25/07/2011: Tasmania just got screwed - MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK
The announcement today of a deal that halves Tasmania's forest industry with no solution to protests in our forests shows what a fraudulent process the Labor/Greens government has conducted over the last year, Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said. “The Coalition said when Mr Kelty was appointed that we feared a political deal and that is just what we have,” Senator Colbeck said.

16/05/2011: Mayors call on SA Treasurer to “immediately suspend forward sale process”
THE three Mayors of South Australia’s Lower South East have formally called on Treasurer Jack Snelling to immediately suspend the forward sale process.

02/05/2011: Building Better Cities - Australia's Density Challenge - Thursday 12th May 2011, Gold Coast Convention Centre
This event will be the premier stage for the active promotion of discussion around the challenge of housing the growing populations of Australia’s capital cities. It is vital to ensure there are plans and strategies in place that allow Australia’s capital cities to meet the new home preferences of Australian households while ensuring an environment where efficient and diverse design and construction practices can prosper and where success in improving new home affordability can be achieved.

24/11/2010: Review will testify Australia has most credible standards for forest industry
KEY STAKEHOLDERS in Australia’s forest and timber industries will be engaged in a two-year revision of the Australian Standards for sustainable forest management and the chain of custody process.

Association News

06/02/2012: Important meeting for ATDG members
The Australasian Timber Drying Group (ATDG) will hold its next meeting at The Downtowner, 66 Lygon Street, Carlton, from 9.30am on 20 February.

06/02/2012: Hoo Hoo Club AGM
Sydney Hoo Hoo Club 215, will hold its annual general meeting at Heritage Profiles, 7 Kerr Road, Ingleburn, from 7pm on 22 February.

07/12/2011: Rate cut sends right message, says HIA
The decision by the Reserve Bank Board to cut interest rates for a second consecutive month sends a positive message to households and businesses says the Housing Industry Association (HIA), the voice of Australia’s residential building industry. “Global uncertainty remains rife and the implications for the Australian economy unclear, so a further interest rate cut was justified,” said HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale.

21/11/2011: Weak Home Building Conditions No Excuse to Ignore Longer-Term Skilled Labour Needs
The latest HIA Trades Report, a survey of the Housing Industry Association’s builder and sub-contractor members, provides new evidence of the continuing weakness in new home building as we head towards the end of 2011. HIA Acting Chief Economist, Andrew Harvey, said that the pressure on the availability of residential building trades had temporarily eased although there remains a structural shortage of skilled labour faced by the housing industry.

25/07/2011: The First Bounce – AFPA’s inaugural policy forum held at MCG
The Inaugural policy forum of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) was held in the Jim Stynes Room of the MCG yesterday, with 60 attendees representing all sectors of the industry, discussing a variety of key policy issues.

09/05/2011: MEDIA RELEASE: TFCA questions rural business definition.
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association welcomes the extension of the Rural Financial Counselling Service for a further term of four years, recently announced by Minister, Joe Ludwig.

16/03/2011: ForestWorks response to South Australian Forest Industry Strategy Directions 2011 – 2015
ForestWorks, the Industry Skills Council for the forest, wood, paper and timber products, wishes to respond to the South Australian Forest Industry Strategy Directions 2011 – 2015 draft for consultation.

09/02/2011: Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association: No breach of Statement of Principles
The rumour that the Tasmanian forest Statement of Principles is being breached through the engagement of new forest contractors appears to be without foundation, TFCA CEO Ed Vincent said today.

02/02/2011: Subdued End to 2010 for House Prices
The ABS index of established house prices grew at a subdued rate in the December quarter 2010 said the Housing Industry Association (HIA), the voice of Australia’s residential building industry.

02/02/2011: Steady Rates the Appropriate Course, says HIA
The Reserve Bank Board today opted for the only sensible course of action and kept the official cash rate on hold, says the Housing Industry Association (HIA), the voice of Australia’s residential building industry.

08/11/2010: NIMBY Greens policy endangers Victorian jobs and tropical rainforests
The peak representative body for the Victorian timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has criticised the Greens for targeting Victoria’s sustainable native forest industry for destruction.

Association News, Events

24/10/2011: AUSTRALIAN FOREST CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
In Accordance with Section 37 of the Association’s Constitution, Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Australian Forest Contractors Association Limited will be held as follows : Time: 5.00 p.m Date: Wednesday 23 November 2011 Venue: BayView Eden Melbourne, 6 Queens Road Melbourne

07/09/2011: HIA takes great pleasure in inviting you to the 2011 HIA Construction Outlook Breakfast Series.
Held over three consecutive mornings in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Construction Outlook is Australia's premier building and construction event. The event brings together the foremost industry experts to provide the most up-to-date outlook for housing and construction as well as insightful analysis into the broader economic and political environment.

Association News, Health & Safety

05/09/2011: Rural Alive and Well - MEDIA ADVISORY
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association welcomes the announcement by Deputy Premier Bryan Green of the first year’s funding of a two year program to support forest workers and their families with a tailored counselling service. “Most contractors will be aware and very appreciative of the excellent counselling service being undertaken by Rural Alive and Well”, TFCA CEO Ed Vincent said.

27/10/2010: Imported structural plywood fails Australian standards: EWPAA
Australia’s peak engineered wood body has alerted Victorian timber traders, specifiers and end-users that an imported structural plywood product on the market has failed Australian standards and has exhibited gross delamination.

Australian Forestry News

06/02/2012: Sandalwood plantations on the rise
TFS Corporation Ltd has entered into a contract to buy another property as it attempts to expand its Sandalwood plantations.

06/02/2012: Online education and training can change the game for wood products industry
Associate Professor Greg Nolan, Director of the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), predicts that online education and training can change the game for the Australian and New Zealand timber and wood products industry.

06/02/2012: Space scientist to speak at timber conference
An internationally renowned, award winning space scientist will be speaking at the AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ conference in Mount Gambier, 29 March 2012.

06/02/2012: Tasmanian Premier taken to task over ‘lack of action’
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has been taken to task for her seeming lack of action over attacks on Ta Ann.

06/02/2012: Forestry saga drags on
By Senator Richard Colbeck When is enough enough? An Interim Conservation Agreement was signed last month between the State and Commonwealth Governments and didn't it produce a commotion!

06/02/2012: Forestry Tasmania would prefer to be developing new value added opportunities
By Bob Gordon Managing Director, Forestry Tasmania I note the Tasmanian Government's decision to release the first stage of the Strategic Review of Forestry Tasmania by consultants URS. Given that the timber industry in Tasmania is in the grip of a crisis, solutions can only be found if clear factual information is made readily available to the Tasmanian community, and it is my sincere hope the release of this report will go some way to achieving that outcome. I will not pretend that I agree completely with every line of the report, but in general terms it provides a useful synopsis of the challenges facing Forestry Tasmania and the wider Tasmanian timber industry.

06/02/2012: Weekend programs teach forest facts to families
Forests NSW has launched a new program of weekend and school holiday activities at Cumberland State Forest at West Pennant Hills to encourage people to learn more about forests. Activities will be run in school holidays and every Sunday morning.

01/02/2012: Softwood joint venture sale approved
On a more positive note, we are pleased to advise that the sale of the softwood joint venture plantations was finalised today. The Deputy Premier Bryan Green and Forestry Tasmania's chairman Adrian Kloeden announced back in early December that Taswood Growers had reached agreement to sell rights to the plantation estate to Sydney based firm New Forests for $156m. The sale process, which included Foreign Investment Review Board approval, was finalised today, and our share of the proceeds will be used to retire debt.

01/02/2012: Mill staff stood down
McKay's Timber, the largest family-owned sawmill in Tasmania’s south, has stood down 30 of its workers - about a third its staff.

01/02/2012: Banks give Gunns respite
THE ANZ Bank and nine other banks have extended Gunns Limited's $340 million senior debt and $200 million working capital facility until December 31, 2012, according to Nick Clark writing in The Mercury.

01/02/2012: Illegal logging information sessions
The Australian Government will be holding public information sessions around the country to inform industry and other interested parties on the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 that was introduced into Parliament on 23 November 2011.

01/02/2012: Victorian Native Hardwood Residual Timber - Request for Proposals
VicForests is seeking markets for approximately 837,000 tonnes per annum of residual log material, available from Victoria's commercial native forest estate.

01/02/2012: The Native Forest Biomass for Bio-energy Forum
Timber Communities Australia has issued an invitation to attend the ‘Native forest biomass for bio-energy forum; social, environmental and economic considerations’ on 7 March.

01/02/2012: Forestry Tasmania comes out fighting
Forestry Tasmania has come out swinging in the latest round of the fight with anti-forestry activists. FT managing director Bob Gordon landed some heavy blows when he released a report entitled Forest management in Tasmania - the Truth.

01/02/2012: US bid for ForestrySA
The Future Fund is helping to finance a move by United States timber investment manager The Campbell Group in a A$600 million offer for South Australian forestry assets.

25/01/2012: Tasmania’s sham forest deal should be torn up, says Senator
“THE CURRENT debate over who should be doing what, if anything, in 430,000ha of possible High Conservation Value Tasmanian forest actually highlights a much more serious issue with the Tasmanian forests agreements– it’s a sham deal and it should be torn up,” says Coalition Forestry Spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck.

25/01/2012: New light on the opportunities for precision forestry
The AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ conference ‘Precision Forestry in action’ intends to be hard hitting and controversial, casting new light on the opportunities for precision forestry in action.

25/01/2012: Scholarships & Prizes – applications still open
FWPA has three Scholarships and Prizes that remain open for application until 31 January 2012.

25/01/2012: Wood chip exports from Latin America reached a record high in 2011
Wood chip exports from Latin America are on track to reach a record high of almost eight million tons in 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.

23/01/2012: Scientists help tackle forest pests with genomics
SIMON FRASER University Beedie School of Business professor Jeremy Hall is leading the social science research component in a new project dedicated to significantly reducing forest pests in Canada, and ultimately globally.

23/01/2012: Winning by cooperation
THE MOST important international meeting of the forestry sector in 2012 is calling for Australian and Kiwi forest industry people to get involved.

23/01/2012: Further land acquisitions
TFS Corporation has entered into a contract to purchase the farming property known as “Midway Station” in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory for $4,450,000.

23/01/2012: Put yourself in the driver’s seat
LITA TRAINING has committed to a number of exciting career development opportunities at AUSTimber 2012.

23/01/2012: The latest in forestry and logging on show
FOREXPO, THE European forestry and logging show, will take place at the heart of the largest European reforestation project, Mimizan, in the Landes, from 6 - 8 June 2012.

18/01/2012: World’s largest sandalwood plantation established in Western Australia
PERTH-BASED company WA Sandalwood Plantations has established what is believed to be the world’s largest single sandalwood plantation east of Perth in the State’s central wheatbelt. With site preparation work completed in April, more than five million trees have been planted on 2200 hectares.

18/01/2012: The CFA Young Forester Award
The Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA) has launched the Young Forester Award 2012.

18/01/2012: Parlay with Marlay
Just prior to Christmas, David Marlay completed a long and successful career with Hyne - for the last several years as General Manager, Marketing . Does that mean he's going to go fishing for ever? Oh no! With many good memories of his experiences and of the special friends made in the timber industry over the past 35 years, it may come as no surprise that he's not hanging out the ‘retired‘ shingle just yet. Source: TPAA

18/01/2012: Chips become new income-generating source
IN THE tapioca business, Sang Thai Bangpakong is second to none in terms of sales, volume and its more than four decades of service and it uses the same facilities to process and export wood chips. Source: Timberbiz

16/01/2012: Industry supply must continue following Conservation Agreement
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) says the signing of the Conservation Agreement between the Federal and Tasmanian State Governments today was a step forward, but reiterated the importance that the supply of logs to industry be guaranteed.

16/01/2012: MILESTONE IN TASMANIAN FORESTRY AGREEMENT
The signing of an interim Conservation Agreement is another major milestone for the Tasmanian Forests Agreement that will provide certainty to industry while protecting high conservation value forests, the Minister for Energy and Resources, Bryan Green said.

16/01/2012: FWPA Scholarship applications closing 31 January 2012.
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is offering a number of opportunities to students to support their studies in the forest and wood products sector in 2012. These programs have been developed as part of FWPA’s commitment to building skills capacity to promote careers in the forest and wood products industry.

11/01/2012: Help us keep you safe in State forests
With warm temperatures and fire conditions starting to pick up again across south-east NSW, Forests NSW is reminding visitors and the local community to take care in State forests. Source: Timberbiz

11/01/2012: Winning by cooperation
THE MOST important international meeting of the forestry sector in 2012 is calling for Australian and Kiwi forest industry people to get involved.

12/12/2011: New Forests to acquire 46,000 hectare softwood plantation estate in Tasmania
THE AUSTRALIA New Zealand Forest Fund, a forestry investment fund managed by Sydney-based New Forests Pty Limited, has agreed to acquire a 46,000 hectare (114,000 acre) softwood plantation forestry estate located in the north of Tasmania. The forestry estate will be acquired from a joint venture between Forestry Tasmania and a global timber investment manager for a total purchase price of $156 million. New Forests has lodged an application with the Foreign Investment Review Board, and the transaction is scheduled to complete in January 2012.

07/12/2011: Time to stand up for Australia’s forestry industries
“There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and demonstrate support for Australia’s forestry industries,” said Senator Richard Colbeck when he launched an online petition - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supporting_australian_forest_industries/ - to highlight the valuable contribution made by Australia’s forestry industries. “A catalyst for this petition has been the ongoing saga in Tasmania, where campaigns of misinformation and industrial vandalism continue to unfairly slander a viable and respectable industry.

05/12/2011: Can the real Labor wood waste policy please stand up?
Federal Labor must decide where it stands on the use of native wood waste as a renewable energy source, according to Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck. “Labor has sent utterly contradictory messages to industry. In the same week Labor MPs chaired and endorsed a parliamentary report recommending use of native wood waste as a qualifying renewable energy source, Labor tabled draft amendments to the Renewable Energy regulations that would rule out native forest residues,” Senator Colbeck said.

30/11/2011: Over $150,000 now available through FWPA Scholarships program
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is offering a number of opportunities to students to support their studies in the forest and wood products sector in 2012. These programs have been developed as part of FWPA’s commitment to building skills capacity to promote careers in the forest and wood products industry. Managing Director, Ric Sinclair says “It is critical that our industry continues to attract and retain our workforce to ensure we have the capacity to meet future demand. FWPA believe supporting education and ongoing skills development will help us do this”.

30/11/2011: In memory of Fred Green of Greenfreight Transport
Fred Green, who would have been known to many people in the forestry and timber industry through his association with the Greenfreight transport company, passed away on 18 November. Fred, one of many distinguished members of the Australian Contractors Hall of Fame, had a long and successful association with the industry having started the business in Myrtleford in 1960 when he took over the distribution of Mobil oil products for the area.

30/11/2011: Forestry Tasmania integral to timber industry’s future
The Minister for Energy and Resources Bryan Green believes Forestry Tasmania is an important part of the State’s timber industry and a strategic review of the business will help ensure it adapts to future challenges. “Forestry Tasmania has not been immune to the affects of changes in global markets and the review is examining the future structures, governance and business models under which it operates,” Green said.

30/11/2011: MDBA Plan unfairly targets plantation forestry
The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) proposed plan for the Basin unfairly targets plantation forestry, threatening a vital rural and regional industry, according to the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA). AFPA Chief Executive David Pollard said the plantation industry was willing to pull its weight in water reform, but not while activities that are potentially high water interceptors are not to be assessed at all.

28/11/2011: ForestrySA works plan curbs vandalism at Hell’s Hole
A year-long works program has allowed ForestrySA to put a stop to ongoing vandalism occurring at the popular tourist attraction ‘Hell’s Hole’, in the Green Triangle. Long a target of vandals, Hell’s Hole is located within ForestrySA’s Mount Gambier Forest district, just 17km South of Mount Gambier.

28/11/2011: World’s largest sandalwood plantation established in Western Australia
With global demand for sandalwood products continuing to strengthen, Perth-based company WA Sandalwood Plantations has established what is believed to be the world’s largest single sandalwood plantation, located east of Perth in the State’s central wheatbelt. With site preparation work completed in April, more than 5 million trees were planted over recent months on 2200 hectares.

28/11/2011: Let’s curb illegal logging but not at the expense of local industry
Australia’s peak forest industry body, the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), supports measures to curb the importation of illegally logged forest products to Australia, but says it is important that such measures do not impose unnecessary and costly regulation on the domestic industry.

23/11/2011: Davids Timber launches their innovative LOSP treatment plant
On Friday 18th November, Davids Timber, Victoria’s leading outdoor timber wholesalers, launched their new Light Organic Solvent Preservative (LOSP) treatment plant at their factory in South Dandenong. MC’d by Tony Wilson, of Race Around the World fame, and launched by the Hon. Louise Asher, Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, the event highlighted Davids Timber’s ongoing commitment to both the continued improvement of their product and to the timber manufacturing industry in Australia.

21/11/2011: Special timbers sector endangered by Tas Forestry IGA - Media release from Senator Richard Colbeck
Stakeholders of Tasmania’s valuable special timbers sector who are unhappy with the industry-destroying Tasmanian forestry Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) have the backing of the Federal Coalition. Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said concerns raised by furniture designer and craftsman George Harris and wooden boat builder Andrew Denman on ABC Tasmania’s Country Hour program yesterday were most legitimate and warranted immediate attention. “I raised concern about special timbers resource restriction back in August and it is alarming to now hear stakeholders talk about the demise of this high value sector."

16/11/2011: NEWS RELEASE - EOI ON FOREST FORWARD ROTATIONS NOW UNDER WAY
The first stage for the sale of up to three forest rotations in the state’s South-East is now under way. Treasurer Jack Snelling has announced the process has now begun with the Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) open to the market. “This is the start of the competitive tender process for the sale of forward rotations of the Green Triangle plantation estate,” Mr Snelling said.

26/10/2011: FSC CERTIFICATION ACHIEVED BY FOREST MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Forest management company SFM Forest Products (SFM) today announced it has gained certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for forest management. The certification is based on a unique group scheme that enables eligible landowners the opportunity to gain FSC certification over their forests.

24/10/2011: Grant applications are now open for the 2012 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
If you’re 18-35, this is your chance to apply for up to $22,000 to fund your project on an innovative or emerging scientific issue to benefit Australia’s primary industries. The Awards aim to encourage science, innovation and technology in rural industries and help to advance the careers of young scientists through national recognition of their research ideas. Project recipients can undertake groundbreaking research and innovation with the objective of keeping Australia’s rural industries sustainable and profitable.

19/10/2011: Myrtle rust sightings heat up with hot weather
Biosecurity Queensland is preparing for a rise in myrtle rust infections in Queensland with warmer days and wet weather on the way. Director of the Myrtle Rust Program, Mike Ashton said myrtle rust was likely to flourish in the Queensland summer conditions.

12/10/2011: VicForests celebrates ‘Women in Forestry’
More than 20 staff recently attended VicForests’ inaugural ‘Women in Forestry’ professional development event held in Traralgon.

12/10/2011: Misguided Protests Target Harvey Norman
ACTIVISTS ‘The Last Stand’ have targeted stockists of Australian made timber furniture, Harvey Norman, over the weekend by unfurling a banner on one of the sails of the Opera House in Sydney.

12/10/2011: Precision Forestry in Advance symposium
A symposium titled "Precision Forestry in Advance" is scheduled on 27 and 28 March 2012 immediately preceding the AUSTimber 2012 Conference in Mount Gambier, SA.

12/10/2011: AUSTimber 2012 Expo Site Bookings
WITH just under six months before AUSTimber 2012, there has been strong interest in the expo, with over 60 sites sold to date.

12/10/2011: Forests NSW visits Victorian forests
STAFF from VicForests and Forests NSW have taken part in a workshop discussing the processes used to develop timber harvesting plans in Victoria’s State forests.

12/10/2011: Report shows Victoria’s unique native forestry industry cannot be replaced by plantation resources
ANY ATTEMPT to reduce native forestry in Victoria would threaten $150 million in East Gippsland economic activity and endanger thousands of jobs. This is the dire warning from the Victorian Association of Forest Industries.

12/10/2011: Farm forestry research seminar
GROWING Healthy Forests, Farm Forestry Research Seminar, the DPI’s sixth seminar in its farm forestry research series will be held at DPI Attwood, 475 Mickleham Road, on 28 October.

12/10/2011: Bermagui timber harvest ends
THE timber harvest in the latest two spotted gum compartments of Bermagui State Forest has been completed.

12/10/2011: Projected forest changes outlined in report
REDUCED rainfall and increased temperatures expected to occur by 2030 and 2050 would affect the growth rates of most commercial forest species, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.

05/09/2011: Outrage as Government takes axe to Forestry CRC - AFPA Media Release 2 September 2011
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has deplored the Federal Government’s recent decision to cut support for the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry when the industry was at a crossroads. AFPA Chief Executive Officer David Pollard said the work of the CRC for Forestry was crucial given the current debate around the future makeup of the industry and climate change. “The Australian forest industry has faced a challenging period as the debate over the future supply of wood from native forests and plantations is carried out,” he said.

22/08/2011: North Queensland residents on call after myrtle rust detection
Biosecurity Queensland is urging North Queensland residents to be on the lookout for myrtle rust, a serious plant disease, after it was found in nurseries in Cairns and Townsville. Biosecurity Queensland Director (Myrtle rust) Mike Ashton said this was only the second time myrtle rust had been found outside of South East Queensland since it was first detected in Brisbane in December last year.

08/08/2011: ANTI-JOBS AGREEMENT IS A SELL OUT OF THE FOREST INDUSTRY - Forest Industries Association of Tasmania
The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) announced today by the Prime Minister and the Tasmanian Premier will remove all vestiges of security for forest industry workers and is little more that a cynical sell-out of Tasmanian workers to appease Nick McKim and Bob Brown. The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania said "this sham agreement bears no resemblance to any agreement we have reached with ENGOs nor does it reflect the Heads of Agreement reached two weeks ago between the two Governments".

08/08/2011: Tasmanian Forest contractors welcome the Intergovernmental Agreement on Tasmanian Forestry
Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association (TFCA) CEO Ed Vincent welcomed today’s signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Tasmanian forest industry. The agreement provides for up to $86 million for contractor and employee exit assistance and employment, retraining and re-location programs for redundant forestry workers.

08/08/2011: Gross act of economic vandalism - SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK, Senator for Tasmania, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
Today the Prime Minister has further undermined the Labor government’s economic credentials by cutting the $1.4 billion a year Tasmanian Forestry industry in half, and for what?. A paltry $7 million per year for 15 years for the loss of $700 million per year of economic activity. Coalition forestry spokesman, Senator Colbeck asked who in their right mind would propose a deal like this, and more importantly who would accept it? “A few weeks ago Prime Minister Gillard was telling us of an historic opportunity to bring "peace to our forests" even today she talks of "moving forward" after 30 years of bitter conflict yet we already know that is a cruel lie”, Senator Colbeck said.

03/08/2011: A new definition for renewable?
The Gillard Government’s opposition to using timber by-products as a source of energy is irrational and prejudiced, Coalition forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said.

27/07/2011: Illegal logging
Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) met with officers of the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) last week to discuss latest developments regarding the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011.

27/07/2011: Australian Forest Products Association announces inaugural CEO
The Chair of Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Linda Sewell, today announced the appointment of David Pollard as the organisation’s inaugural CEO.

27/07/2011: Plantation investment challenge continues
The Australian forest and wood products industry continues to grapple with the challenge of creating additional plantation investment mechanisms or structures to enable substantial and sustainable investment in timber plantations, especially long-rotation plantations.

25/07/2011: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
The plantation ownership in Australia is in transition after the Management Investment Scheme (MIS) collapsed in 2009, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Foreign pension funds and pulp companies have shown increased interest in acquiring timber assets as forest plantations owners have gone into receivership.

18/07/2011: Can you help contact these people?
Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) manager David Drane is keen to contact a number of South Australian forestry industry workers in the hope that they may be included in the AFCA Hall of Fame. “I would like people to contact me so that I can send them a nomination form and get their details which will hopefully lead to their recognition and induction.” David can be contacted on 0413 997 257 or by email at david.d@australis.com.au

13/07/2011: Delivering factual information on Australian forests to national schools
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is pleased to launch Forestlearning.edu.au, a dedicated portal for forests and wood products teaching and learning resources for primary and secondary school teachers. This new website aims to provide easy access for forests and wood products educational information that is linked to the Australian curriculum and is part of FWPA’s education investment plan.

29/06/2011: TFS appoints two new independent directors
TFS Corporation Executive Chairman, Frank Wilson, today announced the appointment of two new independent directors. Company director, lawyer, and former diplomat and politician, the Honourable Richard Alston and Australian cricketing great, Adam Gilchrist will be joining the TFS board. Both have extensive international experience.

29/06/2011: Forests NSW plants more than 4 million seedlings across South West Slopes
Forests NSW is busy planting more than four million pine seedlings across the South West Slopes region of NSW in areas previously planted to pine around Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba.

29/06/2011: Government should end speculation on contractors
The Gillard Government should put an unequivocal end to speculation that it has a plan to force trade contractors into the Fair Work system, according to the Housing Industry Association. Mr Shane Goodwin, HIA‟s Managing Director said.

29/06/2011: Green light for log truck safety initiative
Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, today launched a new 1800 LOGHAUL number that will drive improvements in log truck driver safety and behaviour.

27/06/2011: 25 June 2011 Media Release - Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck - Forestry deal to wipe $800 million per year from Tasmania’s economy
Forestry deal to wipe $800 million per year from Tasmania’s economy The Gillard Government needs to take a very close look at the economic impact of the agreement released this week by the Tasmanian forest talks negotiator. “The impact of this agreement is to effectively halve the size of Tasmania’s forestry industry and this will have consequences for more than just sawmills and contractors,” Coalition Forestry spokesman Richard Colbeck said.

01/06/2011: Forest Industries festival features timber building innovation
FOREST INDUSTRIES 2011, as the centrepiece of the national Winning With Wood innovation showcase, will stage a three-day “festival of wood” in the lead-up to Rugby World Cup. FI2011 will include a special industry conference focusing on innovative products, designs and new developments for timber building.

01/06/2011: New wood database online and TVC - two exciting initiatives from FWPA
Communicating information about designing and building with wood and the environmental benefits of wood are part of Forest and Wood Products Australia’s (FWPA) long term strategy to increase the use of wood in the built environment.

18/05/2011: SA Water Bureaucrats Axe forestry industry
Australia‟s peak forest industry body, AFPA, has such serious concerns with the South Australian Department of Water that it is calling for a major review of the department. As the Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan is developed and Legislation is tabled in Parliament, the industry has identified a range of simple but serious errors in information put forward by the Department of Water consultation documents.

16/05/2011: Collaborative effort leads to launch of Sawmill Safety Guide
MINISTER for Education and Industrial Relations Cameron Dick will launch the “Sawmilling Industry Health & Safety Guide 2011” on 18 May at Cut the Cost & Lift the Load, a seminar on workplace health, safety and workers’ compensation for the timber industry.

16/05/2011: New industry organization seeking a chief executive
AUSTRALIA’S newest and all-encompassing forestry and forestry products organization is advertising for a chief executive.

16/05/2011: Schools take delivery of free trees
GENERATIONS of school children in Bellingen and Coffs Harbour will have lasting reminders of the 2011 International Year of Forests.

16/05/2011: Forests NSW officers on study exchange
TWO young Forests NSW officers have been selected to be part of a Rotary group study exchange to Alberta, Canada, this month. They are forest information officer Katie Cohen and operations forester Mark Drury, both from the Wauchope office of Forests NSW.

16/05/2011: Expert to examine Tasmania’s future forestry
AN independent forestry expert has been appointed to oversee assessment of future forestry resource availability and industry requirements in Tasmania.

11/05/2011: New group barking up wrong tree
The new activist group ‘Markets for Change’ is barking up the wrong tree in its campaign against Australian grown forest products (Bid to stop sale of native timbers targets retailers page 3, SMH 9 May).

09/05/2011: $17 M TO BOOST JOBS GROWTH IN SA’S SOUTH-EAST
Federal Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr and South Australian Industry Minister Tom Koutsantonis are encouraging South Australian businesses to help boost jobs and innovation in the State's south-east.

04/05/2011: Treasurer says Sell!
Treasurer Jack Snelling announced today that the South Australian Government intends to proceed with the forward sale of three forest rotations in the South‐East after recommendations submitted in a Regional Impact Statement prepared by ACIL Tasman. These recommendations are a total disregard to our community and betrayal of confidence in the consultation process.

02/05/2011: The arrogant swagger of those who think they are above the law
FORESTRY TASMANIA staff were prevented from going to as a group of extremists laid siege to FT Hobart headquarters. It was the latest in a series of protests by the renegade group, Huon Valley Environment Centre, throughout the state.

02/05/2011: Gunns value lost in Triangle sale
A month past the deadline Gunns set itself for an agreement on the sale of forestry land in the Green Triangle on the South Australia-Victoria border, it remains optimistic of finalising the auction by the end of June.

13/04/2011: VicForests’ balance sheet ‘healthy’
VicForests has confirmed to the timber industry that it currently has a “healthy balance sheet” following another attempt by a journalist at The Age to suggest otherwise.

11/04/2011: Farmers uncertain on carbon storing
Research by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry shows many Australian farmers are interested in planting trees for the purpose of carbon sequestration, but won’t invest in this activity until they are confident a stable market with reasonable return is in place.

30/03/2011: Farm forestry and firewood expo
NORTHERN United Forestry Group (NUFG) - a not-for-profit community group with a focus on growing trees for sawlogs and firewood - will host the South Eastern Australia 2011 Farm Forestry and Firewood Expo at the City of Greater Bendigo's 242 hectare Huntly plantation, 15km north of Bendigo on 8 April.

23/03/2011: Single voice for Australia’s forest and paper industry
Australia's two peak forest product industry bodies on Monday night announced they will recommend to their members that the groups merge to form a single industry association for the forest, wood, pulp and paper sectors.

09/03/2011: WORKSHOP: Generating renewable energy from forest residues: Opportunities, challenges and the latest research
As Australia searches for renewable energy sources and alternatives to emission-intensive energy production, there is an ever-growing opportunity for bioenergy.

09/03/2011: Celebrate the UN's Year of Forests 21 March at the Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra
While celebrated every year on 21 March, World Forestry Day is particularly important this year given the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

09/03/2011: Daniel Tuan heads up Forests NSW in Southern Region
Daniel Tuan has been appointed regional manager for Forests NSW Southern Region.

09/03/2011: Collaborative Effort Wins Carter Holt Harvey Contract
Independent Verification Services (IVS) and Hill Laboratories (HL) made a successful collaborative bid to undertake nationwide timber testing services for Carter Holt Harvey Building Supplies (CHH).

28/02/2011: Treasurer agrees to forestry talks
The Don’t Privatise SA Forests Campaign has made some headway, with the State Treasury agreeing to meet to discuss the issue. Tomorrow (Tuesday), the three Mayors of the Lower South East councils will meet with the newly‐appointed Treasurer Jack Snelling in Adelaide to express, on behalf of the community, their extreme concern about the Government’s proposal to forward sell ForestrySA harvests.

28/02/2011: City of Mount Gambier Press Release: Treasurer agrees to forestry talks
The Don’t Privatise SA Forests Campaign has made some headway, with the State Treasury agreeing to meet to discuss the issue.

21/02/2011: Gunns reports net loss for half year to December 2010
Integrated forestry company Gunns Limited reported a net loss after tax of $4.6 million for the half year ended 31 December 2010.The result was impacted by write-down’s associated with the sale of assets and business restructuring costs following the implementation of the company’s strategic review announced last year.

16/02/2011: TWEG set to become one-stop-shop for authoritative bioenergy details
The Wood Energy Group (TWEG), a bioenergy information group, and its website - www.woodenergy.net.au – has been officially launched.

14/02/2011: Forestry Tasmania aiming for a perfect record
FORESTRY TASMANIA says it almost got it completely right last year – there was only one weekend in April when smoke from regeneration burns contributed to an exceedance of air quality standards.

14/02/2011: Federal probe into SA forest sale plans
INDEPENDENT Senator Nick Xenophon has secured a federal inquiry into a South Australian Government decision to sell off forests.

09/02/2011: New advertising campaign aims to make a difference
Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) is to launch a national industry careers advertising campaign aiming to increase awareness of the opportunities in the forest and wood products sector in early March 2011.

07/02/2011: Soft end for new home sales in 2010
NEW HOME sales eased for a second consecutive month in December 2010, says the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry.

07/02/2011: Pilgrimage to the Mount
FIFTY YEARS ago Mount Gambier hosted a large contingent of Timber Merchants to the region, led by many industry leaders who went on to bring Hoo-Hoo to Australia. Now a tour, “Come and See’ has been organized to commemorates the vision of those past leaders and honour them.

07/02/2011: You could be entitled to a satellite phone subsidy
THE FEDERAL Government’s Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme helps people living, working or travelling for extended periods outside areas with handheld terrestrial mobile phone coverage to purchase satellite mobile phones.

07/02/2011: Whittakers to expand production at Greenbushes
WHITTAKERS LTD is to expand production at the Greenbushes Sawmill and processing facility. It has reached an agreement with the Forest Products Commission (FPC) to take in an additional 14,400 tonnes of jarrah sawlogs for processing and converting into value added products including furniture feedstock, flooring and joinery.

07/02/2011: Government reaps rewards from good forestry management
FORESTRYSA last financial year paid $44m to the State Government in taxation and dividends (up from $23m in 2008-09) and more than $1.2m in rates to various Local Governments, according to its annual report.

07/02/2011: “We will not back down until the threat to our logs no longer exists”
BUSES ARE continuing to fill up with protesters bound for Adelaide for tomorrow’s major rally against the privatisation of South Australian Forests. So far, nine will be making the journey in convoy with an estimated 40‐50 log trucks and semi trailers. Dozens of private vehicles will also complete the 1000‐kilometre round trip to the steps of Parliament House to deliver their message straight to the State Government.

17/01/2011: Special timber tour is a must
FTMA AUSTRALIA, at the request of members, postponed its November Tumbarumba/Tumut Timber Tour until 10-11 February.

17/01/2011: Rallying against State Government’s forestry forward sale plan
SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S South East will stage its second Adelaide protest against forestry privatisation on 8 February when hundreds of concerned country residents will again rally on the steps of Parliament House in Adelaide as part of a continued fight to block the ‘forward sale’ of Forestry SA plantation harvest rights, with organisers confident of unprecedented support.

17/01/2011: Archicentre launches assessment service for flood victims
ARCHICENTRE, THE building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Archicentre, has modelled a pilot service for flood victims in Queensland on a role similar to a triage nurse in major hospitals who assess patients before treatment.

17/01/2011: FTMA kicks off help centre for re-building phase after Australia’s worst natural disaster
IN TIMES of need it seems there is always someone ready and willing to help out, and quite often the source of that help is from those who have also been affected by a catastrophic event. Kersten Gentle lived in a community threatened by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria so she knows of the fear, heartache, the loss and then the attempts to rebuild and revert to some form of normalcy.

12/01/2011: Support for forest contractors welcomed by TFCA
TASMANIAN FOREST Contractors Association chief executive officer Ed Vincent has welcomed Green MP Kim Booth’s support of the industry, noting he is correct in being prepared to recompense those who are losing their generational businesses.

10/01/2011: Campers in the Central West urged to take care with camp fires
Forests NSW is urging campers and visitors to State forests in the Central West around Bathurst, Orange, Lithgow and Oberon to take great care with fire as forest fuel loads dry out and the risk of wildfire increases.

10/01/2011: VicForests rejects claims
VicForests has dismissed recent claims from an unnamed financial analyst regarding the organisation’s viability. VicForests’ acting CEO, Nathan Trushell, said the claims did not present an accurate picture of VicForests’ financial situation.

13/12/2010: UTAS - Applications for the new GradCert Timber are now open
Applications for the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood’s new Graduate Certificate in Timber (Processing & Building) are now open.

13/12/2010: Buying Australian is the best way to address illegal timber imports
Australia’s peak forest industry body says the best way to ensure forest products were legal and from sustainably managed sources was to buy Australian.

13/12/2010: Buying Australian is the best way to address illegal timber imports
Australia’s peak forest industry body says the best way to ensure forest products were legal and from sustainably managed sources was to buy Australian. The National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) applauded the Government’s initiative to stop the importation of illegally sourced forest that not only hurt the domestic forest industry but provide an income source for illegal forestry operations overseas.

29/11/2010: MEDIA RELEASE - Global CCS Institute Taps Key Canadian Project to Share Experience and Knowledge
CANBERRA, 29 November, 2010 – Project Pioneer, an ‘early mover’ in carbon capture and storage (CCS), became today the latest project to be tapped by the Global CCS Institute for emerging hands-on knowledge and expertise that can help overcome key barriers facing the technology’s worldwide deployment.

22/11/2010: City of Mt Gambier - LOG TRUCKS READY TO ROLL IN FORESTRY FIGHT
A convoy of up to 30 log trucks and support industry vehicles from the State’s South East will rumble into Adelaide Wednesday morning (24th November) to protest against the ‘forward sale’ of Forestry SA plantation harvest rights. The heavily-laden vehicles are expected to interrupt peak hour traffic as they wind their way through city streets towards Parliament House to join an estimated 1,000 protesters at a rally to protect the region’s economic future.

22/11/2010: MEDIA RELEASE - John Brumby and Victorian Labor - BAILLIEU EMBRACES TONY ABBOTT’S CLIMATE SCEPTICISM
Ted Baillieu has revealed today that he has no real plan to tackle climate change, Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said.

22/11/2010: Timber imports standout performer in 2009-10
Timber imports continue to be an increasingly critical ingredient in Australia’s house construction industry. Technical manager for the Australian Timber Importers Federation John Halkett says that “flat” domestic production in categories like structural pine and hardwood boards has sharpened the focus on the importance of a strong timber importing sector to enable the country to work its way out of a substantial housing shortage.

22/11/2010: Tropical forestry think tank
The prospects for the forestry and the wood products industry to further contribute to economic and social goals in northern Australia was under the spotlight in Sydney last week at a meeting of the Northern Australia Forestry Project technical team.

22/11/2010: City of Mt Gambier - FOLEY’S POETRY LEAVES FORESTRY REGION CONFUSED
To sell or not to sell the State’s forests – that is the question. And there’s strong fears in the South East that Treasurer Kevin Foley may have already made up his mind, but is not willing to admit it. Mr Foley has publicly confirmed that the forward sale of forestry plantations has been designed to cover lost revenue caused by the global financial crisis. In State Parliament on October 26, 2010, he made his intentions crystal clear.

10/11/2010: CRC For Forestry - Media release:
One-third of Tasmania’s forest industry jobs lost since 2008

08/11/2010: MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries & Forestry Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry & Science
Labor must reveal details of secret foresty talks with Greens.

20/10/2010: Cautious acceptance of peace pact
THE Federal Coalition has cautiously welcomed the release of the statement of principles by parties to the Tasmanian forests negotiations but has warned that the Federal Government must ensure the Greens do not dictate to the Prime Minister and Forestry Minister over this critical issue.

20/10/2010: Forestry industry left off Climate Change roundtables
Australia's only carbon positive industry, the forestry industry, has been left off the Gillard Government's climate change roundtables.

20/10/2010: Farm forestry and firewood expo
NORTHERN United Forestry Group (NUFG) - a not-for-profit community group with a focus on growing trees for sawlogs and firewood - will host the South Eastern Australia 2011 Farm Forestry and Firewood Expo at the City of Greater Bendigo's Huntly plantation, just north of Bendigo on 8 April 2011.

18/10/2010: The Best in Green Building Showcased at 2010 HIA-Boral GreenSmart Awards
THE prestigious HIA-Boral GreenSmart Awards recognise the importance of environmentally responsible housing.

13/10/2010: Gottstein Wood Science Course
THE GOTTSTEIN Wood Science Course “Understanding Wood” has been a feature of the forestry and wood products training space for over 20 years. The week-long course is normally held every second year and is aimed at new employees in the forest and wood products sector to give them some better understanding of the fantastic medium that is wood.

13/10/2010: MTG courses continue to widen scope for many
IF YOU have ever thought about growing trees for conservation and profit, then now’s the chance to find out more with a series of courses scheduled for north-east Victoria and also West Australia?

11/10/2010: Building a sustainable forest industry for Victoria
The peak representative body for the Victorian timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has released a 10 point plan to secure a sustainable forest industry for Victoria’s future.

11/10/2010: PM’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY REPORT A VITAL STEP ON THE ROAD TO A GREENER BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) welcomes the release of the Prime Minister's Task Group on Energy Efficiency report. The report was commissioned by the Australian Government to provide advice on the development of policy that will strengthen Australia’s response to climate change and reduce pressure on energy costs.

11/10/2010: Murray Darling Basin Plan must be equitable for tree plantations
Australia’s national forest industry body notes the release today of the Guide to the proposed Basin Plan by the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) as a basis for seeking industry and community input on the longer term development of the water plan.

11/10/2010: EXPERTS TO GUIDE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
Australian pulp and paper companies, unions, and research organisations have come together to secure a sustainable future for the pulp and paper industry. “The work of the Pulp and Paper Industry Innovation Council will help the Government ensure Australia’s pulp and paper industry is competitive and prosperous,” Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister, Senator Kim Carr, said.

06/10/2010: Hazell Brothers takes over Gunns construction company
Tasmania's largest construction company is to buy the construction division of timber giant Gunns.

06/10/2010: Native forests part of industry’s future
Victoria’s peak representative body for the timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has stated it supports the continued sustainable harvesting of native forest in Victoria as part of a mixed supply of timber, along with plantation estate.

29/09/2010: New allocation confirms forestry not expanding in west
ALL FORESTS in western Victoria, including the Wombat Forest, have been removed from the Allocation to VicForests Order to end community concerns that logging would be expanded in the region, Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings announced today. As a result the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) will regain responsibility for managing the small existing native timber industry in western Victoria.

29/09/2010: Climate change committee a ‘new deal’ for Australia
Australia has a new opportunity to tackle the challenges of climate change while strengthening the economy, says the nation’s leading green building organisation.

29/09/2010: Conference delegates will “have a ball”
LAST WEEKEND’S AFL grand final draw has thrown up some hurdles for many people and organisations, however, this weekend’s replay will be an added bonus for members of Tasmania’s TCA.

29/09/2010: New TRD-1 White Cypress decking hits the market
NK COLLINS this week announced the release of its new TRD-1 White Cypress decking, that has been co-developed with Arch Wood Protection, DERM (formerly DPI Queensland) and Dindas Australia. To assist in the distribution of TRD-1, ACL Wood Products Pty Ltd (Trading as The Plystore) has come on board and will be offering TRD-1 White Cypress Decking to its broad customer base of independent timber yards throughout Melbourne Metro and country Victoria.

29/09/2010: Free public lecture
TO OPEN the forthcoming "Sir Mark Oliphant Canopy Processes in a Changing Climate", Dr David Whitehead, of New Zealand's Landcare Research. will be presenting a public lecture, titled "Forests as carbon sinks:benefits and consequences" at the State Library of Victoria on the evening of 7 October. The lecture will be followed by questions and discussion and will be chaired by Professor Gordon Duff, CEO of the Forestry CRC.

27/09/2010: Forward-selling plan puts industry offside
THERE’S A major row brewing over the South Australian Government’s about face to forward sell ForestrySA pine plantations.

27/09/2010: Climate change agenda to be outlined
NEW AUSTRALIAN Climate Change Minister Greg Combet will discuss Australia's forward climate change agenda with delegates at Expo 2010 in Melbourne 11-13 October.

27/09/2010: TCA Tasmania “Our Community Our Future” State Conference and Dinner
THERE IS still a opportunity to register for this important conference, as the last 12 months have proven to be particularly challenging for families and communities dependent upon the forest and timber industries and we are not ‘out of the woods’ yet.

22/09/2010: New Federal Forestry Minister must answer industry questions when in Hobart today
New Federal Forestry Minister Joe Ludwig must answer key questions surrounding the future of Tasmania's forest industry when he visits Hobart today.

22/09/2010: Growers call meeting to try and save value for growers in the Great Southern 2007 and 2008 pulpwood projects
Working closely with the growers group, Save My Trees, Black Tree and Primary Securities said that a growers meeting had been called for 8th October to vote on a proposal that aims to both restore and retain growers’ assets in the Great Southern Plantations Project 2007 and Great Southern 2008 Renewable Fibre projects.

20/09/2010: Contractors reaffirm support for forest industry restructure
Tasmanian forest contractors have recently reaffirmed their support for an orderly restructure and transition of the Tasmanian hardwood industry. Contractors recognise the need for, and support a profitable internationally competitive pulp mill as being a critical part of that restructure.

15/09/2010: Senator Colbeck reappointed to Coalition forestry portfolio
Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck has been reappointed to the role of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry. In this role, Senator Colbeck will be the chief spokesperson for the Coalition on all forest and forest product sector matters

15/09/2010: Australia’s top 100 builders recover, but for how long?
Perth-based BGC (Australia) is Australia’s largest builder according to the HIA-COLORBOND steel Housing 100 Report for 2009/10.

15/09/2010: Australian Forestry Standard encourages participation in revision process
The Australian Forestry Standard Limited (AFSL) announces the commencement of the 5-yearly revision process of the Australian Standards for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) and Chain of Custody of wood and wood products (AS 4707).

15/09/2010: Bombala mill upgrade approved for future uptake
The NSW Government has approved a $65 million expansion to the timber mill and pole production facility at Bombala, with the potential to create 110 construction and 23 new ongoing jobs.

15/09/2010: YELLOWtongue® turns pink!
Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts Australia has always recognised the importance of giving back to the community. For the month of October, they are turning their iconic Structaflor® YELLOWtongue® flooring product ‘pink’ to raise money for Cancer Council’s Pink Ribbon day to support breast cancer research, prevention and support services.

15/09/2010: WoodSolutions 2010 lives up to expectations
“I felt really privileged to be in the room. The speakers were inspirational and the topics they covered are so important.” This was how Rolph Crystal, from Architects of Arcadia, described the Sydney forum of WoodSolutions 2010.

13/09/2010: Native forests part of industry’s future
Victoria’s peak representative body for the timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has stated it supports the continued sustainable harvesting of native forest in Victoria as part of a mixed supply of timber, along with plantation estate.

06/09/2010: Review will testify Australia has most credible standards for forest industry
Key stakeholders in Australia’s forest and timber industries will be engaged in a two-year revision of the Australian Standards for sustainable forest management and the chain of custody process.

06/09/2010: VAFI supports TCA message
Victoria’s peak representative body for the timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has supported the central message of the Timber Communities Australia (TCA) commissioned report, which outlines the impact of State Government decisions on forest industries.

06/09/2010: How white collar Labor has decimated blue collar forestry
A report prepared by CPI Strategic commissioned by Timber Communities Australia (TCA) has highlighted the consequences of decisions made by Melbourne-centric state governments that have severely impacted on the timber industry and its dependent communities.

01/09/2010: Future domestic plantation and native forest supplies will struggle to meet demand
Australia’s National Plantation Strategy Coordinator David Thompson recently made presentations to the WA Minister for Forestry, Terry Redman, the WA Forest Products Commission and industry representatives regarding future wood supplies and plantation investment mechanisms. In part, this was in response to commentary that Australia is facing a ‘wood glut’ under current forestry MIS arrangements, and that there is no need to expand the plantation estate.

01/09/2010: Seeking expressions of interest for harvesting and haulage services in the Green Triangle region
In order to develop the necessary harvesting and haulage capacity, ABP is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) for the provision of harvesting and transport services.

01/09/2010: Number of dwelling units approved rose 2.3% in July 2010
ABS Building Approvals show that the total number of dwellings approved rose in July 2010 following falls in the previous three months in seasonally adjusted terms.

30/08/2010: Fire Services Levy reforms a step in the right direction
The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) notes the release of the State Government's final response to the report of the Bushfire Royal Commission.

25/08/2010: Forests go digital with mapping technology
A new mapping technology using digital data captured from aerial surveys will be trialled in State forests, Forest Resources Minister, Paul McLeay announced last week.

25/08/2010: Make your summer jobs work better for you (and the industry)
FWPA is putting together a national summer jobs marketing campaign for this summer. The campaign is targeting science, agriculture and environment students across 10 universities and they are looking for the industry to promote their summer jobs and provide students with their ‘first taste’ of the forest and wood products industry.

20/08/2010: Labor matches coalition forestry commitment
The Gillard Labor Government today committed $20 million to help Tasmanian contractors and their employees respond to the challenges facing the Tasmanian forest industry.

20/08/2010: Special pre-election edition of Daily Timber News
With Australia going to the polls tomorrow, this special edition of Daily Timber News brings you the latest on what the major parties are offering the forest and timber industry.

20/08/2010: Coalition's Real Action Plan for Forestry
Coalition Spokesperson for Forestry Senator Richard Colbeck released the Coalition's Plan for Real Action to invest in Australia’s forest and forest products industry.

20/08/2010: Say NO to the environmental mafia
The Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) is an organisation with members who are focused on improving the management of forests in Australia and internationally.

20/08/2010: Labor creates a $20 million forestry black-hole
Labor and part-time Forestry Minister Burke must today explain the black-hole it has created in its own budget following the panic release of $20 million in funding to match a Coalition forest contractors commitment.

20/08/2010: TFCA congratulate Minister Burke on $20m commitment
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association congratulate Minister Burke and Shadow Minister Richard Colbeck, for their commitments of $20 million towards the first stage of the overdue restructuring of the forest contracting sector of the Tasmanian hardwood forest industry.

20/08/2010: NAFI welcomes bipartisan support for forest industry
As the ALP and Coalition have each announced their forest policies this election campaign, Australia’s peak forest industry body has welcomed the support shown by both major parties.

11/08/2010: Quality timbers to go under the hammer
The Forest Products Commission is expecting spirited bidding from woodcraft enthusiasts at the next quarterly log auction.

09/08/2010: Moving ‘For-wood’: Essential to a sustainable future
In the lead-up to the Federal Election, Australia’s peak forest industry body announced its new Forest Industry Growth Plan in Hobart, with the key message that a growing forest industry is essential in building a sustainable and low emissions future for Australia.

04/08/2010: 75 jobs to go in FPC restructure
Up to 75 staff at the Forest Products Commission in West Australia are to be offered voluntary redundancies as part of a restructure plan, following big losses at the forestry agency. Forestry Minister Terry Redman said most of the staff cuts would occur over the next two years, and would bring the organisation back to a sound financial position.

04/08/2010: 3.8 million trees for the central west
Planting has begun of more than 3.8m seedlings in the Central West in State Forests near Bathurst, Lithgow, Orange and Oberon.

02/08/2010: The timber seats to watch
While the recent media focus has been the ongoing discussion over the future of the Tasmanian forest industry, National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) has also identified several marginal Lower House seats that will play a strong role in the race for the Lodge in 2010 in mainland States.

02/08/2010: ForestrySA welcomes new Enterprise Agreement
ForestrySA has welcomed the news that its employees have voted in favour of the new Enterprise Agreement.

02/08/2010: NAFI to launch Forest Industries Growth Plan
The National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) is on the verge of unveiling a plan that could generate $19 billion in new industry investment by 2020 and create thousands of new jobs.

28/07/2010: Farmers to benefit from white paper actions
Victoria’s farming and forestry industries will be able to play a major role in tackling climate change through the establishment of the Victorian Carbon Exchange, Premier John Brumby announced on Monday.

28/07/2010: National Management Group agrees to Myrtle rust interim response plan
The National Management Group has agreed to an interim response plan to continue to suppress Uredo rangelii (Myrtle rust) with a view to the eradication of the disease.

26/07/2010: New England pine destined for China
China has become a new market for pine logs from Walcha and Nundle, Minister for Forest Resources Paul McLeay said. “We have recently signed a contract worth $11.5 million with exporters MTX Australia for logs from Pinus Radiata plantations in the Walcha and Nundle area,” Mr McLeay said.

26/07/2010: Armidale State Forest work nearly complete
Forests NSW and the Armidale Pine Forest Committee are on track to close the Armidale State Forest to vehicles from August 1.

26/07/2010: Federal climate policy courtesy of Sir Humphrey Appleby?
By Andrew Grant. CEO:2 CO2 Group Ltd As leader of Australia’s largest carbon offset company, I believe it’s timely to make some pointed and public observations on climate policy options before the Federal election. They are ‘pointed’ because, quite frankly, the twists and turns and bizarre politics of Australian climate policy mean it’s impossible for any company to commit to a business model or for the public to believe anything tangible is planned.

26/07/2010: Both global forest certification schemes to speak side by side at industry conference
IN A major coup for the Australian Forest, Wood, Paper and Timber Products industry, the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have committed members of their global leadership teams to speak at the industry conference in Melbourne on 9 September.

26/07/2010: Queensland hardwood industry ready for self-analysis
Peak industry body Timber Queensland says it is time for the State’s hardwood industry to look inwards, assessing if true market potential is being maximised.

21/07/2010: Penola pulp mill still on the cards
A PROPOSED $1.5 billion pulp mill at Penola is close to being finalized and it is thought construction will start early next year.

21/07/2010: Business accepts the need for action on climate change, but confusion reigns when it comes to the Australian Government’s response
MATTHEW TUKAKI, the CEO of SansGov, has released the first in a series of business surveys dealing with climate change policies and how they impact business. Conducted over a period of two weeks with a total number of 692 respondents, the survey shows significant gaps between proposed Government policies and on the ground implementation.

21/07/2010: Strong ties remain intact
A3P AND the Australian Forest Growers (AFG) have signed their fourth two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which formalizes the strategic alliance between the parties.

21/07/2010: ATTA annual workshop to be held in Tasmania
THE AUSTRALIAN Timber Trainers Association annual workshop will be held in Hobart next week (26-29 July).

21/07/2010: CO2 Group Expands into New Zealand
AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL services company CO2 Group Limited expanded into New Zealand in June, the company’s first overseas venture.

21/07/2010: $2.4 million to develop small business knowledge and skills
The Australian Government will commit $2.4 million over the next six months to fund more than 300 knowledge and skill development seminars and workshops targeted at small to medium businesses throughout Australia.

21/07/2010: Labor must explain forestry deals with Greens
THE ANNOUNCEMENT by Prime Minister Gillard of a preference swap deal with the Greens is a disaster for Tasmania's forestry industry.

19/07/2010: Forestry photos featured
A BRAND new photographic competition designed to showcase Tasmania’s state forests has been launched by Forestry Tasmania. The inaugural Moods of the Forest photographic competition, organised by Forestry Tasmania’s Adventure Forests tourism sites, will encourage Tasmanians to experience Tasmania’s vibrant State forests and capture their experiences on film.

19/07/2010: Foresters and loggers combine for the first time to bring international conference to Australia
THE AUSTRALIAN Forest Contractors’ Association of Australia (AFCA) and the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) will be collaborating to ensure the success of the AUSTimber 2012 ‘Precision Forestry’ conference. This will be the first time the organisations have worked together, with both recognising the importance each other’s membership bases bring to the sustainability and continuous improvement of the forestry industry in Australia.

12/07/2010: Wood Manufacturing 2010 attracting keen interest across Australasia
THE CONCEPT is simple. The feedback and input to the design of the new wood technology show and expo from across Australasia has been outstanding. Wood Manufacturing 2010 has been set up by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) to cover all wood processing and manufacturing operations in the Drymill – or stand-alone wood manufacturing operations.

12/07/2010: 4.4 MILLION NEW TREES FOR SOUTH WEST SLOPES
Planting has begun of 4.4 million seedlings in the South West Slopes of NSW around Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba.

12/07/2010: Briefings and client meetings continue
The paper - part of every day team continues to provide campaign briefings and to participate in client meetings and industry educational seminars and workshops.

12/07/2010: Forest management company achieves Australian Forest Certification
Leading private forest management company SFM Forest Products (SFM) has received certification for Sustainable Forest Management (AS-4708) under the Australian Forest Certification Scheme (AFS). This means SFM is able to offer cost-effective certification of private forests to landowners in Tasmania.

12/07/2010: Certification system takes quantum leap forward
By Barry Chipman TCA Tasmania Last week there was the launch of the Australian first achievement of FSC certification for natural forest by Peter & Ann Downie for their Central Highlands property Lagoon of Islands. TCA welcomes this great achievement as it provides a big confidence boost for timber families, as it demonstrates that FSC certification is an achievable goal for all involved in the management of Tasmania’s forest and tree farm estate.

12/07/2010: Forests NSW region meets world best safety record
Forests NSW has reached world industry safety standards with only one reportable incident in the last financial year in its Central Region, regional manager Kathy Jones said. The region extends from Morisset to Kempsey on the North Coast.

07/07/2010: The winds of change are blowing!
THE WINDS of change are blowing … politically and industry-wise. The newly-appointed Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to take her credentials to the people and let them decide if she is THE candidate for the job. She’s no stranger to making her presence felt and, with reasoned and factual backing in her arguments, Gillard’s approach to rectifying the mining tax was just another tick on the positive side of the ledger. That same reasoned approach augurs well for the forestry industry.

07/07/2010: Willmott suspension allows time for review
Willmott Forests has been granted a suspension of its securities from official quotation by the Australian Securities Exchange to allow it time to complete a review and then be in a position to inform shareholders of the results and likely impacts of this process on the company

05/07/2010: A once in 100 years event!
THE UNIVERSITY of Melbourne’s Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science is hosting the celebration of 100 years of Forestry education in Australia. The Future of Forestry and Forest Science Conference offers past and present students, scientists, researchers, forestry and environmental professionals, and government policy makers an open forum to reflect on the development of forest science and forestry education over the past century and consider the future of forest science in order to meet the needs of future generations.

Australian Forestry News, Association News

05/12/2011: Forest Industry Council Scholarships
The Forest Industry Council (FIC) in Tumut NSW is again offering two scholarships for students eager to further their studies in forestry. The Council was formed in 1981 as a platform for industry to advance the stability and prosperity of the forest industry throughout the Southern NSW Region. A further objective is to sponsor programs that are deemed necessary and desirable to further industry and community development.

09/11/2011: Minister Walsh commits to timber industry future at VAFI Annual Dinner - Media release
Over 200 representatives from the forest and wood products industry, government, academia and media gathered in the Crown River Room in Southbank on Friday, 4 November for the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) Annual Dinner.

26/10/2011: A Message from Bob Gordon, Managing Director Forestry Tasmania
It's been a month of quite momentous and positive change for Forestry Tasmania and the forest industry. Given the magnitude of the change, it's worth bringing you up to date with at least some of the major developments. Perhaps the most important, from our perspective, has been the change of ownership of the sawmill at our Southwood site. The mill is one of the most modern in the state and is regarded as a piece of critical infrastructure. The sale by Gunns to Del Vista, a Victorian company with strong Tasmanian links, will hopefully see the mill re-open early in November.

24/10/2011: MEDIA RELEASE - Tasmanian Native Forest Contractors IGA Exit Assistance Program
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association and the Australian Forest Contractors Association have, over the last few weeks been involved in virtually continuous discussions with the Commonwealth and State Governments as part of the consultation process to design an exit assistance program for Tasmanian public native forest contractors. The $45 million program, derived from the Intergovernmental Agreement on Forestry, will assist the majority of harvest haul and silviculture contractors, directly impacted by the current resizing of the public native forest to re-structure from those activities.

17/10/2011: News from Forestry Tasmania - Bob Gordon, Managing Director
Earlier today, the Tasmanian Government announced that it had taken action to avert the forest industry choking on a stockpile of logs caused principally by the shut down of the Triabunna woodchip mill seven months ago. I applaud the quick action by the Resources Minister Bryan Green to make $1.1 million available to shift the logjam in the south of state and to transfer sawlog to the north west, where Forestry Tasmania has been unable to supply contracted volumes.

17/10/2011: TABMA COMES TOGETHER
The Board of Directors of TABMA Australia and the Board of Directors of TABMA QLD have agreed, so as to present a unified association, that TABMA Australia will assume the responsibility for the day to day management of TABMA QLD.

28/09/2011: Federal Forest Minister’s office gets it wrong!
Federal Forest Minister Joe Ludwig’s office has made a blunder in its comments that “TFCA are promoting a scheme that will result in multi-million dollar payouts to a small number of very large contractors with no guarantees that any sub-contractors will receive any assistance to exit the industry”. “This is a total misrepresentation.” TFCA CEO Ed Vincent said. “In fact the TFCA formula based proposal, independently verified, will guarantee that every eligible affected contractor and sub-contractor will receive exit assistance, equitably in relation to the size of their business and hence capital loss and employment redundancy obligations.”

14/09/2011: NEW HEAD FOR AUSTRALIAN FORESTRY STANDARD
Geoff Gorrie, Chair of Australian Forestry Standard Ltd, announced today that Richard Stanton had been appointed as the National Secretary of Australian Forestry Standard Ltd. “Richard will take up his new role on 11 October 2011 and his main focus will be the oversight of the revision processes for the Australian Forest Management Standard AS 4708 and the Chain of Custody Standard AS 4707 as well as continuing the growth of the company”

12/09/2011: Let's Start Our Own Protest - Support the Manufacturers and Retailers that Support Australia's Forest Industries
Dear Timber Communities Australia members and supporters, Attacks being waged against retailers are a new form of protesting to shut down Australia’s forest industries. Australia’s forest industries need the support of Timber Communities Australia members, supporters and the general public in order to repel these untruthful claims.

02/05/2011: MEDIA RELEASE: TFCA welcomes new Chair.
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association announced, today, the resignation, as Chairman, of Rodney Bishop, who is retiring from the industry.

28/02/2011: ForestWorks response to South Australian Forest Industry Strategy Directions 2011 – 2015
ForestWorks, the Industry Skills Council for the forest, wood, paper and timber products, wishes to respond to the South Australian Forest Industry Strategy Directions 2011 – 2015 draft for consultation.

13/12/2010: NAFI Media Release - Call for sensible forestry accounting at Cancun
The peak body for the Australian forest industry is hopeful that negotiations on accounting for carbon stored in forests and harvested wood products stay on track during the climate talks at Cancun.

06/12/2010: ForestrySA enjoyed a successful 2009-10 financial year
ForestrySA enjoyed a successful 2009-10 financial year, moving on from the challenges created by the Global Financial Crisis in the previous 12 months.

15/11/2010: VAFI VICTORIAN ASSOCIATION OF FOREST INDUSTRIES - Coalition preferences decision to save more than 24,000 jobs.
The peak representative body for the Victorian timber industry, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), said the Coalition's decision to preference the anti-prosperity Greens last would help protect Victoria's 24,000 forestry jobs.

15/11/2010: Victorian Forest Contractors Association Press Release 12/11/ 2010 - Round table, round again
The Victorian Forest Contractors Association (VFCA) the industry association representing Harvest and Haulage Forest contractors, cautiously welcomed talks if they will result in an end to forest and anti plantation protests as well as a secure and stable future for its members.

Australian Forestry News, Events

07/12/2011: Forest sale protest gathers momentum
Widespread support is growing for tomorrow’s rally against the forward sale of the Forestry SA’s pine plantations. Individuals, unions, big and small businesses, are all focused on sending a strong message to the State Government not to sell. The rally will assemble at Vansittart Park Gardens Parking available around the oval) at 12 noon before making its way down Commercial Street at 12:30pm to the Cave Garden, Mount Gambier.

05/12/2011: Forestry-inspired art
ForestrySA’s Artists in Residence program has kicked off with the selection of six artists from across the State. The program, organised in conjunction with Mount Gambier’s Riddoch Art Gallery, provides participants with the opportunity to develop new work by taking inspiration from the picturesque ForestrySA forest reserves of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

28/11/2011: Decision support tools profiled for Australian foresters
As well as the very latest data collection, mapping and inventory tools that have already been detailed in a previous update, forest management and estate planning have also been added to this year’s ForestTECH 2011 series. Like remote sensing, foresters involved in the design of this year’s technology series have very deliberately opted for a strong practical focus. Forestry companies who have adopted and are using some of the new forest information management and decision support tools that have just been rolled out will be presenting.

28/11/2011: Trucks in action in real forest settings at AUSTimber 2012
AUSTimber 2012 in March next year will be providing the trucking industry with their first opportunity in at least 20 years to take their customers on demo drives in real forest settings. Truck exhibitors will be able to take their customers on a test drive around a variety of different circuits AND test drive loaded with either chip or with logs. The trailers can be supplied by AUSTimber 2012 or trailers from manufacturers of their own choice. This way exhibitors can demonstrate different truck and trailer combinations.

23/11/2011: AUSTimber 2012 - News
Komatsu Forest Managing Director inspects AUSTimber 2012 site Recently Mike Jones, Managing Director of Komatsu Forest (Australia) flew to Mount Gambier to meet with AUSTimber 2012 staff and plan the Komatsu Forest Exhibition sites. After viewing the sites for the forwarder competition, hardwood harvesting and pine harvesting, as well as the Komatsu Forest Pavilion, Mike concluded his inspection of the site with the comment “Absolutely Fantastic”.

09/11/2011: Decision support tools profiled for Australian foresters
As well as the very latest data collection, mapping and inventory tools that have already been detailed in a previous update, forest management and estate planning have also been added to this year’s ForestTECH 2011 series. Like remote sensing, foresters involved in the design of this year’s technology series have very deliberately opted for a strong practical focus.

17/10/2011: Invitation to a special event
A conference on skills and training development for women in construction, forestry, mining and energy related industries will be held in Sydney early next month. This conference is of major importance to Australian industry and is supported by CFMEU, Skills DMC, CPSISC and ForestWorks ISC. A dinner will be held on 8 November with the full-day conference the following day.

17/08/2011: Remote sensing tools profiled in ForestTECH 2011
Without doubt the most exciting technology being developed and applied in forest management at the moment is remote sensing. Two years ago when the Australasian forest technology series, ForestTECH 2009 was run, results from some very early trials with LiDAR were being discussed. Organisations like Forestry Tasmania and Forests NSW were at the forefront of these first trials – evaluating the technical, operational and financial feasibility of using LiDAR across a range of forest management activities.

17/08/2011: Industry Development Conference - Keynote and additional speakers announced!
As the annual Industry Development Conference is just four weeks away, we can announce the following keynote speakers for the conference, the Industry Liaison Dinner and other events in the series: · Don Henry, Executive Director, Australian Conservation Foundation · David Rhodes, Chief Executive, NZ Forest Owners Association · Hon Dick Adams MP, Chairman of the current House of Representatives’ Forest Industry Inquiry (13 September, 6.45pm at conclusion of Carbon & Climate Briefing – register to avoid disappointment: http://www.forestworks.com.au/events/9110.html)

15/08/2011: Free field day for forest managers
A free field day, designed to give managers of sub-tropical forests in the Burnett Mary Region up-to-date information for the identification and management of risks to forest resilience associated with changing climate conditions, will be held on Thursday. The field day, run by the University of the Sunshine Coast, is relevant to those who manage: Farm forestry, Natural Resources, Productive native forests, Carbon sequestration plantings, Revegetation and restoration forestry, Monoculture plantations, Remnant native forests, Bio-diverse plantations.

15/08/2011: Unlocking opportunities – ForestWorks conference
The commercial opportunities presented by the transition to a low-carbon economy will be front and centre when industry skills council, ForestWorks hosts the annual Industry Development Conference in September. The conference will feature a who’s who of forestry, as the industry confronts a period of unprecedented change.

03/08/2011: PUBLIC SEMINAR INVITATION - Researchers urge targeted allocation of forest industry assistance
A public seminar presented by Dr Jacki Schirmer Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University. Decision makers have been urged to use the findings of new research to inform distribution of financial and other assistance as part of implementing Tasmania’s ‘forests peace deal’.

03/08/2011: Unlocking opportunities – ForestWorks conference
ForestWorks is excited to announce that the annual industry conference will be held on 14 September 2011 at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. The commercial opportunities presented by the transition to a low-carbon economy will be front and centre when industry skills council, ForestWorks hosts the annual Industry Development Conference in September.

11/07/2011: PEFC SECRETARY-GENERAL IN AUSTRALIA
AFSL invites you to hear Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General, PEFC International speak at Breakfast forums being held in the following cities: Sydney - Tuesday 12th July, Melbourne - Thursday 14th July, and Brisbane - Friday 15th July

06/07/2011: Farm Forestry Bus Trip
Private Forestry Service Queensland will be running the Annual Farm Forestry Bus Trip on Saturday 23rd July from 8 am to 9 pm.

07/03/2011: Public Seminar Invitation: Tree planting for carbon sequestration: Are landholders interested?
RECENT YEARS have seen rapid growth in tree planting for carbon sequestration in Australia to service carbon markets. The Australian Government's proposed Carbon Farming Initiative, as well as ongoing promises of a forthcoming government-mandated carbon market, will likely expand the potential market for this activity. Tree planting for carbon sequestration needs to occur on cleared land, and typically requires accessing land currently managed by Australian farmers. Are these farmers interested in this type of activity?

22/12/2010: National wood conference focuses on bioenergy
THE FOREST Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) kicks off 2011 with a renewed focus on converting wood wastes and renewable resources into valuable bioenergy products.

06/12/2010: Trans-tasman Timber Design Awards announcement
NZ Wood and Australian Timber Design Awards announce the introduction of a Trans-Tasman Timber Design Award open to the design industries in both Australia and New Zealand. The awards will be made in four categories: Residential housing; Commercial construction; Community; and Multi-storey.

Australian Forestry News, Health & Safety

05/12/2011: WorkCover to target safety in wood component manufacturing industry
WorkCover NSW has announced a new project to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses and improve injury management in the wood component manufacturing industry after it was identified among the State’s highest risk industries. The Wooden Structural Component Manufacturing Project is part of WorkCover’s new flagship work health and safety program, 10/5/5, which involves working with the NSW community to improve safety in the State’s 10 highest risk industries.

Australian Forestry News, Overseas Forestry News

Events

05/12/2011: Mass rally planned for the heart of Mount Gambier
A mass rally led by three of the region’s Mayors will march through the heart of Mount Gambier this week to reinforce the message to the State Government that the South East isn’t giving up on the fight to save its forests. The action has been prompted by the announcement that new South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill will make his first official visit to Mount Gambier on 8 and 9 December.

19/10/2011: Draft Program for the Energy Pellet Workshop
Time: 26th October, 10:00 - 16:30 Venue: Lecture Theatre, Creswick School of Land and Environment, Water Street, Creswick VIC, Phone (03) 5321 4300 RSVP Essential: Liz.hamilton@dpi.vic.gov.au or phone: 5226 4831, or Kelly.Wickham@sustainability.vic.gov.au or phone: 8626 8820 – it’ll help with catering. 9.30-10.00 Morning tea, networking 10.00 - 10.10 Welcome and Introductions, workshop aims - Liz Hamilton, Victorian Bioenergy Network

10/08/2011: Alpine Truss team ‘driven’ to help others
Three blokes, a reincarnated 1976 Fairlane, 12 days of travel, and hopefully for their sake, not a can of baked beans in sight. Wangaratta’s George Prothero, Neville Johnson and Allan Jewell are gearing up for one hell of a road trip that has sick children at heart. The trio have entered their first ever Variety Bash, which this year celebrates its 21st anniversary, and will take its hundreds of participants from Melbourne to Tasmania, where the whole island will be toured.

27/07/2011: Researchers urge targeted allocation of forest industry assistance - SEMINAR BEING HELD TONIGHT, WED 27 JULY
Decision-makers have been urged to use the findings of new research to inform distribution of financial and other assistance as part of implementing Tasmania’s ‘forests peace deal’. Research by Dr Jacki Schirmer, Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry, shows that job loss in Tamania’s forest industry has accelerated in recent months. The research has analysed the vulnerability of people and communities dependent on the industry to future changes, such as those that will occur under Tasmania’s ‘forest peace deal’.

25/07/2011: THE MALAYSIAN TIMBER SEMINAR 2011 - TUESDAY, 26 JULY 2011
We are pleased to invite you to the Malaysian Timber Council timber seminar and business networking opportunity that will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, 495 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 Tuesday, 26 July 2011. The seminar is aimed at providing the Australian timber industry with an update on Malaysian’s sustainable forest management, timber certification system and innovation in the timber industry of Malaysia. This seminar is sponsored by the Malaysian Timber Council and there will be no registration fees for participants.

20/07/2011: PUBLIC SEMINAR INVITATION
Socio-economic impacts of forest industry change Dr Jacki Schirmer Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Since 2008, many parts of the Tasmanian forest industry have been affected by an extensive downturn. As negotiations continue about the future of the industry, those dependent on the industry face an uncertain future and job loss is accelerating across the sector.

18/07/2011: Malaysian minister to speak at seminars
The Malaysian Timber Council’s upcoming seminars in Melbourne and Sydney will provide an unusual opportunity to hear directly from the Malaysian minister about the status of the Malaysia timber industry. The Malaysian contingent will be led by The Hon. Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, and include the chief executive of the Malaysian Timber Council, Cheah Kam Huan and other Malaysian timber industry leaders.

11/07/2011: European & Asian businesses now engage with Australia
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE that Carbon Expo Australasia - the region's premier carbon business event has now formed a cooperative alliance with Carbon Forum Asia (Singapore) - the Asia-Pacific's leading carbon market event - to deliver the greatest possible engagement of Asian & European businesses with Carbon Expo Australasia 2011 in Melbourne 7-9 November.

06/07/2011: Time is running out!
There's still time to submit an entry for the Australian Timber Design Awards, but don't delay: entries must be in by 5 PM July 15. And if you've signed up but haven't yet completed your entry, please don't leave things to the last moment. The earlier you get started, the more help we can give you.

27/06/2011: Managed regrowth forests in Australia: Reassessing their multiple roles and values in a sustainable future
A one-day symposium is being held at the University of Melbourne, 14 July 2011 (optional field trip 15 July) to discuss the important contribution and management of regrowth forests across Australia for a range of values and benefits to society. This workshop comes 20 years after the Young Eucalypt Report (Kerruish and Rawlins 1991) was launched, which brought into focus many of the commercial timber management options for young regrowth forest. It will assess the multiple values and benefits of actively managed regrowth forests for commercial wood production, water, carbon, biodiversity and fire management in the landscape.

27/06/2011: Second series of Master Classes - CSAW
The University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) second series of Master Classes in timber production and use are being held next month in both Brisbane on July 21 and Launceston on July 28. This series is tailored specifically for businesses that design timber buildings or structures, produce timber, fabricate and provide timber components, or supply timber and wood products to the construction industry.

22/06/2011: Malaysian timber seminars timely
The Malaysian Timber Council is planning to hold two one day seminars and business networking sessions in Melbourne and Sydney in late July. According to the chief executive Cheah Kam Huan, the seminars will provide an opportunity to update the Australian timber industry on policy and business developments in the Malaysian timber industry.

20/06/2011: Bioenergy Australia quarterly meeting
The next Bioenergy Australia quarterly meeting will be held on 7 July in Melbourne. The venue will be the Victorian DPI centre’s lecture theatre, 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood.

20/06/2011: Submission deadline extended - Australian Timber Design Awards
The submission deadline of the Australian Timber Design Awards has been extended to July 15! This gives those architects and design professionals still working on their submissions a little extra time to get everything finalised.

23/05/2011: Enter the 12th annual Australian Timber Design Awards
Entry is open to architects, builders, designers, engineers, interior designers and landscape architects. Categories cover all major applications, small budget projects, sustainability, a People's Choice Award and a Rising Star Award.

18/05/2011: Field day for blue gum growers
If you want to know more about blue gum growing, then there’s a special event designed just for you. The Central Victorian Farm Plantations is presenting a field day for blue gum growers-canvassing options for management following the first harvest.

09/05/2011: 5 May 2011 Media Release: Forest Industries festival features timber building innovation
Forest Industries 2011, as the centrepiece of the national Winning With Wood innovation showcase, will stage a three-day “festival of wood” in the lead-up to Rugby World Cup 2011. FI2011 will include a special industry conference focusing on innovative products, designs and new developments for timber building.

02/05/2011: Upcoming International Biochar Events
May 25 - 26: 3rd UK Biochar Conference After the two previous successful events in April 2009 and 2010 that drew together a diverse audience of more than 100 biochar researchers and practitioners, the third conference will take place in the historical settings of the city of Edinburgh and will be preceded by an official unveiling of a new pilot-scale 'specified biochar' production pyrolysis facility at the UK Biochar Research Centre (UKBRC) on 24 May.

03/04/2011: Welcome to the largest forestry fair in Northern Europe!
At the forestry fair SkogsElmia forest owners, entrepreneurs, forest officials and machine & service suppliers meet during a few intense, but entertaining days to share opinions and try out news, prepare investment decisions and make interesting connections. SkogsElmia will of course be arranged in the forest, just like the Elmia Wood show.

28/03/2011: Bioenergy Business Breakfast
THE DEPARTMENT of Primary Industries (DPI) and Sustainability Victoria invites you to attend the 5th Victorian Bioenergy Business Breakfast on 6 April from 7.30-10am.

21/03/2011: New USA guest speaker for FIEA Australia Wood Energy Conference
DAVE ATKINS, of the USDA Forest Service, has recently been confirmed to speak at the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) Conference on Residues to Revenues in Melbourne in April.

16/03/2011: WORKSHOP: Generating renewable energy from forest residues: Opportunities, challenges and the latest research
As Australia searches for renewable energy sources and alternatives to emission-intensive energy production, there is an ever-growing opportunity for bioenergy.

16/03/2011: New USA guest speaker for FIEA Australia Wood Energy Conference
DAVE ATKINS, of the USDA Forest Service, has recently been confirmed to speak at the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) Conference on Residues to Revenues in Melbourne in April.

28/02/2011: Celebrate the UN's Year of Forests - 21 March at the Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra
While celebrated every year on 21 March, World Forestry Day is particularly important this year given the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

21/02/2011: Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry workshop: Improving forest operations with onboard computer systems
As forest operations have become increasingly mechanised over the past decade they have also become more capital intensive and more complex to manage.

16/02/2011: Free field day covers farm forestry
FOR THOSE in Queensland interested in Farm Forestry there’s a Property Planning Field Day planned for 26 February. It will be a practical introduction to the planning and design aspects of growing a timber plantation on your property.

16/02/2011: AIGN/BCA Carbon Pricing Forum
THE AUSTRALIAN Industry Greenhouse Network and the Business Council of Australia are hosting a half-day forum at Parliament House, Canberra, on Wednesday 23 March.

16/02/2011: Event to unveil business opportunities in carbon forestry
CARBON FORESTRY 2011 will be the first event of its type run in New Zealand profiling key investment drivers and future business opportunities in carbon forestry. This international event is being hosted by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) on 13-14 July in Auckland, New Zealand.

22/12/2010: Sustainable Business Australia Invites you to a 'new markets, new industries, new jobs' forum hosted by Norton Rose In conjunction with the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) and the role of Bio-CCS to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and create new revenue for farmers

13/12/2010: Choice of itineraries for LIGNA tour
WEINIG’S SPECIAL LIGNA Tour (21 May – 5 June) will feature two‚ streams to cater for the specialised nature of the participants. The tour will begin in Australia on 21 May and fly to London. Stream 1 participants will remain in England visiting specialised joinery operations, while Stream 2 will continue to Sweden to visit some major new sawmilling/processing operations.

06/12/2010: DPI Climate Webinar - Bioenergy and biofuels production systems and technology

01/12/2010: Making money from trees
GROWING TREES for timber is relatively easy, but making them pay for themselves can be much more challenging. The high up-front costs and long time frames before harvest and sale can be daunting for smaller timber growers who are often in market competition with large industrial growers or native forest timber.

01/12/2010: LIGNA 2011 technology tour with Weinig and Jacks
The first LIGNA as a ‘stand-alone-show’ was in 1975, and at the last exhibition in 2009 there were nearly 1800 exhibitors from 50 countries presenting their products. With over 130,000m2 and 80,000 visitors LIGNA is the world’s No 1 event for the timber and forest industry. LIGNA 2011 takes place from 30 May until 3 June in Hannover, Germany. Weinig Australia and W & R Jack (NZ) have been running tours to Germany to visit the Fair for over 20 years and are now seeking expressions of interest for LIGNA 2011.

15/11/2010: Bioenergy Australia 2010 Conference
Registrations for the Bioenergy Australia 2010 Conference to be held at the Novotel Manly Pacific, Sydney from 9 - 10 December 2010, with the technical tour on 8 December 2010, are coming in strongly. Attendance is expected to be similar to last year, when we had 340+ delegates. The Conference tour is nearly fully subscribed, so please don’t delay if you wish to attend and participate in the tour.

08/11/2010: PUBLIC SEMINAR INVITATION: Tasmania’s Forest Industry 2010 Trends in forest industry employment and turnover 2006 to 2010.
These seminars will present results of new research on the extent and impact of the recent downturn in the forest industry in Tasmania. The research was carried out by researchers in the ‘Communities’ project of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry. The topics discussed will include:

01/11/2010: Master UTAS Class 1 Timber and Sustainability: Concepts and Marketing Melbourne 16 Nov. Sydney 17 Nov. Brisbane 18 Nov
Full Master Class program now available

27/10/2010: Bioenergy Australia 2010 conference - Early Bird registration closes 29 October
The Bioenergy Australia 2010 Conference to be held at the Novotel Manly Pacific, Sydney from 9 - 10 December 2010, with the technical tour on 8 December 2010, is now open for registration. The Early Bird discounted registration closes this week.

25/10/2010: WoodSolutions 'Lunch & Learn' launched to building professionals
WoodSolutions has announced a selection of Lunch & Learn presentations now available to building specifiers and other building professionals in Sydney.

18/08/2010: Both global forest certification schemes to speak side by side at industry conference
In a major coup for the Australian forest, wood, paper and timber products industry, the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have committed members of their global leadership teams to speak at the industry conference in Melbourne on 9 September.

16/08/2010: MTC Global WoodMart 2010
The Malaysian Timber Council’s (MTC) inaugural Global WoodMart 2010 (MGW 2010) is set to take place on 19 - 20 October 2010 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

11/08/2010: Timber Industry Annual Dinner
The TABMA ANNUAL DINNER is the premier industry event in Australia, recognising excellence, innovation and commitment to our industry, and will be held on 29th October in Sydney, NSW.

09/08/2010: Forestry Tasmania plays major part in National Science Week
During National Science Week this month, school children will have the opportunity to find out about the science of growing trees at Forestry Tasmania’s Warra Long-Term Ecological Research Site and the Tahune AirWalk.

02/08/2010: Industry Hardwood Workshop
To rally the industry and map out the future, Timber Queensland is holding a one–day workshop “The future of Queensland Hardwoods, aligning growth, processing and sales for success” at The Pavilion Conference Centre, Gympie on 20 August.

General Industry News

Health & Safety

16/08/2010: Moving forward without forklifts
Forklifts and prime ministers don’t mix and prime minister Julia Gillard came dangerously close to finding out why when she visited a Melbourne factory.

28/07/2010: Do your workers speak up about safety?
WorkSafe and the Supply Chain Industry Alliance have joined forces to create a series of resources that encourage workers to speak up about safety. The idea is that a workplace can use the resources to create their own ‘speak up’ campaign.

Overseas Forestry News

01/02/2012: China is now the world’s largest importer of softwood lumber and logs
Importation of softwood logs and lumber to China has increased continuously over the past 15 years, and in 2011 the country was the largest importer of softwood lumber and logs in the world, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. Total import value equaled almost eight billion US dollars last year, which was an increase of 57 percent from 2010, and up from only 70 million dollars 15 years ago.

25/01/2012: New video reveals global resistance to forest-ca
Global Forest Coalition and Global Justice Ecology Project have produced a new video entitled A Darker Shade of Green: REDD Alert and the Future of Forests. The 28 minute video, documents opposition around the globe to controversial programs that claim to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) by putting forests into the carbon market.

25/01/2012: Certification exhibition
An exhibition promoting forest certification by the Forestry Bureau was held in Taipei, teaching the public about the internationally recognized certification mechanisms and how consumers can support a sustainable environment by purchasing certified wood products.

12/12/2011: Fortec companies report market plateau after strong rise
At the autumn meeting of the Swedish forestry export cooperation association Fortec, member companies agreed that the market for forest equipment suppliers is now somewhat tentative and has levelled off after rising strongly. The development and sales of environmentally related technology are increasing and the issue of ground damage continues to be topical.

28/11/2011: Recommended closure of Norske Skog Follum
Norske Skog's corporate management recommends to the board of directors to maintain full operations at the mills in Skogn and Halden for the time being, but to close down production at Norske Skog Follum. Management's plan means that production at Follum will cease no later than 31 March 2012.

26/10/2011: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
New Zealand’s log exports to China account for one-third of the country’s timber harvest in 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly Log exportation from New Zealand continues to rise at a record pace, with almost one third of the country’s timber harvest being processed at sawmills in China. The high demand for logs from overseas has increased domestic sawlog prices to their highest levels in 15 years, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.

17/10/2011: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
The Global Sawlog Price Index reached a 16-­year high in the 2Q/11; the biggest price increases occurred in Europe, Canada, Russia and New Zealand,reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Increased consumption of softwood lumber throughout the world has moved sawlog prices to new highs in 2011. The Global Conifer Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) reached a 16-year record high in the 2Q/11, with the greatest increases over last year’s prices occurring in Latvia, Poland, Japan, Russia and Germany, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.

12/10/2011: Global effort to put forests first
A global effort to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands by 2020 has been launched in Bonn, Germany.

12/10/2011: Regional cooperation sought in forestry disease control
A proposal by Taiwan that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum should establish a regional network on forestry disease control has been written into a declaration published at a just-concluded APEC meeting, officials of the Council of Agriculture (COA) said.

16/05/2011: Reinventing Wood is theme for joint conference
THE New Zealand Pine Manufacturers Association and Wood Processors Association joint annual Conference will be held 21-22 July at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Nelson.

03/04/2011: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
Japanese importation of logs, lumber and plywood in 2011 is likely to be the highest it has been since 2008 because of post-earthquake and tsunami re-building, reports the WRQ. Japan is in urgent need of pre-fabricated houses and manufactured wood products in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in early March.

30/03/2011: Major forestry conference
ANZIF 2011 (the joint conference of the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) and New Zealand Institute of Forestry) is being held at Sky City, Auckland, from 2-5 May. The theme for the event is 'Pacific Forestry'.

30/03/2011: Japanese importation of logs, lumber and plywood in 2011 is likely to be the highest it has been since 2008
Japan is in urgent need of pre-fabricated houses and manufactured wood products in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in early March. Longer term, it can be expected that imports of commodity products such as plywood, lumber and logs will increase to this country, which is already one of the largest importers of wood products in the world, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.

23/02/2011: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
Wood costs for the global pulp industry have increased 17 percent the past two years; only the US South has bucked the trend, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly Global market pulp production increased by seven percent in 2010, which increased demand for wood raw-material.

07/02/2011: Fire at the Norske Skog Saugbrugs mill in Norway halts production
ON THE morning of 2 February, fire caused damage to part of the thermo-mechanical pulp plant which supplies the paper machines with fibre at Norske Skog Saugbrugs mill. Although the fire was quickly brought under control, it caused significant damage to the electrical cabling. No employee was injured as a result of the incident.

07/02/2011: Approval for genetically modified pine trees test site
APPROVAL, WITH controls, has been given to Scion to field test genetically modified radiata pine (Pinus radiata) in outdoor containment.

12/01/2011: UK Forestry Commission forecasts high demand for wood
The UK Forestry Commission is predicting that the increased use of wood-fuelled boilers could boost the industry.

13/12/2010: Vatican receives PEFC certified Christmas tree
FOR THE second year in a row, the Christmas tree that will light St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City comes from a PEFC-certified, sustainably managed forest. This year’s tree, a 34 metre spruce, originates from forests in Alto-Adige in South Tyrol, an autonomous region in Northern Italy.

06/12/2010: Forest Products Market Update - a news brief from Wood Resources International LLC
European sawmills’ profitability is being squeezed by high log costs and declining lumber prices, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.

20/10/2010: China’s hunger for wood raw-material pushes timber prices up
CONTINUED increases in demand for wood raw-material from sawmills, plywood plants and pulp mills in China has pushed domestic log prices upward and many Chinese companies are increasingly exploring the opportunities of importing more logs and wood chips to supplement the domestic fiber sources.

20/10/2010: China’s hunger for wood raw-material pushes timber prices up
CONTINUED increases in demand for wood raw-material from sawmills, plywood plants and pulp mills in China has pushed domestic log prices upward and many Chinese companies are increasingly exploring the opportunities of importing more logs and wood chips to supplement the domestic fiber sources.

06/10/2010: Torrefaction Next Step in Bio Energy
The BC Bioenergy Network and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada are looking into the feasibility of developing a pilot plant to commercially produce "torrefied pellets" from wood waste.

27/09/2010: Malaysian forestry-related enterprises in the spotlight
AN INTERNATIONAL Symposium On Forestry & Forest Products will be held in Malaysia from 5-7 October.

27/09/2010: Independent audit by ITS Global shows Greenpeace faked data to build phony case against APP
GREENPEACE WAS caught using false and misleading information to attack the credibility of a company to advance its agenda, according to an independent peer reviewed audit released today by ITS Global. The international audit group studied the July 2010 document “How Sinar Mas is Pulping the Planet,” a report that focused most of its attention on the sustainable forestry practices of the Jakarta-based Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of the world’s leading pulp and paper companies. The audit systematically analyzed 72 Greenpeace claims against APP that included more than 300 footnotes and approximately 100 references. The evidence shows that Greenpeace provided quotes that don’t exist; maps that show concessions that don’t exist; and used source material with high margins of error that was cited as absolute fact, said Alan Oxley, chief executive office of the Melbourne-based ITS Global. “A careful examination of the evidence shows that the Greenpeace report is highly misleading and simply not defensible. The claim about a secret massive company expansion in Indonesia is based on fiction. And the information supporting the allegation that the company is engaging in illegal forestry on peatland is either groundless or seriously in error,” said Oxley, whose firm was engaged by APP to conduct the Greenpeace audit. “Any information from the Greenpeace report should be treated with the utmost caution.” APP employs more than 180,000 people in more than 70 countries around the world, including nearly 70,000 employees in Indonesia. Greenpeace directly called on APP customers to stop doing business with the company based on the fictitious claims in the report. “Our sustainable practices are among the most advanced in the pulp and paper industry anywhere in the world. When a group like Greenpeace fabricates information and misuses data to attack our business, they are really advancing their own political agenda at the expense of the livelihoods of our employees, their families and paper unions around the world,” said Aida Greenbury, sustainability managing director for APP. Ms. Greenbury noted that the ITS Global audit was APP’s second independent review of allegations leveled against the company by non-governmental organizations. The first audit, conducted by a global auditing firm, determined that related allegations were baseless. These audits were conducted to augment the rigorous, ongoing, independent series of audits of APP’s sustainability practices. ITS Global commissioned two independent academic experts, one in forestry and economics and the other in agricultural science, to review Greenpeace’s claims. The audit shows that both describe the Greenpeace report as “highly misleading.” The audit report references two major claims against the company as not defensive. Those include: Company Expansion Allegations: Greenpeace claims APP secretly planned to dramatically expand its concessions by 900,000 hectares between 2007 and 2009, basing its charge on a supposed in-house document the group has refused to reveal. According to the audit, APP’s supplier concession increased by just over 25,000 hectares during that time and there is no evidence the expansion plan was ever company policy. Greenpeace supports its claim with maps it produced marking out APP concession areas. The map in the Greenpeace report showed four concessions that don’t exist. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Greenpeace report asserts that APP is playing a major role in expanding greenhouse gas emissions by damaging valuable peatland. The report cites a series of maps whose author admits have a margin of error of up to 31 percent. Indonesia’s leading agricultural university assesses the margin of error of those maps to be as high as 90 percent. According to the audit Greenpeace’s claim that APP is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is not legitimate. “Sadly this is not an isolated incident. Greenpeace has exaggerated claims in the past. When we see reports like this with such obvious factual inaccuracies it makes us call into question the real Greenpeace agenda, risking the greater good to achieve its own political ends. Greenpeace’s misleading campaigns against forestry in developing countries ultimately harm the millions of livelihoods dependent upon the forest sector,” Oxley said.

27/09/2010: Woody biomass prices in the US increased
PRICES FOR woody biomass, whether it was sawmill byproducts, forest residues or urban wood waste, were higher in the 3Q/10 than the previous quarter in most regions throughout the US. The Northwest saw the biggest increase; forest biomass prices (delivered) were up 19% from the 2Q/10, according to the North American Wood Fibre Review (NAWFR).

15/09/2010: NZ Forestry to the fore at Sydney Rugby Ball
New Zealand’s forestry sector was showcased last week at the highest profile event yet to promote the 2011 Rugby World Cup – Tourism New Zealand’s giant World Cup Rugby Ball in Sydney.

06/09/2010: China's massive forestry fair to include Taiwan Pavilion
The 2010 China Yiwu International Forest Product Fair will feature its first-ever Taiwan Pavilion and more than 300 Taiwanese businesses.

06/09/2010: NMIT's innovative construction gains international interest
A showcase building that breaks new ground in the use of wood as a structural building material in multi-storey construction is already attracting international interest.

06/09/2010: PEFC Germany raffles a two-seater swing made of sustainable tropical timber
PEFC Germany and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC), which operates the first PEFC-endorsed scheme in Southeast Asia, presented a joint stand at the gardening fair "Spoga+gafa 2010" on 5-7 September in Cologne, Germany. The joint stand raffled off a swing made of certified tropical timber.

01/09/2010: Sowing the seeds for climate change benefits
The NZ Government should underwrite the growing of millions of forestry seedlings if it wants to meet its climate change planting goal. Current planting levels are far below the 30,000ha of new forest a year for 10 years needed to meet the country’s greenhouse gas emissions target. Four thousand hectares were planted last year and just 2000ha the year before.

30/08/2010: Free forestry conference puts GIS on the map
A national and international line up of geographical information systems (GIS) experts will be punching Rotorua’s coordinates into their sat-navs in October, as they converge on the city for a unique forestry event.

30/08/2010: Balterio intends to invest €12m by the end of 2010
Balterio intends to invest a total of around €12m in modernising laminate flooring production at the location of Vielsalm in Belgium as well as in product development and additional marketing measures.

30/08/2010: Finland’s lumber exports rose sharply in April and May
Finland’s exports of softwood lumber showed conspicuous growth in April and May 2010, after exports had plummeted by 41% in March.

26/07/2010: Exports of lumber and logs from New Zealand on pace to reach a record in 2010, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly
NEW ZEALAND’S exports of pine logs and lumber increased substantially during the first months of 2010. Unfortunately for the manufacturing sector, log exports have increased much faster than the exports of manufactured products.

Overseas Forestry News, Events

21/11/2011: WOODCO’S STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN – REGIONAL WORKSHOP
Many of you will have been involved in and have seen the Woodco Industry Strategy Study which recommended that Woodco develop an Industry Strategic Action Plan. A project team has developed a draft of this plan. This will be presented at regional workshops. We want your feedback and views. This is an opportunity that you can’t afford to miss! Come along and tell us what you think.