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AKD is committed to modernising its Tumut timber mill in the NSW Snowy Mountains by investing in new technology to improve productivity and maximise timber recovery from smaller diameter sawlogs. Source: Timberbiz As part of a recent Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) visit to the innovative sawmill, AKD showcased its new Horizontal Shaping Saw (HSS), an advanced saw line designed to process small and medium sawlogs more efficiently while delivering higher yields and more consistent throughput. The investment comes as the large-scale timber business continues to respond to the long-term impacts of the devastating 2020 bushfires, which affected a significant portion of the plantation estate that traditionally supplied the mill. With timber volumes expected to remain low while plantations regenerate, Australian-owned AKD is focused on improving reliability, lifting drying capability and strengthening infeed and sorting systems to ensure the operation remains internationally competitive. Over the past decade, the Tumut mill has processed an average of around 525,000 cubic metres of sawlogs annually, producing structural timber and value-added products used on building and construction sites across NSW. The changing supply environment has also created opportunities to source timber from outside traditional harvesting regions, with AKD using the broader Tumut-Gilmore network to maintain customer supply and adapt product lines to available fibre resources. AKD’s Gilmore facility, located about 10km from Tumut, has played an important role in supporting distribution and value-adding activities, helping AKD to continue servicing major retail demand while the main Tumut operation adapts to post-fire market conditions. Importantly, the Tumut mill remains a major employer in the region, directly employing around 160 permanent skilled workers, alongside contractors supporting maintenance, specialist projects and mill operations. “Our people are our lifeblood, and we have generations of staff who worked with us over many decades – it’s a real family-based company,” said Tumut Site Manager Rab Green. Across Australia, AKD employs more than 1100 workers as part of its integrated forestry and timber processing operations in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. AKD says maintaining sustainable regional employment is a priority, with ongoing in-vestment in training, apprenticeships and workforce development helping secure long-term career opportunities in timber manufacturing. The company has also focused on improving day-to-day operations through safer work practices, reduced manual handling, stronger quality control processes and improved operational reliability to minimise costly disruptions. Beyond the mill gates, AKD continues to support the wider regional community through local sporting sponsorships, school and training partnerships, emergency services support, local procurement and bushfire recovery initiatives. Some of these programs include sponsoring the Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) mentoring program for young people, Tumut Basketball Association, local primary school netball uniform purchases and a local RFS donation for protective safety curtains. The company says strong community involvement remains an important part of building a long-term future for the forestry industry in a region that continues to recover and re-build following major fire seasons. AKD also encourages its teams to participate and proudly represent AKD in community activities and local events.

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The South Australian state government has invested a further $2.25 million into the Bedford Group’s Mount Gambier/Berrin timber mill site following its visit for the Country Cabinet. Source: The Border Watch The investment comes after Bedford faced risk of collapse before the state government took matters into its own hands. With an initial investment of $40 million to save the organisation, Bedford was then sold to The Disability Trust earlier this year. South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas spoke during the event at the Bedford Timber Mill in Mount Gambier/Berrin to celebrate the organisation’s continued partnership with the state government and The Disability Trust. “Bedford in a broad sense has probably impacted people’s lives in South Australia al-most as much as any other organisation I can think of,” Mr Malinauskas said. “At the heart of the work you do here, it is about providing everybody with the opportunity to enjoy and experience the dignity of work. “Too often we take for granted the power of this dignity, people often think about jobs, and they look at it through the context of economics or wages or being able to provide for a standard of living which is critical, but it sometimes overlooks where the real power of people utilising your labour lives. “The real power is the dignity it gives people and a sense of purpose and fellowship and every time I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to a Bedford facility and see this in person.” Mr Malinauskas said despite Bedford leaning more towards a federal government responsibility, it was “the right thing to do” to provide assistance during the organisation’s time of need. “I have seen the incredible joy that the friendships formed in organisations like this give people not just while they are at work, but while they are out of it too,” he said. “This is why when Bedford was at risk not too long ago, we as a government decided to step in and do something about it even if it isn’t something the state governments normally do with this kind of organisation because it’s principally a federal government responsibility.” “I will be honest with you; we are entering into this agreement but there still is a bit of an issue associated with the work being done in Mount Gambier and it requires another bit of effort in conjunction with The Disability Trust to see if we can’t solve this problem.” Mr Malinauskas said the work done with the Department of Human Services and the government prompted a further investment from the state government into the partnership with the Disability Trust and Bedford to ensure the Mount Gambier/Berrin facility lasted for the long term. “There are always decisions to be made in government and the choices about where to put your resources that will sometimes be controversial, but this is not one of them, it is a no brainer,” he said. “It gives us great confidence that this is going to be an enduring enterprise providing all the opportunities we believe in so much for the long term. Mr Malinauskas thanked the workers of the Mount Gambier/Berrin timber mill for their persistence, commitment and personality they provided for the community. “I want to thank the people who work here, you are great South Australians who are a source of inspiration to everybody,” he said. “I say this with the utmost sincerity because I have seen the reaction of the entire South Australian community when Bedford was first at risk. “They drew confidence and hope from you and the work you undertake and I hope you continue to enjoy this.”  

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Public claims that timber harvesting increases bushfire risk are based on narrow and contested evidence, and should not be generalised across Australia’s diverse forests, according to a new evidence review released by Forestry Australia. Source: Timberbiz The review, Contested Evidence About Timber Harvesting and Bushfire Risk in Australian Landscapes, examines claims that timber harvesting increases forest flammability and bushfire risk. It finds that many public claims rely on evidence from one particular forest type and management system – tall wet eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia that have been previously clearfelled and that these findings are often presented as though they apply universally across all Australian forests. Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman said the review was developed to help clarify a complex and often misunderstood area of forest science. “Public discussion about timber harvesting and bushfire risk is often highly contested, and at times, confusing,” Dr Freeman said. “The purpose of this evidence review is to unpack the science. It looks carefully at what the evidence does and does not show, where research findings are contested, and why terminology matters when discussing bushfire risk, fire severity, flammability and fire intensity.” Dr Freeman said the diversity of Australia’s forests meant evidence could not be applied uniformly. “Australia’s forests are highly diverse. Evidence from one forest type, management system or landscape context should not be generalised across the country without careful qualification,” she said. “The review highlights that different forms of forest management can have very different outcomes, and that it is inappropriate to reduce complex forest and fire dynamics to a simple claim that timber harvesting always increases fire risk.” The review also highlights the importance of using fire terminology accurately. “Terms such as fire risk, fire severity, fire intensity and flammability have different meanings,” Dr Freeman said. “When these terms are used interchangeably, public under-standing suffers. Sound policy depends on precise language and careful interpretation of evidence.” The review notes that landscape-scale analyses of major bushfires, including the 2019-20 bushfires, have found that extreme fire weather and topography are dominant drivers of fire severity, while timber harvesting, stand age and land tenure have comparatively minor effects at landscape scales. It also notes that while young regrowth forests may experience higher site-level fire severity under some conditions, large areas of mature and old growth forests, including forests in conservation reserves where timber harvesting is excluded, have also burnt at high severity. Dr Freeman said Forestry Australia hoped the review would support a more informed and constructive public conversation. “Forestry Australia represents a large cohort of professionals with deep scientific and practical expertise in Australian forests,” Dr Freeman said. “Our role is not to prosecute simplistic arguments. Our role is to support evidence-based discussion, grounded in forest science, so that policy makers, media and the broader community can better understand what the research is actually saying. “Forests are central to some of the most important challenges facing Australia, including climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, bushfire resilience, regional livelihoods and sustainable resource use,” she said. “These issues deserve careful, evidence-based discussion. We encourage journalists, policy makers, community leaders and all those engaged in forest debates to read the review and consider the full body of evidence.” Download the review https://www.forestry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Evidence-Review-Contested-Evidence-Timber-Harvesting-Bushfire-Risk.pdf

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