Timber industry destroyed by “phantom” koala park
The New South Wales State Government’s Great Koala National Park (GKNP) will obliterate the North Coast timber industry, directly impacting up to 5500 regional jobs, and creating severe shortages across NSW, according to the Nationals.
The NSW Nationals say the full 176,000 hectare footprint will further exacerbate the housing crisis, wiping out 40 per cent of the state’s future hardwood supply and forcing the price of construction materials through the roof.
Response has been swift with industry leaders and the unions condemning the decision.
Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said that for the forest contracting crews the decision means they are being sacked on Father’s Day and with no notice.
He said the government has settled on the one option with the weakest evidence and the most problems.
Forestry Australia president Dr Michelle Freeman said the Great Koala National Park made a headline, not a science-led plan.
“Recent research highlights that koala populations in NSW state forests remain high and stable, thanks to thoughtful regulated management,” she said.
And the Australian Workers’ Union and the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union said the decision would devastate regional communities, cost hundreds of jobs and risk thousands more across the state’s $3 billion hardwood timber industry.
Timber NSW CEO Maree McCaskill told members that a Ministerial Direction had been given to Forestry Corporation NSW that as of Tuesday no timber supply will be provided on Type D contracts to four mills.
Continued page 5...
Proposed Great Koala National Park
SEPT
| OCT 2025 Issue 5 – Volume 36
Established 1991
News 3-8
My View 4
ForestryNOW 9-28
Silviculture 30 Awards 32-33
Transport 34-35
Mill profile 41
Front Cover: The founder of Tasmanian based Elphinstone Engineering, Graeme Elphinstone, has been inducted into the Shell Rimula National Road Transport Wall of Fame. Over the years Graeme has led the way with a series of engineering breakthroughs in trailer design, suspension technology, and vehicle configurations.
Story Page 34-35
Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins
General Manager: Robyn Haworth
Editor: Bruce Mitchell
b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au
Adelaide Office: (08) 8369 9521
Advertising:
Jamie Richardson
j.richardson@winetitles.com.au
Adelaide Office: (08) 8369 9514
Creative Services: Robyn Haworth
Trader classifieds:
Jamie Richardson
Adelaide Office: (08) 8369 9514
Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au
Adelaide Office: (08) 8369 9500
Subcription rates
One-year (6 editions) $44.65
Two-years (12 editions) $77.65
Accounts: ar@winetitles.com.au
Adelaide Office: (08) 8369 9500
Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083
Phone: (08) 8369 9500
Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: (03) 9810 3262
Website www.timberbiz.com.au
Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA
Conditions
The opinions expressed in Australian Forests & Timber News are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of
or by
means (graphic,
or
including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the published will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.
Ban on native timber undermined sovereign capability
It’s time to put the “net” back into Net Zero Emissions and the Government won’t achieve its carbon reduction ambitions without doing so.
The land sector can play a much larger role if given the chance, it can also add to our biodiversity stock.
Smarter farming and healthier soils help to build resilience and food security by sequestering more carbon and holding more drought proofing moisture. Yet the regulatory regime remains unfriendly to those hoping to secure carbon credits for improving carbon sequestration in our soils.
Australia has a pretty good carbon trading framework and yes, we need to protect the integrity of that framework, and we want sequestration to be both meaningful and permanent. But we need to provide more certainty for those prepared to further invest in carbon farming and other food production innovations.
The forestry sector is also part of the solution. To the federal government’s credit, some big strides have recently been made. For example, the so-called “water rule” has been removed.
Land prices are holding tree planting back. The current government – to its credit – is now issuing plantation grants to lower the investment hurdle. But the private sector could do more if we worked to make this asset class better understood.
The less productive areas of farm holdings can be used to plant trees for our housing and other needs. More trees not only means more sequestration, it means better soil health, better animal welfare and improved on-farm ecosystems. These opportunities should be central to our aspirations to improve our natural environment.
Trees are our great carbon sink. A native tree slowly ceases to absorb carbon with age. If it dies or is burned in situ it releases
the carbon back into the atmosphere. A harvested tree used to build the furniture, window frames and staircases stores the carbon in that product forever.
Another is seeded in its place, starting the photosynthesis process all over again. Yet two of our states have banned selective and sustainable native forestry harvesting.
Banning sustainable native harvesting has increased bushfire risk, made it difficult for fauna to navigate the forest floor, and made us more dependent on imports from countries that do not enforce our high environmental standards. It has also undermined our sovereign capability.
State governments now have responsibility to acknowledge the greater role forestry can play in our efforts to address our climate change challenges.
Another great opportunity that rarely rates a mention is the quest to reduce the methane emitted by our cattle herd. Asparagopsis is one largely ignored innovation but for me, our nascent capacity to rapidly accelerate breeding changes is even more exciting.
We now have the technology to accelerate this
change at scale. To both reduce methane and to lift productivity in both our beef and dairy sectors. This technology would be a gift to the global south too.
One Queensland-based company is close to commercialising a platform which would provide every cattle producer and dairy farmer with the tools necessary to achieve affordable accelerated genetic improvement through the in vitro production of embryos.
But you don’t read about it or hear policy makers talking about it. Nor are financiers rushing to the door to back the technology. It disappoints me that so much public money goes to subsidising mature abatement technologies while so little is invested in the promotion of new innovation on the sequestration side of the equation.
A greater role for the land sector in our climate change response should be pushed to the top of the public policy agenda. And our ambitions for it should extend well beyond our shores.
Joel Fitzgibbon is deputy chair of The Crawford Fund and a former Labor agriculture minister.
Koala Park: what’s really at stake
The proposal to establish the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) on the New South Wales Mid North Coast presents serious concerns for the forestry industry.
While protecting koalas and conserving biodiversity are important goals, the current park proposal — covering over 300,000 hectares of public land — poses a direct and immediate threat to sustainable timber production, local em-
&
ployment, and the broader regional economy.
At the heart of the issue is the potential loss of access to productive state forests. This leads directly to the most pressing concern: job losses across the forestry supply chain. Logging crews, truck drivers, sawmill workers, machin-
ery operators, and maintenance businesses all depend on a stable, ongoing timber supply. Towns like Wauchope, Kempsey, Dorrigo, and Nambucca Heads have economies deeply tied to forestry.
Another serious concern for the industry is the undermining of long-term sustainable forest management.
And then there’s concern about the precedent this park might set. If large-
scale land reclassification becomes the norm, other industries reliant on state forest access — such as apiculture, off-road tourism, and cultural practices of Indigenous communities — could also face disruption. The forestry sector is not opposed to conservation. What it opposes is poor planning, lack of transparency, and a disregard for the communities that rely on forest-based industries.
MY VIEW
Joel Fitzgibbon
From page 3
They have been contacted and there will be a business continuity package for 10 weeks. Negotiations will occur on those contracts.
Timber industry destroyed by “phantom” koala park Koala Park focused on ‘winning votes’
Further, advice was that no FCNSW timber will be delivered to Pentarch mills on the North coast commencing Tuesday. Again a 10-week business continuity package will be provided.
“We are aware that some forest contractors have been stood down commencing Monday that are operating in native forest in the assessment area and that contractors operating in the plantations located in the assessment area will also be stood down pending receipt of maps from NPWS of the boundaries of the Park so that they can determine how to harvest safely without attracting EPA scrutiny and any further legal action,” Ms McCaskill told members.
“Those mills and contractors should have been contacted and provided with a 10-week support package.”
The ABC reported that Pentarch Forestry, which stood down 38 workers at its Koolkhan sawmill in March, citing a shortfall in logs from the state’s Forestry Corporation, was likely to be among those affected.
Director Steve Dadd told the ABC it was too early to speculate on what the future held.
“The government has announced the park and a moratorium on supply but no guidance yet on how critical supply to the housing industry will be served or what support for workers to be retrenched will be offered,” Mr Dadd said.
“Our priority will be on trying to comfort very concerned workers, customers and suppliers.”
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said it shows the government’s intention has always been to shut down the industry, whether the park was delivered or not.
“What the Premier and Environment Minister an-
The so-called ‘Great Koala National Park’ is nothing more than a fluffy announcement focused on winning votes, than it is a practical balanced solution that protects the beloved koala and regional communities.
Nationals Senator for NSW, and Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, Ross Cadell, recently toured Adam’s Sawmill at Bonville.
He heard first-hand from locals who have been left with little idea on what their future holds after nearby logging sites were included within the Great Koala National Park.
Senator Cadell said while The Nationals support the need for action to protect one of Australia’s most recognised native animals, a balanced approach was required to ensure it didn’t come at an unacceptable cost to regional communities who rely on the timber industry.
nounced this week is nothing more than a phantom project that is destroying the lives of up to 5,500 workers and their families,”
Mr Saunders said.
“Through the lack of answers we received in Parliament this week, it’s abundantly clear this government has no plan to pay for the park and hasn’t even thought about the severe ramifications it will have on multiple regional communities and sectors.
“In a coward move, Labor wouldn’t even vote to follow through on its own commitment, regardless of the outcome of the carbon credit scheme, which proves this is far from a done deal.”
Shadow Minister for the North Coast Gurmesh Singh said Labor has completely turned its back on the people who will be hit the hardest.
“The timber industry tried to work with the Minns Government on the Great Koala National Park in good faith, even putting forward a more manageable 37,000
“Under the canopy, this decision has cost hundreds of jobs and will decimate regional communities.
“Locals, industry, and politicians alike are in agreement over the need to protect the Koala, but it must not be an all-or-nothing approach.
“With appropriate consultation and consideration of alternate proposals on the size of the proposed park boundary, a win-win scenario can still be achieved.
Alongside the visit to Adam’s Sawmill, Cadell toured a logging site at Orara East State Forest and Herons Creek Timber Mills.
“The koala is an iconic animal of Australia and a species worth protecting,” Senator Cadell said.
“In the media, the Minns Labor Government has made this out to be a win for the koala.
hectare option, but the twoyear consultation process clearly didn’t mean anything,” Mr Singh said.
“This decision will hurt our communities in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, ripping out valuable jobs that allow people to put food on the table.”
Nationals Member for Clarence Richie Williamson said his region will be gutted.
“While Chris Minns and Penny Sharpe have looked after their jobs, they have allowed thousands of jobs in my region to go.”
“The failure to meet wood supply agreements will also impact so many things we rely on every day because no timber means no paper, no power poles, no transport pallets, no wooden frames and nothing to build the homes we so desperately need,” Mr Williamson said.
“You can’t just lock up a vital resource when there is enormous demand for it, particularly at a time where we need more houses than
ever before.”
“For decades, these businesses have provided the trusses and frames that have built our nation,” Senator Cadell said.
“Right now, they need our support, not to be left out to rot by capital city centric decision makers.”
Nationals Member for Myall Lakes Tanya Thompson said timber mills will dry up, pushing skilled workers out of the region.
“The timber industry is the backbone of the North Coast but that didn’t seem to have any bearing on the Premier or the Environment Minister when they were making this cruel announcement,” Mrs Thompson said.
“These are real people who have already gone through months of angst and uncertainty, only to be told they’re out of a job, and there’s also a massive mental health toll that comes with that.”
The plan also ignores the Government’s own data, after assessments by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) showed abundant koala populations thriving in state forests that have been selectively harvested for decades.
Nationals Member for Oxley Michael Kemp said it was a choice based on poli-
tics not science.
“This decision completely ignores the fact the NSW timber industry is among the most sustainable and tightly regulated in the world. Unlike the myths by activists, it is the gold standard – renewable, recyclable, and essential in so many ways,” Mr Kemp said.
“Yet what we’re seeing here is Labor bending over backwards to pander to people’s emotions and ignore the science, it’s not based on any kind of evidence or logic and it’s silencing the voices of our regional communities.”
Timber NSW president Andrew Hurford told the ABC the industry was “shocked and disappointed” with the announcement.
“We’re certainly having to deal with workers and contractors who are extremely distressed and disappointed and really just trying to come to grips with this unnecessary decision,” Mr Hurford said.
● The Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ross Cadell talks to staff at Adam’s Sawmill at Bonville.
Finding the right path to forest transformation
Australian Forest and Wood Innovations, Australia’s national institute for timber fibre, will host a panel session at this year’s Forestry Australia Conference, inviting leading voices to explore how the forest and wood products sector might evolve by 2035, and what it will take to support that change.
The session, Path to 2035: How might we enable transformation in the Australian forest sector?, will be moderated by AFWI Executive Director Dr Joseph Lawrence. It will feature a diverse panel of experts from across Australia and internationally, offering global and local perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Dr Lawrence said the discussion would be grounded in the realities the sector is already facing.
“Our industry is operating in a fast-changing environment. Emerging technologies, shifting markets, climate impacts and the increasing importance of social licence all play a role in shaping what’s next,” he said.
“Transformation doesn’t come easily. It takes long-term thinking, collaboration across sectors and supply chains, and a willingness to explore new approaches,” Dr Lawrence said.
The session will feature a panel of speakers exploring the socio-economics and technological dimensions of transformation:
• Professor John Warner (Warner-Babcock Institute, USA), a global leader in green chemistry, will discuss innovation in forest-derived bioproducts.
• Andrew Morgan (SFM) on new approaches to forest management, carbon and investment.
• Nicola Pero (Iberdrola Australia) will reflect on social licence to enable innovation, drawing on lessons from energy and agrifood industries.
• Tim Woods (IndustryEdge) will share insights into global market trends and resource availability for future housing demand in Australia.
Dr Lawrence said the session would be an opportunity to consider the future of the sector in a broader context.
“We want to encourage discussion about what the industry might look like in 2035, and what is needed to get there,” he said.
The 2025 Forestry Australia Conference will focus on Restoring forests and landscapes and securing Australia’s future. We are halfway through the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, and the conference aims to bring together experts, researchers, forestry professionals, farmers, rangers and tree growing practitioners to explore how forest management and forest and landscape restoration can make a positive contribution to Australia’s future.
The conference aims to provide forest scientists, forestry professionals, tree growers and restoration practitioners with tools and best practice ideas to address critical challenges such as reducing carbon emissions, adapting to climate change and increased bushfire risk, engaging with changing social attitudes and values, empowering and involving Indigenous Australians, supporting regional development and local processing to meet national housing and forest product needs.
Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) will also highlight the vital role of its Forest Growers Research Program at this year’s conference.
The Forest Growers Research Program is designed to deliver targeted, industry-led research and development that increases productivity, and value across the forest growing sector.
By investing in projects that mat-
ter most to growers, the program is delivering practical benefits – from enhanced silviculture practices and improved plantation health, through to tools that support smarter decision-making and long-
term resource security
AFWI’s Path to 2035 session will take place as part of the 2025 Forestry Australia Conference from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 October 2025 in Adelaide.
● Australian Forest and Wood Innovations panellists Nicola Pero (Iberdrola Australia), Tim Woods (IndustryEdge), Professor John Warner (Warner-Babcock Institute, USA) and Andrew Morgan (SFM)
Centre of Excellence expands specialist team
Mount Gambier’s Forestry Centre of Excellence (FCoE) has expanded its specialist team appointing Krishmina Thapa as a Senior Technical Officer in Forest Health – a role focused on monitoring and managing pest and disease to protect the resource and achieve industry sustainability goals.
With global experience in forestry, agriculture, and plant science, Krishmina has expertise spanning plant genomics, plant pathology and forest health surveillance. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry completed in Nepal and a Master of Science in Agriculture from the University of New England.
Prior to joining the FCoE, Krishmina worked with Agriculture Victoria in Hamilton and Horsham, supporting plant genomics and pathology research across a range of crop and forage species. Her work included advanced molecular analysis, disease surveillance, and field trials aimed at improving plant health and resilience.
At the FCoE, Krishmina will play a key role in forest health monitoring and pest management projects, working closely with research teams, industry partners, and the local forestry sector to support the long-term resilience and productivity of forests in the Green Triangle region.
Krishmina said her journey from Nepal to Mount Gambier was shaped by a deep interest in sustainable land management and plant health.
“I was drawn to the Forestry Centre of Excellence because of its reputation for high-quality, applied research and its strong focus on forest health. The opportunity to work on real-world forest surveillance and pest management projects, alongside experienced professionals, really appealed to me,” she said.
“I was also excited by the chance to be part of a team contributing directly to the long-term productivity and resilience of Australia’s forest industry. Being based in Mount Gambier — at the heart of one of the country’s major forestry regions—makes the work even more meaningful.”
Krishmina’s role will combine fieldwork, lab work and research support, including conducting forest health surveys checking for signs of pest and disease. She will also play a key role collaborating with other industry partners on forest resilience and pest management projects.
“Pest and disease management is vital. If not addressed early, pests and pathogens can cause serious damage — affecting tree growth, reducing productivity, and in some cases leading to widespread forest decline.
This impacts not just the environment, but also the economic wellbeing of the forestry sector and local communities.
“By monitoring forest health and managing these risks proactively, we can catch problems early, respond effectively, and maintain the overall health and resilience of forests. It’s all about protecting forests so they can continue to provide economic, environmental, and social benefits for generations to come,” Krishmina said.
FCoE Director Professor Jeff Morell said Krishmina delivered a valuable skillset to the centre.
“Krishmina brings a unique blend of international and local experience, along with strong technical skills in forest health. Her work will be critical in strengthening pest and disease management research programs, which are essential for ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of not only the Green Triangle but Australia’s forest industry,” Professor Morrell said.
The FCoE has been established in Mount Gambier by the South Australian Government, University of South Australia, Green Triangle Forest Industry Hub and the South Australian Forest Products Association.
● Krishmina Thapa is the new Senior Technical Officer in Forest Health at Mount Gambier’s Forestry Centre of Excellence.
BRIEFS
‘Friends’ group returns
The Parliamentary Friends of Forestry, Timber and Paper Products has been officially re-established in the 48th Federal Parliament as a non-partisan friendship group to support the full supply chain of Australia’s forestry and forest products sector.
Victorian Labor Senator Raff Ciccone and NSW Nationals Senator Ross Cadell have been appointed as CoChairs for the group.
Biomass MoU
OneFortyOne and HAMR Energy have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the supply of sustainable biomass for renewable methanol production in Australia and New Zealand.
The MoU marks a significant step forward in the development of HAMR Energy’s flagship Portland Renewable Fuels Project (PRF Project) in Victoria. The project will produce up to 300,000 tonnes per annum of renewable methanol, derived from forestry residue biomass and green hydrogen, which can be used to fuel planes and ships, helping decarbonise hard-toabate transport.
Slash for energy
A wasted opportunity is passing New Zealand by to make the most of damaging forest slash by failing to treat it as an energy solution, instead regarding it as a headache, says Bioenergy Association executive officer Brian Cox.
“While slash lays rotting in forests it costs communities in terms of flood damage, but as fuel it could slice household electricity bills,” he said.
Forestry safety
New guidance to simplify safety for forestry businesses and workers has been published by WorkSafe New Zealand.
Forestry had the highest fatality rate of any sector in 2024, with 16.58 deaths per 100,000 workers. The fatality rate is 20 times higher than the average for all industries.
The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for forestry and harvesting operations was spearheaded by WorkSafe, in collaboration with the forestry industry. The ACOP has now been launched by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Brooke van Velden.
SA under pressure from soft demand and imports
South Australia’s timber industry faces an uncertain economic future, according to South Australian Forest Products Association Chief Executive Officer Nathan Paine.
“South Australia is proud to be the birthplace of Australia’s plantation forestry industry. For 150 years, generations of South Australians have grown and processed the timber that builds our homes, supports our manufacturers and retailers, underpins our farms, and sustains our economy and way of life. Yet today, our timber processors are under unprecedented pressure from both soft domestic demand and the growing threat of surging imports,” Mr Paine said.
The United States has now lifted tariffs on Canadian timber to 35.19%, escalating a broader global trade shift with Canada explicitly identifying Australia as a key new market for its diverted supply.
“The scale of potential trade diversion is alarming, especially as Canada exported an estimated 28 million m³ of lumber to the US in 2024 – equivalent to almost 2 million homes. And, even if 5% of Canada’s displaced supply were redirected to Australia, it would mean an additional 1 million m³ flooding into our market – a volume large enough to destabilise local processors and trigger mill closures,” Mr Paine said.
“This is not just a trade is-
sue – it’s a sovereign capability issue, and to protect Australia’s timber future, SAFPA has released its Our Timber. Our Jobs. Our Future. policy paper, calling for urgent government action.
Key recommendations include:
• Maximise South Australian grown and processed fibre content in all State Government property projects and advocate for the Federal Government to adopt the same approach.
• Establish a State-level Supporting Domestic Manufacturing Strike Force to safeguard local capability.
• Promote retailer-led procurement of South Australian and Australian processed wood products.
• Support country-of-origin labelling for imported fibre in government projects.
• Invest in sovereign fibre and manufacturing capability while securing future plantation expansion and fibre supply.
“South Australia knows too well the cost of stepping in when an industry is on the brink of collapse
– Whyalla is a stark reminder. While our industry remains solid, we cannot afford to ‘wait and see’ with Mount Gambier, the heart
of Australia’s softwood industry,” Mr Paine said.
“SAFPA is working with industry to protect our sovereign capability, secure regional jobs, and ensure that the next 150 years of Australian forestry are defined by resilience, innovation, and sustainability – not disinvestment and decline,” Mr Paine said.
“Industry acknowledges the Government’s ongoing engagement and looks forward to working together to protect – and grow – our timber industries into the future. SAFPA will be seeking urgent discussions with the Government to secure support for these recommendations.”
New round of plantation grants announced
The latest round of grants under the Support Plantation Establishment Program (SPEP) have opened for applications.
The Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, announced the latest round of grants at the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) AgXchange Conference.
The Australian Forest Products Association welcomed the Albanese Government’s progress on initiatives that are providing support and opportunities to help our national forestry sector.
“The SPEP is a government-industry partnership that AFPA advocated strongly for. It’s now helping more get more, much
needed production trees planted, in the right place at the right scale, across Australia,” AFPA CEO Diana Hallam said.
Ms Collins also announced the Government will consult on and develop a National Bioenergy Feedstock Strategy.
“A huge volume of timber and wood-fibre residues are created during
harvesting in the forest, processing in mills and in manufacturing.
“Many businesses are already using the residues efficiently within their operations or to create commercial by products,” Ms Hallam said.
Applications will be open from 24 September 2025 to 5 November 2025.
● South Australia’s highly productive forestry industry accounts for approximately one third of the nation’s domestically produced house framing and interior sawn wood.
The Australian forestry sector is a vital part of the nation’s economy and environment, contributing to regional employment, sustainable resource management, and carbon sequestration. Recent years have seen growing pressures, including climate change impacts like bushfires, biodiversity concerns, and evolving regulatory
frameworks. Native forest logging has faced increasing restrictions.
At the same time, demand for sustainably sourced timber and wood products remains strong, driven by construction and global markets. Investment in plantation expansion, innovation, and value-added processing is growing, supported by government
policies promoting sustainability.
The sector is undergoing significant transformation to balance economic, environmental, and social responsibilities in a changing climate and global market.
But it has been said that everyone in the industry needs to do well in order for anyone to do well.
Critical contribution Australia’s forestry industries make is clear
From house frames to farm gates, the furniture in our homes and offices, to the paper and cardboard products we use every day, Australia’s proud forestry sector is at the heart of everything we do.
And when you look at the figures, the critical contribution Australia’s forest and forestry industries make to our nation’s economy and regional communities is clear.
A key part of Australia’s economy, these industries generate around $28 billion in sales and, support more than 52,000 jobs nationally, while providing a lifeline to rural and regional communities.
That is why the Albanese Labor Government is delivering $300 million to support the forestry sector and the critical contribution it makes across the country.
This funding is helping to grow plantations, modernise our manufacturing infrastructure, invest in forestry research and data, combat trade in illegally logged products and upskill our workforce.
The investment is the most significant in Australia’s history and is now delivering real green shots across the country for our forestry sector.
These green shoots were quite literally on display when I recently visited the Forico nursery in my home state to announce the latest round of grant recipients for the Support Plantation
Establishment program.
We know Australia needs to grow more trees and this key initiative is investing over $73 million in new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests across Australia.
Importantly, this program isn’t just increasing the future plantation forest resource available for domestic processing, it is also contributing to Australia’s commitment for a Net Zero economy by 2050.
To date, the government has supported 60 projects to establish over 25,000 hectares of plantation forest across all states and the Northern Territory.
Over $27 million is still on the table, and I look forward to making future announcements in support of growing our plantation estate.
Our Government is also maximising the use of our forest resources and we are starting to see strong productivity outcomes from our co-investment with pri-
vately-owned wood processors under the Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation program.
For example, several complete projects have installed new scanning and sawmilling equipment, delivering as much as a 13% improvement to manufacturing capacity.
We know Australia needs to grow more trees
The program is providing almost $90 million to 30 projects across the country and leveraging more than $160 million of private capital to adopt new and upgraded technology and will increase our domestic production capacity, value add to existing and new product lines and reduce carbon emissions.
Our Government has also provided $100 million for
Australian Forest and Wood Innovations to support research, development, and innovation in partnership with industry.
Hosted by the University of Tasmania and supported by three Regional Research Centres across Australia, this once-in-a-generation investment in research and development help make the most of our wood resources.
The institute’s first national call for research projects resulted in eight research projects being supported. These projects, which are underway, share $5 million worth of funding.
The institute is now considering a second national open call, which received 34 expressions of interest, seeking over $30 million in funding.
While it is pleasing to see the progress of the investments we have already made, our Government is looking forward to ensure the continued growth of
our forestry sector.
That’s why it was a pleasure to recently release the Timber Fibre Strategy which was led by our Government’s Strategic Forest and Renewable Materials Partnership and guided by close consultation.
The strategy sets out 128 ambitious actions for industry and governments to help build a sustainable, world leading sector with products that are in demand domestically and internationally.
The Strategy will help the forestry sector to embrace future opportunities and contribute to solutions for the challenges facing Australia. This includes playing a key role in tackling our nation’s housing challenges and our transition to a Net Zero economy.
The Albanese Labor Government is ambitious for our forestry sector, and we will continue investing in its future - charting a path forward for the future success of this proud industry.
● Senator for Tasmania Josh Dolega, the Federal Member for Braddon Anne Urquart, and the Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins with Forico’s Technical Services Manager Lorraine Enniss, Forico’s Nursery Supervisor Lachlan Girschik and Australian Forest Products Association deputy CEO Richard Hyett, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Australian Forest Products Association during a visit to the Forico plantation in Somerset, Tasmania.
The Hon Julie Collins MP Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
PERFORMANCE ENHANCED FORESTRY
WELCOME TO THE H SERIES
High-performance engine, powerful booms and enhanced hydraulic power delivers unmatched productivity and fuel efficiency.
Active Frame Lock provides stability and a larger working area.
The 220-degree cabin rotation offers flexibility and visibility.
A range of high performance attachments maximises your productivity.
Stilllookingformore?
Advanced analytics and global data sharing is delivers real-time metrics to support site planning and operator assistance.
H Series Harvesters… time to get ahead of the game.
Challenges we face far outweighed by the opportunities
It’s been a difficult time for Australia’s forestry and forest products sector as we head towards the end of 2025.
Many of our processors and manufacturers are fac ing serious challenges with rising energy costs and a still constrained housing and construction market.
The native hardwood in dustry continues to face op position from people igno rant of the role it can play in decarbonizing our economy while sustaining biodiversity, and the challenge of getting more production trees in the ground to meet future demand remains an ever-pressing issue on the plantation front.
O
Despite these difficulties, forestry enjoys strong bipartisan support at the federal level – a testament to the Australian Forest Products Association’s ongoing advocacy with the major political parties.
And the opportunities are growing for our sector as the Albanese Government seeks to drive down Aus-
tralia’s carbon emissions.
We know the trees we grow and the products we make are a huge part of decarbonising the economy – as such that remains a big opportunity AFPA is pursuing partnership on across the Parliamentary spectrum.
For growers, the everpresent challenge of getting more trees planted to meet demand in decades to come, continues.
The cost of land, skills
ur native industry has always had to fight for its right to exist and unfortunately that’s increasingly the case following the recent Great Koala National Park decision in NSW.
shortages, ensuring a rigorous carbon market and getting the right trees planted, in the right place, at the right scale is a constant focus of our Association.
The Support Plantation Establishment Program (SPEP) that AFPA advocated so strongly for in 2022 has been a success and we will argue for the Australian Government to further
the partnership with industry in getting more trees planted.
Our native industry has always had to fight for its right to exist and unfortunately that’s increasingly the case, following the recent Great Koala National Park decision in NSW.
Since the industry closures in Victoria and Western Australia, imported
and often dubious hardwood resource has filled the supply gap, which isn’t good for our economy or the global environment.
AFPA maintains that Australia needs a strong and sustainable native industry, because the demand for high-quality products is not diminishing.
The Australian industry is a world leader in environmental practice and forest management and it remains a critical employer in many regions.
Like with all manufacturing sectors and as alluded to at the beginning of this piece, processing and manufacturing in timber and wood fiber is being challenged by rising energy costs, red tape and imported products.
It’s critical that we keep our processing and manufacturing cogs in our supply chain strong. It is vitally important for our sovereign capability, employment and to promote the high-quality standards we are so proud of here in Australia. This again is a key area of focus for AFPA. Despite the difficulties and challenges, the outlook for forestry and forest products grown and made in Australia is excellent.
We’re a world leader when it comes to growing and managing forests and processing and manufacturing essential products.
As the world seeks to decarbonise, the demand for timber and wood-fibre is increasing – especially for timber and fiber resources produced sustainably.
AFPA looks forward to continuing to represent our sector proudly at the federal level and through our state-based associations.
I believe the difficulties and challenges we face are far outweighed by the opportunities we have to become even more important for Australia and the world in the future.
Diana Hallam
Australian Forest Products Association CEO
Together we can all do well
Aview frequently shared around the AFCA table is that everyone in the industry needs to do well in order for anyone to do well.
It speaks to the impor tance of partnerships and relationships, and how working together leads to much better long-term out comes.
The past year and more has been tough and it has been hard for anyone to do well. Housing construction has been flat which is the driver of the softwood market. Pulp and paper connects into general international trade which is being disrupted by the Trump tariffs. The woodchip market has also dipped.
The market stresses are being transmitted through the supply chain and forest services businesses have been squeezed by rising costs and limits on production. This is coupled with uncertainty created by governments through political and regulatory decisions, leading to high levels of stress across the industry.
Regarding government decisions AFCA was beyond disappointed by the announcement of the NSW Government for the creation of a full-size Great Koala National Park, particularly in light of the propositions put forward by the expert industry panel to maintain a sustainable industry and secure a park.
The decision is based on a series of flawed propositions, starting with that timber harvesting is detrimental to koala populations. A second one is that there is a looming tourism boom that will replace a productive forest industry as a driver of the regional economy for the Mid North Coast of NSW.
Koala population data collected by the NSW National Parks Service using drone surveys and thermal detections showed significant numbers of animals across the area with no differences between state forests and national parks. The timber industry and koalas have coexisted for more than a century and there is no evidence of a declining population.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of evidence of the negative impact on communities from decisions like this. Creation of the park will cause a 40 percent reduction in the wood basket across northern NSW and strip an estimated $730 million per year from the economy. The World Bank has identified that every dollar generated by forestry industries multiplies two and a half times through the economy, so the overall impact will be huge. You don’t have to look any further than Victoria to see the far-reaching consequences. In order to turn
off a sustainable native timber harvest from the state’s production forest resource, the government will spend upwards of $1.5 billion in worker support, business payments and local development strategies.
The past year and more has been tough and it has been hard for anyone to do well.
For an industry that was
directly contributing $800 million year on year to the state’s economy.
Meanwhile our forests still need to be managed. Former harvesting contractors in Victoria are now providing forest and fire services, but another group of contractors has been displaced as the planning capacity within the government struggles to keep up. Valuable skills and experience are likely to disappear and be very difficult to replace. Demand for the product has also not diminished and more timber is being imported. That means jobs and dollars are being exported. With global demand for timber and
wood fibre expected to at least triple over the next 25 years competition for available resources is likely to be fierce.
Which is also the reason we need to make sure Australian businesses are well positioned to ride through market shocks and take advantage of emerging opportunities. AFCA’s ForestFit™ Standard and Certification Scheme aims to do just that by ensuring the business foundations are solid while also embedding assurances for the supply chain about the sustainability of forest operations.
ForestFit™ is a global first as a certification designed specifically for forest services businesses regardless of size or scope of operation. With ForestFit™ alongside Responsible Wood/PEFC and FSC, Australia has delivered the world’s first fully certified supply chain for timber and wood fibre. This is a remarkable achievement and through AFCA we will be working with our industry partners on how to best capitalise on it.
Because we can all do well together.
Tim Lester
Chief Executive Officer Australian Forest Contractors Association
Balancing challenge and opportunity in wood fibre sector
The past twelve months have tested Victoria’s forest and wood-fibre industries in ways that highlight both our vulnerabilities and our resilience.
As we look ahead to the coming year — and with the next state election set for late 2026 — it is timely to take stock of the pressures we face, the progress we have made, and the opportunities we must seize.
Victoria’s housing market has slowed sharply, and with it demand for structural softwood. The combination of cost-ofliving economic impacts, reduced commencements, and a shortage of trades stretching build times has created a challenging environment. Inventories are high and prices have fallen by around 3% year-on-year for the past two years, eroding margins in an industry already grappling with
elevated operating costs. Some mills are running at around 80% capacity, and we have already seen the closure of some timber manufacturing lines such as those in Benalla. These shifts are not just numbers on a page — they mean real pressure on regional businesses, workers, and communities.
Adding to the domestic pressure are global trade dynamics beyond our control. The USA recently lifted its anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber to levels of 35%.
In practice, this means Canadian exporters are seeking alternative markets for their product — and Australia is a natural target.
The threat of displaced imports into our market only heightens the urgency of ensuring a strong, resilient domestic industry.
At the same time, the export market for wood fibre has also dampened, underlining the importance of creating more value onshore.
Against this backdrop, VFPA has worked hard to ensure our sector’s voice is heard. We are engaging positively with all sides of politics and pushing a forward-looking agenda that highlights the new opportunities forestry can unlock for Victoria — from advanced timber manufacturing to carbon reduction and bioproducts.
Our policy agenda is increasingly recognised, reflecting the breadth of issues we carry — from housing supply and plantation expansion to protecting our existing plantation assets through stronger fire management, and the development of a by-products framework.
Our inaugural “Timber in July” event at Parliament House was a milestone, bringing together Ministers, Shadow Ministers, and MPs across the spectrum to experience first-hand the innovation and sustainability of our sector.
We hope this will become an annual fixture to
showcase the industry’s contribution to housing, jobs, and carbon reduction.
We’ve also hosted site visits from key Ministers to Colac and Portland, ensuring decision-makers see the jobs and technologies our industry supports.
These engagements matter: they build trust, foster understanding, and lay the groundwork for policy reforms we need in the years ahead.
One of the most pressing long-term issues remains plantation supply.
Victoria’s plantation estate has been broadly stable, but with demand for timber forecast to rise by more than 40% by mid-century, we face a projected fibre shortfall without significant new investment.
Land-use competition and regulatory barriers all make plantation expansion harder than it should be.
That is why VFPA has consistently called for government support to de-risk both softwood and hardwood long-rotation plantations.
We welcome the Victorian Government’s recent announcement of a new plantation establishment program, which will operate alongside the Commonwealth’s Support Plantation Establishment Program.
This is a constructive step forward — but both state and federal policies must be calibrated to address regulatory challenges, and tackle other bottlenecks upstream if we are to meet Victoria’s housing and climate goals.
This year we also released the Victorian Wood Fibre Roadmap, which highlights both the enormous opportunities ahead for next-generation products — from
engineered timber for homes, to green biofuels, biochemicals, and biomaterials — and the fact that Victoria’s forest products sector already contributes $9 billion annually to the state’s economy and supports 17,000 regional jobs.
We provide the ultimate renewable, capturing carbon while delivering affordable housing. With the right policy settings, Victoria can grow its plantation base, expand advanced timber manufacturing, and unlock the next generation of low-carbon products that our state will need in a decarbonising economy.
As just one key example of this effort, VFPA has invested this year in the Hardwood Manufacturing Feasibility Study, co-funded with the State Government through the Portland Diversification Fund. This project is exploring opportunities to expand hardwood manufacturing in western Victoria, opening up new potential for regional jobs and value-adding. With the export market softening, this work is particularly important in helping the sector diversify and capture more value through domestic processing.
Looking ahead, the next twelve months are critical.
For the sector, it will be a period of careful navigation through subdued housing demand, global trade pressures, and the ever-present challenge of securing new plantations.
For VFPA, it will also be a year of continued engagement, as we seek to ensure that forestry is central to political debate as we move closer to the election.
Despite current headwinds, we remain optimistic. This is a sector that has weathered many cycles before.
With strong advocacy, bipartisan political engagement, and a clear vision for growth, we can position Victoria’s forest products industry to be not just resilient, but a leader in Australia’s low-carbon future.
ANDREW WHITE CEO, VFPA
● Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora, then-Minister for Jobs and Industry Natalie Hutchins, WTIBeam owners Jason and Edwina Vulcz and Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub CEO Tony Wright with the new GL18 product in August last year developed from the Hardwood Manufacturing Feasibility Study, cofunded with the State Government through the Portland Diversification Fund.
Political environment demanding vigilance defines 2025
The past twelve months have rein forced an old truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
For the Tasmanian Forest Products Association 2025 has been a year defined by sustained activity, strategic advocacy, and a political environment that contin ues to demand vigilance.
Three election campaigns, negotiations over the management of the public forest estate, and persistent external scrutiny of native forestry have ensured that the sector remains firmly in the public eye.
The year opened with ongoing adjustments to Tasmania’s public estate, creating a complex policy landscape for forestry operators and policymakers alike.
From the outset, TFPA worked closely with members to develop a united approach to these negotiations.
By presenting a coordinated industry position, TFPA helped ensure that individual concerns were addressed within a collective framework—critical in a year where political uncertainty was the norm rather than the exception.
The first major political test came with the 2025 Federal Election. TFPA launched a focused advocacy campaign to secure recognition of the industry’s economic contribution and environmental credentials.
Engagement with candidates across Tasmania was intensive and deliberate, emphasising forestry’s role in delivering renewable timber products, supporting housing construction, and contributing to carbonpositive land management.
The effort produced tangible results. Both the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, and the then Shadow Minister for Forestry, Jonno Duniam, provided clear statements of support for Tasmania’s forestry industry.
Their commitments reflected the effectiveness of the industry’s messaging and its ability to build cross-party consensus on the value of a sustainable, science-based forestry sector.
Barely had the federal campaign concluded when attention shifted to the Tasmanian Legislative Council election.
Once again, TFPA mobilised quickly to ensure forestry was well represented in the policy debate.
The result was encouraging: all successful candidates expressed support for our industry.
The pace of political change accelerated when a successful no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff in the House of Assembly triggered a snap state election -the third political campaign in just four months. The TFPA responded with a clear and disciplined platform built around four strategic pillars:
• Housing and Wood Products – highlighting forestry’s role in addressing Tasmania’s housing shortage and delivering renewable building materials.
• Community Awareness – promoting public understanding of the industry’s sustainability and its importance to regional economies.
• Climate Change and Fire Threat – emphasising the sector’s contribution to carbon management and
the need for active forest management to reduce fire risk.
• Timber Trees and Productivity – focusing on the long-term productivity and innovation required to meet future timber demand.
Both major parties responded with strong public commitments to the industry, demonstrating that forestry remains central to Tasmania’s economic and environmental agenda.
The post-election period brought its own challenges. With the crossbench dominated by left-leaning independents, the Liberal Party sought to secure support by offering to withdraw a proposed access of the future potential production forest
estate - an initiative originally created under the 2014 Tasmanian Forestry Agreement.
Labor declined to match this concession, reaffirming its position that traditional industries such as forestry and aquaculture must remain integral to Tasmania’s economic base. This decision, while principled, ultimately left Labor without the crossbench support required to form government.
The outcome marked the beginning of a new era in Tasmanian politics: one characterised by a finely balanced parliament and a crossbench with significant influence over key policy decisions. In this environment, the need for a strong, unified industry voice is greater than ever.
The TFPA remains com-
mitted to ensuring that future policy decisions are guided by evidence rather than rhetoric.
We continue to engage constructively with both Government and Opposition, providing accurate, science-based information on managed regrowth forestry, carbon outcomes, and the industry’s rigorous sustainability standards. Behind the scenes, TFPA is also investing in community education to counter misinformation and build broader public understanding of forestry’s role in climate resilience and regional development. While political dynamics will continue to shift, the TFPA’s mission remains constant: to represent and advance the interests of a sustainable, science-driven forestry industry that delivers lasting benefits for Tasmania and the nation. Change is inevitable. But with strong advocacy, collaborative leadership, and a clear strategic direction, the Tasmanian forestry sector will not only endure - it will thrive.
Nick Steel TFPA CEO
● TFPA CEO Nick Steel with Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins.
Time for leadership in shaping Qld timber industry future
Mick Stephens CEO, Timber Queensland
Reflecting on the situation I reported on for Queensland last year I am pleased to advise that the political environment has taken a turn for the better since the state election held in October 2024.
The election of the new LNP Crisafulli Government has provided a solid footing on which to build a more secure policy framework for the industry to grow across the plantation softwood, native hardwood and cypress sectors and downstream manufacturing.
The Government has listened to our call for a comprehensive plan to remove productivity barriers and has put the forest and timber industry back at the forefront of strategic economic development.
The new Government has forged ahead with its commitment for a ‘landmark timber action plan’ to secure the local timber supply needed to build 1 million new houses and related public infrastructure over the next few decades.
A draft Queensland Future Timber Plan was released in August for public consultation with a number of key themes, including:
• securing sustainable timber supply for housing, construction and infrastructure and other industries;
• establishing supply chain competitiveness on an international scale;
• developing better regulation that the community sees benefits in;
• building and retaining a viable fit-for-purpose workforce in rural and regional economies; and
• modernising and innovating the Queensland forestry and timber industry through research, development and extension.
The 25-year timber plan will be underpinned by
5-year action plans with the first round of actions to be released in conjunction with the headline plan by the end of October 2025. Importantly, the plan is to be co-designed, co-invested and co-delivered by industry and the Government.
Timber Queensland has played a pivotal role in the provision of industry input into the draft plan including through the Timber Supply Chain Ministerial Roundtable established not long after the election.
We have provided a detailed submission with 18 recommended actions for regulatory and policy fixes, as well as our call for a world class, industry led forestry education and extension service.
This service would provide specialist advice and information to support best practice private forestry particularly targeting the better integration of native and plantation forestry with the beef sector and indigenous partnerships.
Key recommended actions include crown native forest resource security, a long-term right to harvest in private forests, accelerating uptake of innovation in timber manufacturing, targeted planting of new plantations, development of indigenous forestry, greater use of biomass in the bioeconomy, and carbon methods that recognise active forest management, amongst others.
In addition, the Queensland Government released a 25-year plan for the
broader
agricultural, forestry and fisheries primary industries sector, with the Prosper 2050 Blueprint.
Timber
Queensland and the industry will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way to shape the future.
This Blueprint has the added goal to increase primary industries production to $30 billion by 2030 with the new timber plan to operate in parallel.
Through both these processes, the Government has clearly signalled the need to rebuild and boost the forest and timber industry as a critical sector for the state.
Timber Queensland has had a seat at the table where the industry is regarded as an important partner in addressing statewide workforce, infrastructure and regulatory needs.
Given these significant opportunities, we are in a unique position to express our leadership across the industry and with Government to put in place the
long-term policy and program settings necessary for sustained higher growth. For too long the industry has been neglected by successive Labor Governments and the Crisafulli Government has recognised the need to rebuild. Leadership also means not relying on others to manage and protect our forests for healthy outcomes and delivery of sustainable development goals.
Timber Queensland and the industry will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way to shape the future.
The next 12 months will therefore be an exciting and busy time working with the Government on the implementation of the long-term industry plans.
● Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens, Dan Galligan from Cane Growers, Jo Sheppard from the Queensland Farmers Federation, Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett, Mike Guerin from AgForce Queensland, and David Bobberman from the Queensland Seafood Industries Association at the launch of the Prosper 2050 blueprint for the Primary Industries sector at the Ekka RNA showgrounds.
Forestry is at a familiar crossroad
Forestry in Australia sits at a familiar crossroad, though the stakes feel higher.
The risks, exacerbated by fragmentation of policy and responsibilities, are real. But the opportunity is just as real.
That is the work in front of us and it demands science, experience and partnership across all tenures.
We understand the headwinds. The continuing instability around forest settings, and a shrinking skills pipeline threaten our capacity to manage forests well, especially on the public estate. At the same time, short-term politics is too often crowding out long-term stewardship and consultation.
In particular, if Australia is serious about its new emissions target, we must fully embrace the role for forests. Australia cannot afford to base its climate future on myths and misplaced priorities.
To meet the target, reforestation alone will need to sequester more than 100 Mt of CO₂-e each year by 2050. That means up to 10 million hectares of new trees in just 25 years. At current rates, we’re at just 5% of what’s needed. A step change in policy is essential. We need more trained forestry capacity and new approaches involving local governments, farmers, Indigenous communities, NGOs, large private investors and the forest industry supported by effective extension services to enable forests to play their full role in climate action while delivering the timber needed to address the housing crisis.
At the Association level, our response is practical. Over the last year, Forestry Australia has focused on keeping our association steady and useful for members while the operating environment has become tougher. We took early, practical steps to reduce costs and rationalise where we invest. We were buoyed by the success of our Healthy Forests Symposium and the Forest
Carbon Summit, which both exceeded expectations on attendance, satisfaction and budget.
We have commenced development of our Professional Development Program to drive an offer that meets the needs of the sector. Through support from ForestWorks, we are leading a pilot mentoring program for women in the forest and timber industries under the Australian Government’s Forestry Workforce Training Program with feedback so far extremely positive. This is how we rebuild capability: one person, one team, one workplace at a time.
We also continue to strengthen our science policy work, including developing position statements and evidence reviews to support the sectors’ storytelling. We are investing in the Australian Forestry journal and have begun a strategic review to lift relevance, throughput and financial sustainability. This would not have been possible without support from FWPA and generous member donations. Forestry Australis understands advocacy is not an optional extra - its how we promote decisions that are informed by evidence, not ideology.
Another key initiative is Enhancing Native Forest Resilience, a tenure-blind carbon method Forestry Australia submitted under the ACCU proponent-led
process. Our method provides an internationallyaligned framework that is designed to enable broad participation across State forest agencies, national parks managers, First Peoples, private native forest landowners, community groups and notfor-profit organisations. Grounded in research, our proposed method highlights the potential of active and restorative forest management to increase carbon, enhance biodiversity, and build resilience. While not yet selected by the government for development, we are continuing progress, because integrity-first forest carbon is key to delivering on key national and forest sector interests.
We also continue to focus on safeguarding an independent, professional, member-led voice for the forest sector. More than a hundred people volunteer time and expertise to Forestry Australia each year. To every member who presents a webinar, mentors a colleague, writes or reviews a paper, or turns up to a field day: thank you. Looking ahead, Forestry Australia will continue focus on:
• Active, adaptive management across all tenures. From cultural burning and climate-smart silviculture to farm forestry and targeted restoration, we need implementa-
tion at landscape scales, planned transparently, monitored, and adjusted as conditions change. This is as important in conservation reserves as it is in production forests.
• Evidence-based, respectful debate. Australia needs environmental literacy that treats forests as complex systems, not as symbols. Our role is to keep bringing science and operational experience to the table and to make space for different perspectives to be heard and tested.
• People and pathways. We must rebuild the skills pipeline. Our new professional development initiatives will be a start and we will keep
expanding them with partners.
• The long-game. An independent association, thoughtful evidencebased advocacy, peer networking and quality events, and member-led committees may sound unglamorous, but they are what keep the profession going.
Forestry Australia is a professional association of more than 1,100 members working across forest, fire and land management and tree growing throughout Australia. Our vision is that Australia’s forests are healthy, resilient, and managed inclusively and adaptively to provide a broad range of values and benefits for society.
PAGE AD TO AFT P 30 ..... with forestry Australia logo and pic/////
● Forestry Australia president Michelle Freeman and CEO Jacquie Martin.
State of the Industry Australian plantation statistics update
In 2023-24, the volume of logs harvested fell by 6.0% compared to 2022-23. This was primarily driven by smaller harvests of pulp logs from the hardwood plantation estate.
While the volume harvested dropped, the log price index for all logs increased slightly by 0.1% in nominal terms. Overall, this contributed to a reduction in the nominal GVP of total logs harvested by 5.3% to $2.28 billion in 2023-24 (9.1% decrease in real terms).
The volume of production from hardwood plantations decreased by 15.9% to 7.1 million m3 in 202324. The gross value of production also decreased by 17.9% (21.2% in real terms) to $656 million. Most notably for hardwood plantation log harvest, the volume of hardwood woodchips for export decreased by 15.4% from 2022-23. These changes reflect developments in international woodchip markets with Australia facing increasing competition from Vietnam in our key export markets. Indeed, the value of exports of forest and wood products continued a declining trend with a reduction of 2.0% in nominal terms to $2.7 billion in 2023-24 (5.9% fall in real terms), with the
majority of this decline attributed to reduced export values of Australian woodchips.
The volume of production from softwood plantations stayed relatively steady, only decreasing by 0.7% in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23. The gross value of production for the softwood plantation estate in 2023-24 was $1.36 billion, a 1.2% increase from 202223 (2.9% decrease in real terms). This steady value and volume of production was achieved despite an easing in housing market conditions in 2023-24. Declining import values and volumes were the main adjustment mechanism for reduced demand for structural and construction wood products, rather than a reduction in domestic production.
The volume of native harvests (including native cypress pine) decreased by 1.4% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 to 2.5 million m3. Declines in harvest in Victoria and Western Australia due to the phase out of harvesting in public native harvests on 1 January 2024 were almost entirely offset by increased harvests in New South Wales and Tasmania. However, this is a significant fall compared to 2021-22 when the total volume of native harvest was 3.5 million m3. The fall
between 2021-22 and 202223 was largely driven by lower harvests in Victoria due to legal challenges . The gross value of production for native harvest slightly decreased by 0.2% to $274 million in 2023-24. Similarly, this is a significant fall from $372 million in 2021-22.
The rate of new plantation establishment eased in 2023-24 with 3,700 hectares of new plantations established (16.9% less when compared to 202223). The majority of these new plantations were softwood (3,500 hectares) with some hardwood plantation establishment (200 hectares). In 202324, the total area of commercial plantations was 1.71 million hectares, with 1.01 million hectares of softwood plantations and 0.67 million hectares of hardwood plantations, and the remainder of unknown species.
In 2023-24, the volume of plantation hardwood log harvest decreased by 15.9% to 7.1 million m3 compared to 2022-23, with the value of production declining slightly faster, by 17.9% (21.2% in real terms) to $656 million in 2023-24.
Australia’s hardwood planation estate is structured to supply woodchips to international markets. In 2023-24, 87%
of hardwood plantation logs harvested were pulp logs intended for export as woodchips.
The value and volume of production from Australia’s hardwood plantation estate have been declining sharply since 2018-19. While the economic disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic marked the start of this decline, exports of hardwood woodchips have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and continue to decline.
Woodchips are an important export commodity and in 2023-24 were worth $1.2 billion, or 43% of Australia’s forest and wood product exports. This was a 7.3% reduction (11.0% in real terms) in total export value compared to 2022-23.
China and Japan have historically been the major markets for exported Australian woodchips. Recently, demand from China has been in decline, partly attributed to slowing economic growth but also, a strategic shift within its domestic paper industry. Increasingly, Chinese manufacturers are seeking imported wood pulp from other markets rather than raw woodchips that Australia traditionally exports, because wood pulp offers greater processing efficiencies
and cost-effectiveness (ResourceWise 2024). In contrast, the Japanese market remains focussed on imported woodchips as the pulp and paper industry is highly integrated and reliant on imported hardwood woodchips due to the limited domestic availability of suitable feedstock (Margules Groome 2020).
Australia’s historical position as a major global exporter of woodchips is also increasingly being challenged by Vietnam. While Australian eucalyptus woodchips are generally regarded as superior to Vietnam’s acacia chips due to higher pulp yields, Vietnam has steadily increased in importance in export markets and currently accounts for over 60% of the Asia-Pacific hardwood woodchip market (Margules Groome 2024). Declining competitiveness and increasing volatility in global woodchip markets is affecting dynamics in the Australian plantation estate, with growers beginning to consider alternate options for their hardwood plantations (ABARES 2025).
Continued page 28...
Positive economic signals for the forestry and timber
The latest national economic data, re leased by the ABS, shows that the Australian economy grew by 1.8% in the year to June 2025 (Fig ure 1).
While this remains below the longrun average of 2.7 per cent, the result was above market expec tations and represents an improvement on the 1.3% growth recorded in the previous quarter (in the year to March 2025).
Some indicators relevant to the Forestry and Timber industry also show encouraging signs. These include annual growth in Gross Value Added (GVA) across key related sectors such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Construction, Logistics, and Transport.
The upward movement in these areas suggests strengthening demand and activity that could support continued recovery and expansion within the Forestry and Timber sector.
Total Gross Value Added of Forestry Products
This ABS release complements the latest Gross Value Added (GVA) data in the Forestry Industry. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has also released its Agricultural Commodities Report for the June quarter of 2025, providing updated estimates and forecasts for key sectors, including the forestry industry, for the financial years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
The report presents a revised estimate for the total value of agricultural commodities, which includes farm outputs (crops and livestock), fisheries, and forestry products. For FY2024–25, the total value is now estimated at $99.7 billion, representing a 6% increase compared to the previous estimate of $94.3 billion released in 2024. Despite this upward esti-
mation, the total value is forecast to decline slightly in FY2025–26 to $97.5 billion, a 2% decrease, largely driven by expected declines in the export values of livestock, livestock products, and crops.
Focusing on the forestry sector, the report shows a positive trend.
The total value of forestry products, which includes both softwood and hardwood, is now estimated at $2.5 billion for FY2024–25, indicating an 8% increase from the previous projection in 2024.
Over the next period, the value is projected to grow further to $2.7 billion in FY2025–26, reflecting a 9% year-on-year increase.
If realised, this would bring the total forestry value close to the sector’s peak of $2.8 billion
in FY2018–19, the highest annual value recorded over the decade between 2010 and 2020 (Figure 2). These revised figures highlight the continued importance and resilience of the forestry industry within the broader agricultural sector, particularly in the face of changing economic conditions and current dynamics in the global trade environment.
Construction, logistics, and
transport sectors related to timber products
On the other hand, the construction industry, along with the logistics and transport sectors, has also shown signs of improvement.
These developments are highly relevant to the forestry and timber industry as demand for timber products is closely linked to these sectors. Structural timber products are essen-
tial materials for new residential and commercial projects. Moreover, timberbased packaging and pallets play a crucial role in supporting the movement of goods through growing logistics and transport networks.
In terms of softwood structural timber, the data demonstrates a strong correlation between demand for this product and the level of residential construction.
Based on current and projected economic conditions above, including indicators from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), analysis
● Figure 1: GDP growth rates 2017-2025 (seasonally adjusted). Source: ABS – Australian National Account Data, published September 2025 ●
Dr. Erick Hansnata Industry Economist and Program Manager at Forest and Wood Products Australia
by FWPA forecasts that demand for structural timber will increase by 2–4% over the next 12 months (FY2025–26).
This translates to a rise in volume from approximately 1.3 million m³ in FY2024-25 to around 1.35 million m³ by the end of FY2025-26 (Figure 3).
It is important to note that this projection is subject to the continuation of current economic trends and the accuracy of key macroeconomic forecasts.
These revised figures highlight the
continued
importance and resilience of the forestry industry
For packaging timber, this product benefits from the multiplier effect of increased economic activity, particularly through its use in logistics and the transportation of goods across various sectors. Recent data for the quarter from March to June 2025 shows a 7% increase in packaging demand, corresponding with the National Economic Data above.
Over the next period, packaging
timber is expected to follow a similar growth trajectory to structural timber, with projected demand increasing by 2–4% over the next 12 months.
In volume terms, this would see demand rise from approximately 560,000 m³ in FY2024–25 to around 570,000 m³ in FY2025–26 (Figure 3).
In summary, the latest national economic data indicate positive signs for the forestry and timber industry, with economic growth of 1.8% for the year to June 2025, supported by steady gains in construction, logistics, and transport.
These sectors are key drivers of timber demand.
Structural timber is closely tied to new housing and commercial building activity, while timberbased packaging and pallets benefit directly from rising logistics and distribution needs.
These trends indicate a positive market outlook and a supportive environment for timber producers and processors in the months ahead.
Disclaimer: Data and articles provided in the analysis are for informational purposes only. FWPA makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy or timeliness of the content. Readers are advised to verify any information, as all content is provided without warranties.
● Figure 3: Trend and forecast of Structural Timber and Packaging. Source: FWPA Data Dashboard and Analysis
Tasmania’s timber industry: future built on balance and growth
M.D. Wells
The forestry sector in Tasmania has long carried significance far beyond its economic contribution. It touches on environmental stewardship, regional livelihoods, and the future of a sustainable industry.
For many years it has been the subject of public debate, yet the industry’s trajectory today is increasingly one of renewal and resilience.
A shift towards balance sits at the centre of this change.
Balance between protecting the environment, growing the economy, and supporting jobs; between community expectations and the needs of downstream manufacturing; and between preserving natural assets and building sustainable plantations.
As the Chief Executive Officer of Mechanised Loging Pty Ltd (MechLog), Jillian Aylett Brown, observed:
“While the forestry sector will always be a political issue in Tasmania, the industry is working tirelessly to create the balance between community expectations, downstream needs for things like furniture manufacturing, and a long-term, sustainable plantation timber industry.”
Recent Federal initiatives have underscored the growing importance of forestry to Australia’s future.
Under the Support Plantation Establishment Program (SPEP), fifteen new projects worth a combined $19 million have been announced across the nation, with Tasmania among the beneficiaries.
This scale of investment is recognition of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Global demand for timber and fibre is expected to quadruple by 2050.
Further, timber products are increasingly essential to decarbonisation strategies.
The program is designed to ensure Australia has suf-
ficient, sustainably managed resources to meet both domestic and international needs.
For MechLog, the impact of such confidence in the sector is immediate.
“Training of new people, of all ages, coming into the industry is a priority for MechLog; and one that is bearing fruit,” Ms Aylett Brown said.
“The industry has shed its image of forestry practices of fifty or sixty years ago.
"The industry today is viewed as one that offers exceptional career opportunities to those considering a career in the forestry sector.”
Political discussions around the “Wood Bank” have been followed closely across Tasmania. Land was Initially set aside in 2014 as Future Potential Produc-
tion Forest; and viewed as a possible source of future supply.
Earlier this year, the government raised the idea of unlocking 40,000 hectares of this reserve, promising to deliver additional highquality sawlog exclusively to Tasmanian processors.
Following further community consultation, the Government decided to set aside the plan and instead place an emphasis on promoting greater on-island innovation in processing, while maximising the value of existing resources, including private forests.
While some in the sector viewed the change as disappointing, the outcome also demonstrates the willingness of government to listen to community expectations and work with industry towards shared objectives.
As Ms Aylett Brown commented: “It is pleasing to have a Minister in place who understands the forestry sector and has demonstrated a real desire to work with both sides of pol-
itics and the timber industry to maximise the sector’s contribution to Tasmania’s economy and wider community benefit.”
“One of the realities of Tasmania’s forestry industry in recent years has been the consolidation of operators. While some companies have exited or merged, service levels and industry output have remained strong,” Ms Aylett Brown added.
“Political stability and consolidation offered MechLog an opportunity.
"The company has expanded its operations, invested in its workforce, and broadened its service offerings to meet the needs of clients across the State.
“This growth reflects both the strength of MechLog’s reputation and the wider stability of the sector. Through its commitment to sustainable, environmentally responsible harvesting, the company has established itself as a trusted partner in advancing forestry in Tasmania.
The same commitment is
evident in MechLog’s early adopter interest in Australian Forest Contractors Association’s ForestFit™ Standard and Certification Scheme, a new national standard designed to help forestry sector businesses strengthen their internal management systems by formalising procedures that enhance risk management and improve the consistency of auditing outcomes.
“MechLog is fortunate to be one of the first companies in Tasmania to complete ForestFit™ certification. The ForestFit™ framework allows companies to demonstrate compliance, efficiency, and accountability across their operations.
"The scheme sets a new global benchmark for safety, sustainability and commercial management for the sector.
"Tasmania is proudly leading the nation, and the world, in uptake of certification.
"This demonstrates the robust nature of our prac-
● Tasmania’s forestry sector remains distinctive for the extent of its protected forests and land. More than half of the State’s landmass, 3.43 million hectares, is in formal reserves. Picture: MechLog
tices and commitment to continual improvement.
The achievement also reflects Tasmania’s commitment to raising professional standards and ensuring that forestry operations meet the highest benchmarks of responsibility and performance,” Ms Aylett Brown said.
It is worth noting that Tasmania’s forestry sector remains distinctive for the extent of its protected forests and land.
More than half of the State’s landmass, 3.43 million hectares, is in formal reserves. Within that figure, more than half of native forests and over 85 per cent of old-growth forests enjoy permanent protection.
Such statistics demonstrate the strength of the regulations and the level of cooperation between the industry, government, and community.
They also highlight the industry’s capacity to operate responsibly while still contributing to economic growth.
High-value sawlogs continue to support premium
flooring, architectural design, and furniture making, while plantation resources provide a growing share of supply.
The ability to provide high-quality timber within a framework of environmental protection has become one of Tasmania’s competitive strengths.
It shows that forestry can serve both conservation and commerce without compromising either.
Training
of new people, of all ages, coming into the industry is a priority
The international outlook provides clear incentive for Tasmania’s forestry sector. Timber is increasingly recognised as a critical material in a low-carbon economy. Its renewability and carbon storage capacity make it an essential substitute for more energy-
intensive products.
Tasmania is well placed to benefit from this demand. Its plantation base, skilled workforce, and established processing sector give it the capacity to grow with the market.
For companies like MechLog, the priority is ensuring that skills, systems, and services are ready to scale as required.
“For MechLog, the path forward is one of partnership. By supporting plantation growth, strengthening training, investing in technology, and working with government, the company is helping to shape an industry that is both economically vital and environmentally responsible.
This spirit of collaboration, rather than conflict, is what defines the timber industry today,” Ms Aylett Brown said.
Tasmania’s forestry sector has entered a period of realistic optimism. National investment, strong environmental protections, and growing community confidence are laying the foundations for long-term
2019 Terex CBI Magnum Grinder
success.
Consolidation has brought efficiency, service levels remain high, and companies such as MechLog are thriving.
With global demand for timber and fibre set to climb dramatically, Tasmania is positioned to meet the challenge. Its industry
is no longer defined by conflict but by cooperation, innovation, and growth.
For MechLog and for Tasmania, the message is clear: the future for the timber industry is strong, sustainable, and firmly rooted in balance.
Step into a new league of production and performance with the 2019 Terex CBI Magnum Force 6800CT – the machine built for the toughest forestry environments. Engineered for serious volume and absolute reliability, this horizontal grinder redefines what’s possible in land clearing, wood waste processing, and storm recovery.
With up to 1,200 horsepower, a massive 60” rotor, intelligent features like T-Link Telematics and 624 hours on the clock, the Magnum Force delivers unmatched output without compromising control. It’s built to chew through logs, slash, stumps and construction debris.
This grinder is located in Hamilton, New Zealand and is for sale, so put your best offer forward. We can make it easy and help with getting you in contact with shipping agents.
To view this machine, search 24934189 on turnerstrucks.co.nz or contact Gavin Duncan: Gavin.Duncan@turners.co.nz, +64 27 202 2972
● MechLog CEO Jillian Aylett Brown.
Innovation and Collaboration: essential assets in Tasmania
Facknowledged a milestone for the state of Tasmania: fifty years of woodchip exports. Tasmania was a pioneer in plantation-based wood fibre exports, one of the first regions worldwide to adopt this highly sustainable approach.
Building from this foundation, Forico was established in 2014, promising a new era in plantation forestry based on internationally recognised sustainability codes and practices, and a desire to be world-class, exemplary corporate citizens.
More recently, the plantation woodchip industry in Tasmania has been grappling with multiple challenges: falling commodity prices; fluctuating demand and an inability to flex the supply chain; fast-growing southeast Asian fibre being progressively favoured by Japanese and Chinese customers; variations in the quality and certification requirements of customers; and a backdrop of geopolitical issues and global uncertainty associated with international trade.
For Forico, the acquisition in 2023 by three institutional investors, two of which are domiciled internationally, signaled strong investor confidence in land-based assets and plantation forestry. It is noteworthy that the sector enjoys broad political support from all parties
and from critical NonGovernment Organisations. Forico is bolstered by certification to the world’s best environmental standards, is an Employer of Choice in Tasmania and continues to be recognised for leadership in safety, carbon, and Natural Capital Accounting.
Despite these achievements, future success is not assured and our survival will require bold vision and innovation, the courage to act, and a collaborative effort across the sector.
Diversification
Forico is Tasmania’s largest private land owner, the custodian of a 172,000 ha estate with many attributes and endowments. To unlock the value from our assets, we launched a strategic program of diversification four years ago, designed to mitigate our over-exposure to wood fibre export markets. A portfolio of opportunities including renewable energy (wind), e-fuels and biomass projects were identified as priority projects. The investigation of on-island downstream processing was identified as an important initiative, building resilience for the business and generating jobs and economic activity
in regional Tasmania.
In addition to maintaining our core business of ‘chips to ships’, Forico must continue to evolve into a diversified asset management company, seeking and embracing new opportunities with renewed energy and purpose.
With this goal in mind, Forico formed a strategic alliance with HIF Global, which in 2023 announced its plans to build Australia’s first eFuels production facility on the Forico estate in northern Tasmania, utilising plantation biomass residues. HIF has recently announced its revised plan to develop the former Burnie Paper Mill site for the development of an e-Methanol plant. This shift in planning exemplifies the speed and flexibility required to meet future demands while leveraging existing infrastructure and available resources.
Forico has been engaged in carbon farming since 2017 and has several projects registered under the Australian Carbon Credits Unit Scheme. This rewarding of climatepositive forest management is now an important value pillar in the Forico business model. With a significant reserve of credits, our focus shifts to finding the most
responsible and effective approach to bringing them to market.
Our investigations into the export log market have led to the development of client relationships in Malaysia and India which we will pursue further.
A final noteworthy nod to innovation comes from our relatively unique approach to species diversity. By deploying three species across a varied land estate, we gain significant biological advantages on a diverse land estate while reinforcing our risk mitigation strategy for markets, natural risks and biosecurity.
Collaboration
With the advantage of geographical proximity and a close-knit local industry, Tasmania is ideally positioned for collaboration and networking, within the sector and with local authorities, infrastructure owners and other stakeholders.
The development of the Graduate Certificate program in Forestry, launched in 2024 exemplifies this approach. The program is the result of a partnership between five universities, federal funding bodies, forestry companies and peak
bodies, with the Australian Forest Products Association instrumental in bringing multiple parties together. All parties shared a commitment to enhancing education for forest sector employees. In time, extending the opportunity to individuals outside the sector will be beneficial in bringing in fresh talent.
Agfest, Tasmania’s annual agricultural event, brings together a working party from across the sector, representatives engaging face to face with our community and shaping the public conversation around forestry. The Agfest Forest Site is facilitated by the state’s key industry connector, the Tasmanian Forest and Forest Products Network. This year, the Tasmania Forestry Hub’s Workforce Project has brought together delegates from the state’s private and public sector to engineer solutions for recruitment and retention.
In an ongoing challenging environment, the collaboration and sharing mindset proven as catalysts for such events and initiatives will continue to be the key drivers of meaningful and effective outcomes, alongside a continued program of diversification.
Evangelista Albertini CEO Forico
● Tasmania was a pioneer in plantation-based wood fibre exports, one of the first regions worldwide to adopt this highly sustainable approach.
THROUGH THICK & THIN.
The Waratah H425X is built for performance, precision and productivity in demanding forestry operations. Engineered with advanced delimbing power, fast feeding and reliable durability, the H425X delivers consistent results cut after cut. With smart design and innovative features, it’s the head you can count on to keep your operation moving forward
Continued from page 20
State
In 2023-24, the volume of logs harvested from softwood plantations remained steady at 13.7 million m3, a 0.7% decrease from 202223. The nominal log price index for softwood plantation logs increased by 2.1%, driven by a 5.4% nominal increase in log price index for softwood saw and veneer logs. The value of softwood plantation log production increased from 2022-23 by 1.2% to $1.36 billion (2.9% decrease in real terms).
Sawlogs are the major product category from the softwood plantation sector and are used to produce structural sawnwood products for the construction sector, as well as other sawnwood products for uses such as packaging and logistics. Demand for structural sawnwood and, hence, softwood sawlogs is driven by residential construction sector activity, where they are predominately used in wall framing and trusses. In addition to domestic production from softwood plantations, Australia draws on imports of structural softwood sawnwood and other building related forest and wood products from a diverse range of sources to meet domestic construction demand. The ability to draw on import markets offers important flexibility in accessing timber products at times of short-term volatility in construction markets (ABARES 2025). This can be seen in the 2023-24 data, where construction sector activity slowed, domes-
the Industry
tic production remained steady and total forest and wood product imports declined noticeably, driven by changes in construction sector related imports. In 2023-24:
• House construction commencement reduced by almost 10% with structural softwood sawnwood imports also falling by 22.9%.
• Total value of forest and wood product imports reduced by 5.3% to $6.5 billion (a 9.1% decline in real terms).
Construction related imports reduced by 10.2% to $2.3 billion (13.8% in real terms) .
The volume of hardwood native logs harvested in 2023-24 was 2.38 million m3, a 1.2% decrease from 2022-23. The gross value of production for hardwood native logs in 2023-24 was $257 million. This value is steady compared to 2022-23, although is a 4.0% reduction in real terms. Both value and volume of hardwood native production for 202223 have had small revisions following updated figures available from industry. There was limited change in production between 2022-23 and 2023-24 despite the ban on harvests in public native forests in Victoria and Western Australia coming into effect half-way through the year on 1 January 2024. While harvests did fall in Western Australia and Victoria, these were almost entirely offset by increases in New South Wales
and Tasmania. The large fall in the volume and value of harvest between 2021-22 and 2022-23 was largely due to a large reduction in Victorian public native harvest due to legal challenges.
In 2022-23, VicForests reported that financial performance, and harvesting activity, had been significantly impacted by litigation actions brought against them by environmental groups (VicForests 2023) which limited forestry operations in 2022-23. For comparison, in 2021-22 Victorian native harvest volumes were 957,000 m3. Harvest levels subsequently dropped to 206,000 m3 in 2022-23 and then further to only 26,000 m3 in 2023-24.
Reductions in harvest levels have been smaller in Western Australia where native harvest dropped to 199,000 m3, a 40.5% decline since 2022-23. This level of harvest includes commercial harvest in Western Australia’s forests up to 31 December 2023. From 1 January 2024, commercial harvest has ceased with allowances remaining for ecological thinnings, a process where removing individual trees allows surrounding vegetation a better chance for survival (DBCA 2023).
Native forest harvesting in the South East Queensland Regional Plan Area has ceased from January 2025 (MIG & NFISC 2024). The effect of this will not be seen in the 2023-24 data with native harvest levels in Queensland at 276,000 m3,
a less than 1% change from previous financial year.
In 2023-24, the area of commercial plantations was 1.71 million hectares, comprised of 1.01 million hectares of softwood plantations (59%), 0.67 million hectares of hardwood plantations (39%). There were 23 thousand hectares of unknown or mixed species (1.4%).
The area of commercial plantations reduced by just under 1,500 hectares (0.1%) between 2022-23 and 2023–24. This change reflects a combination of plantation land that was not commercially productive being converted to agricultural or other land uses, and revisions to land use area figures reported by plantation managers.
The softwood plantation estate has been stable for more than 20 years. There was a slight increase of 0.2% between 2022-23 and 2023–24, while the area of commercial hardwood plantations has moved out of a period of decline and is now more stable, with only a small, 0.6%, reduction in area in 2023-24.
Most commercial softwood plantations are located in New South Wales (29% of softwood plantation estate), Victoria (22%) and Queensland (18%). Most commercial hardwood plantations are found in Tasmania (28%), Western Australia (26%) and Victoria (24%).
In 2023-24, new plantation establishment eased slightly compared to 2022-
23, with 3,700 hectares of new plantations established (16.9% less when compared to 2023-23). This new establishment makes up 0.2% of the total plantation estate. There were 200 hectares of hardwood plantations and 3,500 hectares of softwood plantations established.
The majority of new establishments were softwood plantations located in New South Wales (1,900 hectares) and Western Australia (1,600). Over the past five years, 10,700 hectares of softwood plantations have been established, the majority of which have been in New South Wales (48%) and Western Australia (43%). Over the same period, 2,800 hectares of hardwood plantations have been established with Victoria accounting for the largest share (34%).
The recent increase in plantation establishment represents a combination of factors. Private growers are investing in selective plantation expansion, drawing on the Australian carbon credit units (ACCU) Scheme, and the $73.8 million grant funding available under the Support Plantation Establishment program from 2023–24 to 2026–27 (DAFF 2023). In addition, state governments including Western Australia and Victoria have funding available to increase the plantation estate and transition industry from native forestry to plantation forestry.
Overcoming a run of ducks to score when it matters
Usually, a trifecta is a good thing, until you get three ducks (and a diamond duck) at the start of your first cricket season in a new club, in a new town, and an award is created in your honour.
That’s what happened to Damian Aspinall when he relocated to Roma in Western Queensland and made an immediate impression with his teammates – just not on the scoreboard.
Thankfully, he’s scored more runs since, and his career as a John Deere technician has also taken off – bagging the 2025 John Deere Australian & New Zealand Construction & Forestry Service Technician of the Year Award.
Growing up in Richmond, in North West Queensland, Damian lived a life many
children would envy given his proximity to large machinery.
His grandfather had a small earthmoving business and when his father bought a grader when he was 12, the passion for machinery and mechanics was ignited. He later started an apprenticeship with the local council, where he was first exposed to John Deere equipment after a 770G grader was added to the fleet.
After relocating to Roma two-and-a-half years ago and securing a role with RDO Equipment, Damian said he was excited to learn new skills on the range of John Deere construction equipment. He also paid tribute to the strength and camaraderie of his friends and colleagues in Roma.
“I’m over the moon,” he said.
“This award is a big thanks to all the team back in Roma. Without them I wouldn’t be here. Everyone in the team relies on everyone and we all learn from each other.”
When asked about his career aspirations, mentoring the dealership’s apprentices was at the top of his list.
“I just want to continue doing what I am doing and helping the apprentices come along and for them to
service and support team are on hand to keep your operation running at peak
reach their best potential,” he said.
“We’ve got three apprentices back at Roma. They’re all good young fellows and it would be a great feeling to sign them all off.”
● RDO Equipment’s Roma technician Damian Aspinall with his 2025 John Deere Australian & New Zealand Construction & Forestry Service Technician of the Year Award.
Pine genome unlocks new era in forestry science
The world-first publication of a reference genome for radiata pine represents a big step forward for forestry science and innovation.
The large and complex genome – more than eight times the size of the human genome, at over 25 billion base pairs – provides powerful tools to improve productivity, wood quality and radiata pine trees’ resilience to environmental stress. It allows scientists to identify and target the genes that influence key traits such as growth rate, wood quality, drought tolerance and disease resistance – highlighting the value of integrating cutting-edge genomics into real-world breeding programmes.
The genome has not been fully decoded until now, and this research makes it one of the largest plant genomes ever sequenced.
Published in the G3 journal, the genome is the result of more than 10 years of work led by the Scion Group of the Bioeconomy Science Institute, in collaboration with the Radiata Pine Breeding Company (RPBC), New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the Public Health and Forensic Science Institute (PHF) and the University of Tasmania.
Radiata pine is one of the southern hemisphere’s most important commercial tree species and has long been a cornerstone of New Zealand’s plantation forestry industry. Despite its economic value, the species is considered threatened in its native California range. With the release of this reference genome, researchers now have the tools to preserve genetic diversity, support conservation and accelerate climate resilience and adaptation strategies.
“Having a reference genome for this species is a big step forward for breeding while also helping support conservation of the species in its native range,” says Dr Tancred Frickey, senior bioinformatician at the Bioeconomy Science Institute. The genome acts as an instruction manual for how radiata pine trees grow, develop and respond to their environment. This information is a crucial step toward accelerating the forestry industry’s ability to breed trees with highly desirable characteristics such as improved growth rates or resistance to drought and disease more reliably and precisely.
The project began in 2012. In 2014 a $6 million investment co-funded by RPBC and MBIE was established to include in the project the development of the world’s first radiata pine 36k SNPchip, backed by the international conifer genomics community. This single-nucleotide polymorphism chip is a tool scientists can use to select the right traits when breeding radiata pine.
Shane Sturrock, a senior scientist at the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science and a co-author of the study, says the team had to acquire a specialised system that combined high memory, processing power and storage in one. “At the time, it was one of the most powerful single computers of its kind.”
With the release of the final reference genome, the project has reached a major milestone. “This marks the start of a new era of precision forestry,” Shane says. “Traditionally, developing new tree varieties with these characteristics could take decades. But now, with the complete genome in hand, we’re entering a new phase of innovation where breeding and re-
search can happen faster and with greater accuracy.”
Radiata Pine Breeding Company general manager Darrell O’Brien says this breakthrough reflects the importance of sustained collaborative investment in science and shows what New Zealand can
achieve at the cutting edge of forestry innovation.
“By bridging advanced genomics with real-world breeding programmes, this research sets a global benchmark for sustainable forestry and biodiversity conservation.”
A building material like no other
Let woodwise show you how to turn your low value timber into high value structural products.
We are looking for development partners for this new technology.
For more information, please contact:
Ron Batty: 0400 646 685
PH: +1-250-826-8396
Email: ronjbatty@gmail.com
woodwisepanel.com
Biofuel innovation making waves
Biofuel technology that promises to help reduce the marine shipping industry’s carbon footprint is a step closer, with the launch of a company set up to lead its commercialisation.
Start-up venture Biowave will focus on attracting private investors to help commercialise the technology – which converts wood into biofuel that can be used as a drop-in replacement for fossil-based marine heavy fuel oil. Developed by the Bioeconomy Science Institute, this innovation produces a biofuel that blends with existing marine fuel oil, aimed to use existing portside and onboard infrastructure and to meet the existing marine fuel specifications.
Biowave is a spin-out company from the Bioec-
onomy Science Institute, with two staff – Integrated Bioenergy portfolio leader Dr Paul Bennett and innovation manager Amanda Davies – its co-founders.
Paul says the biofuel technology is a promising solution to reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint. “With the global shipping sector responsible for around three percent of annual CO2 emissions, the need for sustainable alternatives has never been more urgent.
“We are committed to driving down biofuel costs and accelerating clean energy innovations for the maritime sector. Major exporters are increasingly concerned about the carbon emissions linked to their products, with market access becoming a real risk. The technology
has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the maritime industry’s decarbonisation goals.”
Shipping is an essential component of global trade, moving 80 percent of the world’s goods. For New Zealand, 99 percent of international trade depends on maritime routes, with shipping enabling nearly 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic profit. “As demand for shipping increases, the sector’s carbon footprint is on track to rise, potentially accounting for up to 13 percent of global emissions in the coming decades if no action is taken,” Paul says.
Fuel testing of a 20 percent Biowave blend has excited industry partners and could represent a product suitable for entry in the marine fuel market.
Scale-up production and engine testing will be required to confirm market acceptance.
“The maritime industry is actively seeking solutions, and we’ve seen significant interest in Biowave from key stakeholders across the supply chain, including shipping companies, energy providers, ports and product exporters,” Amanda says.
“This technology offers a cost-competitive, sustainable solution for New Zealand’s economy and could be scaled globally. With strong market validation and a clear path to market, Biowave is set to make a lasting impact on New Zealand’s economy and the maritime industry to meet 2050 climate commitments.”
The Scion Group’s leadership in this space is
reinforced by its participation in the KiwiNet
● Biowave co-founders Paul Bennett and Amanda Davies.
Commercialisation Partner Network, which aims to drive the commercial success of research innovations in New Zealand.
Tasmanian timber awards its finest in forestry
From the forest to finished products, Tasmania’s forest and timber industries came together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations at the 2025 Tasmanian Timber Awards.
Hosted by the Tasmanian Forests and Forest Products Network (TFFPN), the biennial event drew 250 guests to the Tailrace Centre in Launceston to recognise excellence across the sector, from harvesting and forest management to innovation, sustainability, design, safety and tree farming.
Deputy Premier Guy Barnett set the tone for the evening, championing the industry with his message that “wood is good – sustainable, recyclable, and the ultimate renewable”.
TFFPN Board Director Dr Louise Wallis said the Awards were a proud moment for the industry.
“It’s always a great moment to bring everyone together and recognise the diversity cross the forest and timber products sector,” she said. “These awards highlight the breadth of our industry –from growing and managing forests, through to fire management, harvesting, processing, innovation, design and safety.
“By coincidence, this year’s outstanding and emerging leaders both came from the transport side of the industry – one through innovative engineering and manufacturing, the other through logistics. What stood out for me was their quiet leadership and generosity, always supporting their peers and helping to lift the whole industry.”
Among the winners was Francis Richardson of Orana Enterprises, named Emerging Leader in the Tasmanian Timber Indus-
2025 TASMANIAN TIMBER AWARDS WINNERS
Emerging Leader in the Tasmanian Timber Industry
Winner: Francis Richardson, Orana Enterprises
Excellence in Design and/or Use of Tasmanian Timber
Winner: Align Architecture & Interiors, and Saxon Hall Architecture
Timber Processing Excellence
Winner: Britton Timbers
Excellence in Environmental Management Practices
Winner: Dydee Mann
Forest Growing and Management Excellence
Winner: Forico
Harvesting Excellence
Winner: Midway and their contractors
Innovation Award
Winner: Sustainable Timber Tasmania & Indicium Dynamics
Outstanding Contribution to the Tasmanian Timber Industry
Winner: Graeme Elphinstone, Elphinstone Engineering
Trainee of the Year
Winner: Melody Reihana, Sustainable Timber Tasmania
Tree Grower of the Year
Winner: Malcolm Larner
Workplace Health and Safety Excellence
Winner: Forico
try for his drive to improve innovation and efficiency in timber transport.
Trainee of the Year went to Melody Reihana of Sustainable Timber Tasmania, whose passion and commitment to sustainable forestry have quickly marked her as a future industry leader.
The Innovation Award was presented to Sustainable Timber Tasmania and Indicium Dynamics for Fire Foresight, Tasmania’s first end-to-end digital bushfire detection and alerting system.
The night’s highest honour was awarded to Graeme Elphinstone of Elphinstone Engineering, who received the Outstanding Contribution to the Tasmanian Timber Industry Award in recognition of more than 50 years of innovation, leadership, and service.
A true pioneer, Mr Elphinstone transformed timber transport with designs that set new global benchmarks for safety and efficiency, including Australia’s first on-vehicle weighing system, the folding pole jinker, and the EasySteer suspension system.
Equally respected for his commitment to people and place, he kept his operations in Triabunna through industry downturns, safeguarding local jobs and mentoring future generations of timber professionals. It was a big week of recognition for Mr Elphinstone, who was also elected to the Shell Rimula National Road Transport Wall of Fame (See story Pages 34,35) .
“Receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award was almost overwhelming. You put in the work over many years without expecting recognition, and then to hear such genuine, positive comments from across the sector is incredibly humbling. This acknowledgement means a great deal,” Mr Elphinstone said.
“What I love most is see-
ing young people come into the sector and make their mark. I often say there are only two reasons you leave us – either you’re not quite where you need to be, or you’re moving on to better yourself.
“Watching the next generation take those opportu-
nities and shape the future is what keeps me inspired.” The Awards highlighted not only individual excellence, but the strength, resilience and collaboration that underpins Tasmania’s forest and timber products industries.
● Jim Wilson (Forico) presenting Graeme Elphinstone with his Outstanding Contribution Award.
● Representatives from Sustainable Timber Tasmania and Indicium Dynamics, who won the Innovation award for their collaboration, Fire Foresight.
● Darren Herd (Chair of Arbre Hub) presenting Melody Reihana (STT) with the Trainee of the Year Award.
Hydrowood secures strategic investment to accelerate growth
Hydrowood has welcomed two new strategic investors as part of its latest capital raise, unlocking the next phase of growth for the Tasmanianbased sustainable timber pioneer.
The investment will fuel Hydrowood’s expansion of on-lake harvesting operations at Lake Pieman and drive access to additional underwater timber resources across Tasmania, supporting rising demand for its certified, high-specification timbers with a powerful origin story.
Hydrowood uses worldleading techniques to recover specialty native timbers submerged decades ago during hydro-electric dam construction. These include sought-after species like Tas oak, celery top pine, blackwood, myrtle, sassafras and Huon pine. Hydrowood works with locally-owned and operated sawmills and processors to bring this wood to the water’s surface and turn it into material for furniture, construction and unique projects.
AMB Holdings, an Australian Family Office with a focus on nature positive investing, has joined the Hydrowood register, attracted by the company’s unique blend of innovation, ESG alignment, and global scalability. AMB’s backing marks a strong endorsement of Hydrowood’s environmental impact, commercial strategy and future
trajectory.
This capital raise follows Hydrowood’s recordbreaking $2.1 million equity crowdfunding campaign via OnMarket in 2023—the largest at the time in Tasmanian history. With more than 600 new shareholders onboard, the campaign not only raised funds but also built a network of engaged brand ambassadors, accelerating awareness and early customer engagement.
Hydrowood co-founder Andrew Morgan, who also founded plantation asset manager and carbon project developer SFM alongside business partner David Wise, said the investment comes at a time when the global timber market is under intense supply pressure.
“We’re facing a global timber shortfall. Access to native forests is becoming challenging, bushfires are rising, and demand for ethically sourced timber is surging. What we have with Hydrowood is a rare opportunity: an abundant, high-value resource that is ready to harvest, immune to bushfire, and free from landbased forestry constraints,” Morgan said.
“Investors see that—and they see the global potential. We estimate over 300 million tonnes of timber lie submerged in lakes around the world, representing a $50 billion opportunity.”
Newly appointed Hydrowood CEO Neale Tomlin ech-
oed the optimism.
“The commitment from our new strategic investors is a vote of confidence in a model that delivers premium materials, climate credentials and design appeal in equal measure. The demand from architects, builders and green infrastructure is only growing—and now we’re better positioned to meet it," he said.
Hydrowood’s next phase includes:
• Expanding harvesting operations at Lake Pieman
• Scaling up the volume of resource available to market
• Further developing a pipeline of projects
• Expanding research and development and technical capacity
• Securing access to more than 300,000m³ of additional of submerged timber in Tasmania
• Enhancing drying, processing and distribution infrastructure
• Growing its footprint in architectural, designermaker and green building markets
With environmental certifications including PEFC and Responsible Wood, Hydrowood continues to lead the way in responsible resource use — redefining what ethical/sustainable timber supply can look like.
● Hydrowood uses world-leading techniques to recover specialty native timbers submerged decades ago during hydro-electric dam construction.
● Recovered timber being taken to shore for processing.
Wall of Fame award for transport pioneer
The founder of Tasmanian based Elphinstone Engineering, Graeme Elphinstone, has been inducted into the Shell Rimula National Road Transport Wall of Fame.
This award, sponsored by Shell Rimula, is a testament to Graeme’s lifelong commitment and outstanding contributions to Australia’s road transport industry.
His name now joins an elite group of trucking pioneers and legends on the Wall of Fame, underscoring the pivotal role of innovators and industry leaders in the success of road transport.
The Australian Forest Contracting Association also recognised Graeme and his wife Sylvia’s achievements with a Service to Industry Award in 2024.
Elphinstone Engineering, founded by Graeme in 1976, is a specialist manufacturer of heavy haul transport and polar logistics equipment.
The company’s core product lines include folding skeletal logging trailers (including tri axle jinkers, B Double and B Triple skeletal trailers), custom trailers (such as Easyloader, Seaskel, Road Railer, Port A Skel, Zinc A Skel and Sandgroper models), and an integrated suite of weighing solutions, on vehicle loadcells, Easyweigh indicators, air transducers, and transportable weighbridges designed for road freight, forestry, mining and waste industries.
Since 1985, Elphinstone has also pioneered polar traverse and base construction equipment for Antarctic operations, supplying traverse trailers, sleds (including Traverse Sleds, Recovery Sleds, Air Cushion Sleds and Slave Sleds), modular base frames, walkways, turntables, suspensions, heavy equipment transporters and specialised container mounts.
These Antarctic systems are engineered for extreme low temperatures (down to –40 °C), low ground pressure travel, modular
assembly, minimal maintenance, and compatibility with ISO containers and tracked tractors with many units have logged over 200,000 km without major rebuild.
This breadth of innovation, from foldable log trailers and certified Smart OBM weighing systems to world class Antarctic traverse machinery, demonstrates Elphinstone’s enduring commitment to engineering excellence, operational safety, regulatory compliance and productivity in both rugged road transport and polar logistics sectors.
Today, Elphinstone Engineering and Elphinstone Weighing Systems continue to lead in innovative transport technology, upholding Graeme’s legacy of ingenuity and excellence in engineering.
The Shell Rimula Wall of Fame is a cornerstone of Australia’s road transport heritage. Held annually as part of the Festival of Transport in Alice Springs, the induction ceremony celebrates the men and women who have helped shape the transport industry through decades of service, ingenuity, and dedication. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the Wall of Fame has recognised and celebrated more than 1700 distinguished members of the road transport community – from legendary truck drivers to visionary engineers – ensuring their stories become part of our national road transport history.
“Our objective with the Wall of Fame is to highlight the contribution that road transport, as an industry, has made to Australia’s economic well-being through the ingenuity of our trucking pioneers,” the Hall of Fame organisers explain.
“It shows that road transport is much more than just the men and women who drive the trucks; there are many others in the industry who need to be recognised also.”
Graeme Elphinstone’s
induction to this Wall of Fame is a testament to his five decades of innovation in heavy vehicle design and safety.
A Tasmanian born and bred, Graeme began his career in the early 1970s and quickly became a problemsolver for the transport challenges of the era.
In 1976, Graeme and his brother Dale imported and fitted Australia’s first onvehicle truck weighing system – installing scales on a Tasmanian log truck to accurately measure its load.
This pioneering step revolutionised load management, allowing drivers to know their weight before hitting the highway,
and laid the foundation for modern onboard mass monitoring in heavy vehicles.
With Graeme’s help, Tasmanian Pulp and Forest Holdings’ woodchip mill in Triabunna introduced a groundbreaking “non-payment for overload” policy that removed the incentive for truck drivers to carry overweight loads.
This initiative, a collaboration between the mill, logging contractors and Transport Tasmania, is regarded as one of the first practical applications of today’s Chain of Responsibility (COR) principles in Australian transport.
Graeme’s efforts in ensur-
ing trucks were no longer overloaded beyond legal limits improved safety and fairness for drivers and operators alike, inspiring a new era of innovation in the industry.
“Vehicle overloading was prevalent,” Graeme recalled of the 1970s, when recounting why he pursued onboard scales.
“One of the biggest problems for truck operators was accurately estimating the weight of their load.
For the first time, logging transport had entered a new level of professionalism, with far fewer roadside weighbridge violations and drivers finally enjoying ‘peace of mind’ as
● Graeme Elphinstone at home in the bush.
● An Elphinstone Tri-Beam suspension folded up onto a Mack Superliner leaving Triabunna factory (Circa 1987).
they now had a legal load.”
By giving drivers realtime weight information, the Elphinstone onboard weighing system helped improve compliance, reduce overloading, and enhance overall road safety.
Over the years, Graeme Elphinstone has led the way with a series of engineering breakthroughs in trailer design, suspension technology, and vehicle configurations.
His ideas, often ahead of their time, have since become industry standards in Australia, significantly improving driver safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency across the road transport sector.
His company’s design and deployment of folding trailers, multi-axle configurations such as tri axle, and advanced load distribution platforms have been widely adopted across the timber, mining,
and bulk haulage sectors.
In fact, Garry Leeson – also recently inducted (2023) – credited Elphinstone’s work in Tasmania for inspiring the mainland’s adoption of folding trailers and other innovations
“I’m truly humbled to be inducted into the Wall of Fame alongside so many legends of the road,” Graeme said.
“When I built my first trailer and fitted that first scale system, I never imagined it would lead to this. I’ve always just tried to solve problems and make trucks, trailers and transport in general safer and more efficient for everyone. To have those efforts recognised by the industry I love is an incredible honour,” he said.
“This award isn’t just mine; it belongs to our whole team and the many customers and partners who believed in our ideas over the years.”
Grant Elphinstone, General Manager of Elphinstone Weighing Systems (and Graeme’s son), paid tribute to his father’s dedication and influence.
“Dad has always been a trailblazer,” Grant said.
“For nearly 50 years, I’ve watched him push the boundaries of trailer design and challenge what’s possible with unique innovation. He was fitting onboard scales before most people knew such a thing existed.
“He was building PBSapproved trailers before PBS was even a common term. His focus has always been on making life easier and safer for drivers – and that’s why this recognition is so deserved,” Grant said.
“Our whole family and team are extremely proud of Graeme. His legacy will continue to inspire innovation in transport for years to come.”
award-winning
Elphinstone's Engineering Achievements
Over the years, Graeme Elphinstone has led the way with a series of engineering breakthroughs in trailer design, suspension technology, and vehicle configurations. His ideas, often ahead of their time, have since become industry standards in Australia, significantly improving driver safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency across the road transport sector.
Some of Graeme’s key innovations over his career include:
1976:
Fitting the first on-vehicle weighing system to an Australian truck, enabling drivers to monitor axle loads and gross weight on the go. This was an Australian-first solution that set new benchmarks for load compliance and safety in trucking.
1980:
Inventing the stretch mudguard for trucks – a longer, flexible mudguard design that is now an industry standard copied by many manufacturers, reducing road spray and debris for improved safety of following vehicles.
1983:
Designing the world’s first selfloading road train combination, featuring a four-axle dog trailer that could automatically load cargo (e.g. logs) without external equipment. In the same year, Graeme introduced innovative air transducers for air suspension systems to more accurately measure and adjust load pressure.
1985:
Developing the “Tri-Beam” suspension system – an inventive heavy-duty suspension design that earned Graeme the coveted BHP Steel Award for engineering innovation. This suspension improved load distribution and durability, contributing to safer and more stable heavy vehicles.
1986
Built the World’s First folding skeletal trailer, the Fold-ASkel™
1988:
Designing one of Australia’s earliest B-double trailer combinations. Graeme’s configuration (tandem-axle lead trailer with
tri-axle rear trailer) was the first of its kind, paving the way for widespread adoption of BDoubles in Australia’s freight fleet.
1989:
Creating the Easyweigh™ Radio Remote Indicator – the world’s first onboard weighing system with a wireless remote display. This innovation allowed drivers to monitor weights from outside the cab and, crucially, enabled trucks and trailers to interchange without recalibration, drastically improving operational flexibility.
1999:
Winner “Australian Trailer of the Year” for Easyloader™
2005:
Designed and built the world’s first self-loading B-Triple.
2007:
Designed and built world’s first self-loading Road-Train doubled trailer. The advantage of the self-loading Road-Train mean that operators can use short standard routes on the empty return journeys instead of the longer gazetted road train routes.
2008:
Graeme launched the Easyloader™ Long Logger trailer – an Australian-first, Performance-Based Standards (PBS) approved design that could carry 19-metre-long logs on a 26-metre B-double combination. This innovation, achieved under the then-new PBS scheme, dramatically increased payload capacity for the forestry industry while meeting stringent safety and handling standards, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and profitability for the industry.
2011-2013:
Developing the Easysteer™ selfsteering suspension system. This advanced trailer suspension automatically adjusts and guides rear axles during turns, reducing tyre wear and improving the turning ability of long combination vehicles. Easysteer™ enhanced safety and manoeuvrability for multi-trailer road trains, although it initially required persistent advocacy by Graeme to gain regulatory acceptance.
● An Elphinstone Low-Logger A-Double in Bunbury, Western Australia.
● The
Elphinstone Tri-Beam suspension delivered exceptional axle oscillation and load-sharing characteristics.
Forwarders New Komatsu 895.3 takes forwarding to next level
Since its launch in 2013 the Komatsu 895 has seen several upgrades for improved performance and with the latest version, the new Komatsu 895.3 taking the next significant step for further increase forwarder production.
The cooperation with customers has been a key role in this project. The experiences from plantation forestry in South America and Australia as well as final felling in the Nordic countries and North America have contributed invaluable input in the development work.
The first Komatsu 895.3 forwarder is set to be delivered in late September to Triple H Contracting Pty Ltd, based in Tasmania. Owned by Manuel Hall, the company has been a loyal Komatsu customer for over 20 years. He currently operates five Komatsu 895 and one 875 forwarders, with the oldest 895 having over 19,000 operating hours which will be traded on the new machine.
Manuel’s most recent addition was a Komatsu 895.2 equipped with the XT transmission and Comfort Ride Cab, delivered in 2022. He praised the XT transmission for significantly improving productivity in forest operations. “It’s the right transmission for Tassie conditions,” Manuel said. On the Comfort Ride Cab, he added, “You wouldn’t get the benefits without it. The higher speeds would be just too rough on the operator.”
Having already inspected the new 895.3 at Komatsu Forest’s Tasmanian branch, Manuel has high expectations for the latest model. “I’m really impressed with the size of the new crane, the rotator, and the grapple, all mounted on a much sturdier frame with a more robust load area,” he noted. Manuel summed it up best, “The new features cost much more, but they’ll be worth it.”
This Komatsu 895.3 forwarder comes equipped with the XT transmission, Comfit Ride Cab and boasts
the new larger crane enhancing its capability in larger timber operations. It features a larger grapple, updated load space, a reinforced frame designed to handle the increased crane, and fully upgraded hydraulic system. It also features the latest Smart Forestry system.
Key Improvements and Features:
• New Komatsu 205F Crane: A new, powerful crane with a lifting torque of 205 kNm and slewing torque of 51.9 kNm, optimized for forest plantations. The crane has a robust, welded crane pillar which together with the inner boom and outer boom provides both good lifting capacity and lifting geometry. The crane has a reach of 8.5m (Aust Std) with single telescope or there is an option for the combi which has a 10m reach via a two-stage telescope.
• New Komatsu G85H Grapple: A brand new, larger grapple model, G85H to match the new crane, with tip-to-tip area 0.4 m2. It’s complimented by a powerful new GX Rotator.
• Transmission: Standard Speed Shift or XT Transmission. The XT option has been designed to deliver increased tractive effort whilst also providing a far higher travel speed when travelling in low range, this is a great benefit when travelling in step and difficult terrain, it’s ideal for machines working in steep conditions.
• Reinforced Frame: The redesigned frame and articulating system are built to handle the increased crane capacity and provide improved durability.
• Enhanced New Load Space: The load space has been redesigned with a robust telescopic gate and new hard-wearing bunks with telescopic widening
function. The entire gate is raised and lowered hydraulically and the new bunks have a telescopic widening function. This increases the productivity of loading and unloading.
• New Hydraulic System: The updated system includes a new, larger hydraulic pump and is electrically controlled for improved response and efficiency.
• MaxiFleet Integration: MaxiFleet has become part of a new concept SMART FORESTRY which encompasses a broader concept of our digital processes.
KF’s goal is to develop a platform where together with customers, partners and other stakeholders enable remote monitoring of production, machine diagnostics, and more. Today, Smart Forestry consists of three different applications, making it easy to find the best solution.
Fleet Monitoring provides
you with full control over your machines, with the ability to plan remotely and all the necessary remote control functions – including support.
Vision includes all functions for practical map layers, collaboration between operators and the ability to monitor all production in real time.
Precision provides the ability to use the latest positioning technology to simplify the working day and reach new levels of precision for the work.
• Operator Comfort: The cab has been upgraded for improved operator comfort and protection, including features like a start button, remote central locking, and additional work lights.
The Komatsu 895.3 is designed to increase productivity in challenging forestry environments, particularly in plantation forestry.
● The first Komatsu 895.3 forwarder was set to be delivered in late September to Triple H Contracting Pty Ltd, based in Tasmania.
Trimble connects the entire supply chain to ensure every link is optimised for efficiency, every connection is seamless, and sustainability is embedded every step of the way.
Trimble Connected Forest® digital workflows connect and optimise the raw materials procurement process.
Trimble helps enhance transparency, reduce human error and drive new efficiencies that enhance productivity and profitability.
Learn more at: trimble.com/forestry email forestrysales@trimble.com or call our Trimble ANZ office: +64 27 285 5250.
Collision warning system for medium wheel loaders
Next generation Cat medium wheel loaders are infused with the latest technologies to advance safety and help customers work faster and with greater accuracy.
Fully integrated for optimal performance, the wheel loaders can be easily upgraded with optional technologies as work demands it.
New technology options available for next generation Cat 950, 962, 966, 966 XE, 972, 972 XE, 980, 980 XE, 982 and 982 XE wheel loaders now include an optional Collision Warning system with Motion Inhibit includes Object Detection, People Detection and Motion Inhibit as a package to improve safe operation by alerting operators and inhibiting loader motion in the instant a machine transitions from an inactive to an active state.
Starting with a foundation of the standard HD rear camera with an integrated touchscreen, Cat medium wheel loaders offer a progressive building block of optional technologies, including the Multiview (360°) Vision System, Rear Object Detection and now Collision Warning System with Motion Inhibit.
The new system uses radar and vision sensors to detect hazard potential, alert operators and inhibit motion when initiating reverse motion from a stationary position. Targeting collision potentials that emerge from behind the loader, the Collision Warning System leverages both smart camera and radar technology to give audible and visual alerts to help operators see, mitigate and manage hazards that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The system’s three color zones –yellow for awareness, amber for caution and red for critical – approximate the distance of the object to the anticipated path of the loader.
The embedded Motion Inhibit feature prevents direct reverse gear engagement when shifting from neutral and automatically applies the brake when the system detects an object or worker in the critical alarm zone behind the loader. When this occurs, the operator is alerted by an on-screen notification.
If the loader is stationary for at least 15 seconds and the operator shifts from park to reverse, Motion Inhibit prevents the machine from engaging reverse when the rear detection system identifies something in the critical alarm zone. The loader will reverse once the
operator shifts back into neutral and steers to clear the detection.
People Detection utilizes the smart camera to alert the operator when a person is detected behind the loader.
Three levels of alerts dynamically adjust based on the person’s proximity to the machine, and the system highlights people in red bounding boxes on the in-cab monitor to distinguish and manage the potential risk.
The new Cat Payload for Trade option builds on the Cat Advanced Payload Scale system that electronically captures weight and other data from the loader, now in a certified way, and can send it to the office or directly via email.
Standard Cat Payload delivers precise bucket load information with on-the-go weighing to help prevent overloading or underloading.
Upgrading to the Advanced Payload system expands automation features and capabilities, including automatic tip-off assist for the final bucket process to help precisely meet target payloads.
A new multitask mode within Advanced Payload tracks two loading processes simultaneously, while split mode allows for loading multiple bodies, tracking individual targets and tabulating grand totals of each load.
Optional Cat Advanced Payload is a system upgrade that offers expanded features and capabilities. Tip-off assist adds automation to the final bucket process. Multitask mode tracks two loading processes simultaneously. Split mode allows for loading multiple bodies
tracking individual targets and grand totals. Add Dispatch for Loading** to integrate
The Cat Payload for Trade option for Cat Advanced Payload allows you to integrate scale data directly into your business processes.
while
the loader into the scale house process.
Two new heads for tough jobs
Waratah Forestry Equipment has launched two new harvester heads — the H427 and the H427X — to deliver powerful, durable and reliable solutions for today’s toughest forestry applications.
Built to handle large timber, the H427 offers high productivity and precision, while the H427X extends that performance with heavy-duty features, purpose-built for tracked machine applications.
“As the largest heads in our 400 Series lineup, the H427 and H427X are built to give loggers the confidence they need in the forest,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah.
“Whether it’s the versatility of the H427 or the heavy-duty capabilities of the H427X, both models are designed to enhance performance, durability, pro-
ductivity and reliability in demanding environments.”
The rugged H427 is built for big timber and demanding applications from late thinning to the final cut.
Featuring a strong frame, high-performance saws including an optional top saw and HD tilt frame, it delivers durability, feed force and cut capacity needed for reliable productivity. Its saws are a standout feature, providing fast, precise cutting even in the toughest conditions.
With an operating weight of 1655 kg (3649 lb.), the H427 balances strength and stability in rugged forestry conditions. The latest measuring system design improves length and diameter accuracy, while an efficient control valve and optimized four-roller feed arm geometry ensure consistent performance on wheeled and tracked carriers. A four-knife delimbing
system and streamlined service access further enhance uptime, making the H427 a high-output solution for loggers. Weighing in at 1853 kg (4085 lb.), the
H427X delivers the same performance benefits as the H427 but is purposebuilt for heavy-duty tracked machine applications.
The H427X features a standard, heavy-duty tilt frame and heavy-duty feed motor covers for added durability and protection.
● The Waratah 427X features a standard, heavy-duty tilt frame and heavy-duty feed motor covers.
Tigercat forwarder turns heads at FOREXPO
Tigercat Industries launched the new TCi 1055D forwarder at 2025 FOREXPO in France with the machine attracting a great deal of attention during the two-day event. The heavy duty 15-tonne forwarder was designed out of the gate to be highly configurable to meet many differing local requirements that make up the global forwarder market. The machine can be specified with two transmission choices to optimize the machine based on typical terrain conditions. Three bunk systems, and three available wagon frame lengths further customize the forwarder for thinning or final harvesting as well as varying log length requirements. Several crane choices are available.
The operator’s cabin has undergone a complete redesign. With increased legroom, the spacious interior is designed for optimal ergonomics and effective climate control. Both the seat and seat base are configurable according to preference and operating conditions. Multiple storage locations are available to the operator, including mesh net secured overhead storage for light weight items, various slots and cubbies, and a dedicated floor level area suitable for work boots or lunch storage.
Clear operator sightlines reduce fatigue and increase productivity. The curved rear window gives the operator an unobstructed upward view of the crane and clear sightlines to the en-
tire work area. The placement and shape of the front and rear control panels, as well as the fuel and hydraulic tank structures, allow for clear sightlines to the blade and tires. Additionally, the vertical gate slats are progressively angled to enhance through-visibility to the load area.
The operator controls are new with an intuitive and comfortable layout. The drive control system has separate engine rpm and drive speed controls, along with preprogrammed speed settings for fine speed control and convenient operation.
The hydraulically operated front hood enclosure opens to provide a safe and roomy work platform. From the elevated platform, the operator can
walk around both sides of the engine. A pull-down ladder behind the cab gives access to standing areas be-
side the hydraulic and fuel tanks, and the power-tilting cab provides access to major hydraulic components.
● Tigercat’s new TCi 1055D forwarder.
Turning overlooked timber into something valuable
Keith Smiley
Amid the lush coastal landscapes of Queensland’s Rockhampton area, Whitsunday Timber has grown into a trusted name under the leadership of Craig Yeoman.
As managing director, Yeoman has guided the family-owned business from a regional supplier into a respected player across north Queensland.
Beyond the timber mill, he also serves as pastor of a local church in Frenchville, Rockhampton—balancing business leadership with community service, faith, and a deep respect for people and the environment.
The past 12 months have brought favourable conditions for Whitsunday Timber, even as much of Queensland endured severe challenges.
Through faith, commitment, and steady leadership, Craig Yeoman has guided the business through difficulties while managing its transition.
“I’m actually a pastor as well as a business owner. For many years I served in a church in the Whitsundays, and later started the business in Airlie Beach. We’re now in the middle of a transition to Rockhampton, a move that’s taken about 12 months. Our original plant was located halfway between Airlie and Proserpine, just off the Bruce Highway.”
Craig says the idea for the milling facility was born out of a simple belief: good timber shouldn’t go to waste. “My wife Janelle and I designed the model together,” he explains. “Too often when arborists cut down trees, the logs end up chipped or dumped. We thought that was a real shame. So, we built relationships with local arborists. Now, when they’ve got timber, they’ll call me—I’ve got a truck with a crane and grapple, and I can be in and out in 20 minutes. It saves them
a lot of work, is more economical, and most importantly, gives that timber a second life.”
“This is a hobby business within a legal trust—it’s therapeutic, environmentally minded, productive, and keeps me close to nature. I spent eight years at Whitsunday Baptist Church and I now serve as pastor at Rockhampton Baptist. The two roles may be very different, but both remind me that working with people is, in its own way, deeply therapeutic.
Balancing his pastoral and entrepreneurial lives, Craig brings a unique blend of empathy and enterprise to both. His ministry emphasizes authentic relationships and helping others follow a higher purpose through everyday situations.
“Most of my customers have no idea I’m a pastor unless it comes up in conversation—the focus
is usually on the timber. Every now and then, though, someone takes a genuine interest, and that opens up some really positive conversations.”
At the heart of the milling operation is a Wood-Mizer LT50 hydraulic system—a precise, programmable machine ideal for cutting dimensional timber and solid slabs.
Most of the business comes directly from walk-in customers, as Queensland’s strict regulations mean timber for the building industry must be formally treated. While Whitsunday Timber hasn’t pursued that path, Craig Yeoman ensures the timber is carefully sprayed during drying to keep out borers and beetles.
Instead, the focus is on supplying end users— particularly furniture makers—who prize the unique cuts and character that aren’t typically found at local sawmills.
“We’re usually working with timber that’s hard to source elsewhere, which makes it especially desirable,” Yeoman explains. “We sell from Frenchville a suburb of Rockhampton. I’ll be milling down at Midgee, where I can sell direct from there. I just cut down a Tamarind tree, which I’ll mill that in slabs, and sell it off, whatever timber I get I’ll sell; this is not timber you commonly see on the market.”
Slabs are used for kitchen benchtops, counters, bathrooms, tables, with widths up to 850 wide and between 300 and 500 are common sizes and mostly hardwood such as, white, pink, red and McKay cedar, and natives like Leichardt which are 500 wide and sometimes damson, which is a stable, easy to work, structural and furniture grade timber for unexposed areas.
Craig left school after
Year 10 and became a shoe salesman, later earning a diploma of ministry in his early 20s, gaining leadership experience across various pastoral roles and even running a 4WD business and a mechanics workshop. He’s in his late fifties, and might downscale to ‘slow down a little’. Their boys are ‘carving their lives and doing well’, while Janelle runs a bookshop in ‘Rocky’.
Craig is an unassuming man, driven to succeed, while ensuring Whitsunday Timber’s growth leaves a positive mark on both customers and the industry. With his faith, resilience, and love of craft, Craig Yeomans has built more than a business: He has built a story of redemption—turning overlooked timber into something valuable, much like the pastoral work that shapes his daily life.
● Craig Yeoman feeding his Mizer in Rockhampton
Komatsu with Bigger Crane & Smart Forestry
The Komatsu 895.3 offers new larger Komatsu 205F Crane with G85H Grapple supported by Smart Forest technology;
• XT Transmission......for 307kN torque
• Reinforced Frame.....for heavier loads
• Enhanced Load Space.....for increased productivity The new 895.3 for higher productivity in tough conditions