Pallets at completion. The acquisition of Seapal Pallets & Crates will finalise on 1 October 2025, subject to all Completion Precedents being met. The Hyne Pallets network now consists of Seapal Pallets & Crates, Kilcoy, QLD; Express Pallets &Crates, Narangba, QLD; Newcastle Pallets, Newcastle, NSW; Rodpak, Melbourne, VIC; Pallet & Bin, Shepparton, VIC and Pinetec, Perth, WA.  

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Heat-stressed Victorian mountain ash forests are thinning fast, turning from carbon sinks to carbon sources, new research reveals. Published in Nature Communications, the research shows forests will lose a quarter of their trees by 2080 due to global warming. Source: Phys Org Mountain ash forests are currently one of Earth’s most effective ecosystems for storing carbon, they store more carbon per hectare than the Amazon. But researchers say these forests will store less carbon in the future as warming causes more trees to die and decompose. Scientists from the Universities of Melbourne and New Hampshire (US) analysed almost 50 years of data from Australian forest monitoring plots. The researchers found that increasing temperatures are thinning mountain ash forests rapidly, threatening their long-term potential to store carbon and slow global warming. Lead researcher, University of Melbourne Dr Raphael Trouve explained that the forests’ natural thinning response to temperature stress means that the ability of large-scale tree-planting initiatives to reduce atmospheric carbon levels may decline over the coming decades. “Australia’s mountain ash forests are one of Earth’s most carbon-dense ecosystems, but our study reveals how climate warming could turn them from carbon sinks into carbon emitters as excess tree deaths and decomposition release stored carbon,” Dr Trouve said. “Data collected in forest studies since 1947 shows that warming is intensifying competition among trees for limited resources, mainly water, and causing around 9% tree loss in mountain ash forests for every degree of warming.” A projected rise of three degrees Celsius by 2080 could reduce tree density in these forests by 24%. Making up for this carbon loss would require establishing hundreds of thousands of hectares of new forests. “As more trees die and decompose, they will emit carbon dioxide, with an impact equivalent to driving a million cars 10,000km per year for 75 years,” Dr Trouve said. “This predicted forest loss does not include the impact of bushfires, which is also increasing. “A growing tree needs space and resources to survive. Under resource-limited conditions, such as water stress, a big tree will outcompete smaller, surrounding trees, causing their deaths.” Dr Trouve said recent research has shown how natural thinning in forests changes streamflow and water yield. “Natural thinning of the mountain ash forests will likely impact Melbourne’s water supply,” he said. “One promising management option is reducing stand density: selectively thinning some trees to give others a better chance of survival. This would accelerate the natural self-thinning process and give the rest of the trees more water, nutrients, and space to grow. “Decades of research around the globe has shown that thinned forests are more resilient to drought, and the trees in them grow faster and survive better during dry periods.” Native to south-eastern Australia, soaring to over 90 meters, the mountain ash or Eucalyptus regnans is one of the tallest tree species in the world. “The trend in natural forest thinning may depend on regional climate as well as tree species,” Dr Trouve said.

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When the Andrews–Allan Government promised timber towns would be looked after through the forestry shutdown, people breathed a sigh of relief. They thought at least the transition would be fair. Instead, it’s turned into one of the most disgraceful stitch-ups regional Victoria has seen. Contractors in towns we all know – Noojee, Heyfield, Orbost, Cann River and Powelltown to name a few, built their lives on Timber Sales Agreements, the contracts that kept families afloat for decades. People bought gear, hired staff, and invested in their towns on the back of them. But when the payouts came, it was a circus. Some got most of what they were owed, while others with the exact same contracts got nothing. No reasons. No consistency. Just bureaucrats hiding behind “discretion” and hoping people would cop it quietly. To make it worse, many were told their contracts had no value at all. That’s rubbish. Those agreements carried businesses for decades. To suddenly declare them worthless isn’t just bad policy — it is cruelty dressed up as governance. Take the case of my friend, a former VicForests contractor (who wishes to remain anonymous due to potential governmental retaliation). He has spent years collecting Alpine Ash seed, the very seed that’s been used to reforest our mountains after harvesting and bushfires. His work has been vital to keeping these forests alive for the next generation. And yet what has the Allan Government offered him? A package so poor it would leave him with nothing for his investment, his skill, and his service to this state. A bloke who helped rebuild the bush is now being hung out to dry by the same government that bragged about reforestation using his seed. That’s not just unfair, it’s shameful. Premier Jacinta Allan should hang her head. Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos is missing in action, more interested in press conferences than people. And the bureaucrats who signed off on this disgrace? They’ve backed in a scheme designed to save the State money by ripping off small family businesses in the bush. This whole “transition” has been a con job. Dan Andrews told people to plan for 2030. Contractors believed him, invested millions, and built their lives on that promise. Then the rug was pulled. Now families are saddled with debt, stranded machinery, and so-called “support packages” that are nothing more than insult payments. Behind all the spin, this is what it means: families facing ruin, workers walking away with scraps, and country towns losing yet another heartbeat. The demands are simple and fair: Publish the criteria for how VicForests contracts were valued. Review the decisions that left people with nothing. Reassess cases where families and workers were misled. And hold Jacinta Allan, Steve Dimopoulos, and their bureaucrats accountable for this betrayal. Because this isn’t just a line in the budget. This is real people, real livelihoods, and real communities. And right now, the government that promised to look after them is the one that’s continually kicking them in the guts. Mick Harrington is a third-generation firewood contractor, former executive officer of Forest and Wood Communities Australia and a Gippslander.

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