Friday Offcuts – 18 July 2025
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Offcuts.This week, NZ’s Tasman region is grappling with the aftermath of severe flooding. In response, the Government has announced a NZ$600,000 support package for affected rural communities. The event has reignited debate over forestry practices, with proposed changes to slash management now open for public consultation. In Australia, FWPA has committed A$8.75 million to new forestry research projects, targeting forest health, biosecurity, remote sensing, automation, and robotics. Western Australia is inviting businesses to purchase plantation and native forest timbers, while Victoria is encouraging greater investment in farm forestry. Also in this issue, new market analysis for both countries, a study confirming that FSC certification supports forest cover growth, and the launch of a hybrid electric logging yarder. Finally, the programme for FIEA’s Residues2Revenues 2025 has just been released. The popular wood residues event will run on 21–22 October 2025 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Read on for these stories and more in another packed edition of Friday Offcuts.
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This week we have for you:
Tasman communities hit by growing trees not slash
A forestry industry leader says many of the trees that came down
in Tasman areas were growing trees that had fallen, not slash.
The head of the Forest Owners Association is flying to flood damaged Tasman as it grapples with fallen trees, forestry slash and silt. It appears the forestry industry itself has taken a big hit with thousands of hectares of pine plantation wiped out. The association's chief executive Elizabeth Heeg told Morning Report the forestry industry was open to changing their management operations. "I appreciate in a really hard event, like what we have just been through, that it seems like there should be a way for us to prevent the wood coming down into the communities, and that's something that we are really interested in working with the communities on." But she said there were several areas that weren't active harvesting operations - which produces slash - but rather growing trees that came down. More >> Source: RNZ FWPA announces investment in new forestry research
Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is pleased to
announce the approval of $8.75 million in funding for seven new forestry
research projects following our January 2025 open call for proposals.
This investment is part of FWPA’s ongoing commitment to advancing innovation across the forest and wood products sector. The selected projects bring together researchers, growers, and industry partners from across the country to address high-priority challenges in areas such as:
More >> Source & image credit: FWPA NZ$600,000 support package for flood-affected foresters
The NZ Government is increasing its financial contribution to
support rural communities in the Nelson Tasman Region, with
additional funding to help farmers, foresters, growers and rural
contractors recover from recent severe weather events.Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay speaking during a visit to the Tasman District this week, announced an additional $600,000 in Government and industry support, bringing the total Government financial contribution for the affected primary sector to $500,000. “These regions have experienced significant damage to forests, farms and rural infrastructure. This funding will help meet immediate recovery needs and help rural businesses get back on their feet,” Mr McClay says. The support package includes:
“Many farmers and growers are facing their second clean-up in a fortnight from floods and storm damage. Rural communities are resilient, but the relentless wet weather conditions have taken a toll. This support is designed to provide meaningful and direct assistance quickly,” Mr McClay says. MPI staff are on the ground working with the Rural Support Trust and industry groups assessing damage and coordinating assistance. “Farmers, foresters and growers will face many, many months of work to repair damage to their land and get their businesses back on track. We will continue to assess what further assistance might be required.” “Farmers and growers who need help or assistance should in the first instance contact their local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254,” Mr McClay said. More >> Source: NZ Government Image credit: Tasman District Council
Opportunities to purchase plantation and native forest timbers
The Forest Products Commission (the FPC) invites new,
established and emerging businesses to purchase Western Australian
plantation and native forest timbers. The FPC is establishing a panel of buyers to purchase residues and industrial wood salvaged from native forest and plantation activities until 2033. These timbers are typically processed as fibre for pulp, paper, fibreboard, wood composites and energy markets. The FPC’s Request for Proposal calls for businesses to become panel members. At the same time, the FPC is seeking offers for the first plantation and native forest timber parcels: Request for Quote 1 - Plantation Timber
More >> Source & image credit: The Forest Products Commission, WA Government  Residues2Revenues 2025 conference programme released
The much-anticipated FIEA programme for Residues2Revenues 2025 has
been announced, promising a deep dive into the burgeoning bioenergy
sector. The conference, taking place on 21-22 October
2025, in Rotorua, will bring together industry leaders,
innovators, and stakeholders to explore the theme of transforming the
forestry sector into a powerhouse for biofuels, bioenergy, and renewable
bioproducts.The upcoming ‘Residues2Revenues’ conference continues to be the place for all wood energy users and residues suppliers to meet and learn about where the industry leaders are bringing value to these markets. With energy costs escalating, wood residues are vital to moderate the costs for wood manufacturers and other energy users. The programme features several case studies, including the recently upgraded energy systems at Red Stag Timber. Operations manager Shane Batchelor will speak on this case study. As wood energy markets grow and diversify, industry producers attending this October conference can better understand the needs of their bioenergy customers. This year’s conference offers delegates the choice of two conferences running concurrently in the one place, with a new ‘Bioeconomy Innovations 2025’ programme added for this year only. The 2025 programme boasts an impressive lineup of speakers and sessions designed to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in the bioeconomy. The keynote address will be delivered by Don G. Roberts, bioenergy expert & CEO of Nawitka Capital Advisors, Canada, who will speak on “Championing Transformation – Global Challenges and Opportunities in Using Forest Resource for High Value Products.” Other programme highlights include:
“We are thrilled with the programme we’ve put together for 2025,” said FIEA Director, John Stulen. “It reflects the dynamism and innovation within the bioenergy sector. This conference is a must-attend for anyone serious about the future of energy and the role of forestry in creating a more sustainable and profitable future.” Residues2Revenues 2025 is expected to attract a diverse audience, including forest owners and managers, harvesting contractors, wood processing companies, energy producers, researchers, and policymakers. Registration for Residues2Revenues 2025 is now open. For more information and to register, please visit the official website Source: FIEA Image credit: Vecoplan  Australian timber market update
FWPA has just released a number of key stats, trends and updates on Australian timber markets. The latest forecast of agricultural commodities indicates an increase in the total value of forestry products The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has released its Agricultural Commodities Report for the June quarter of 2025. The total value of forestry products, which includes both softwood and hardwood, is now estimated at $2.5 billion for FY2024–25, marking an 8% increase from the previous forecast in December 2024. Looking ahead, the value is projected to rise further to $2.7 billion in FY 2025–26, reflecting a 9% year-on-year increase. More >> Insights from FWPA’s new Australian dwelling forecast dataset As part of FWPA’s ongoing program to enhance the functionality and value of its Data Dashboard, the Australian Dwelling Forecast Dataset has now been incorporated into the platform as a downloadable file. This dataset is updated monthly, following the release of the latest dwelling approval figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), to ensure users have access to timely and relevant information. More >> Housing approvals continue to improve The monthly approvals data for May continues to show progress being made compared to April with total approvals of 15,212, up 3.2% from the previous month. Confirming that the trend year-on-year for approvals is up 6.5%. Importantly for the timber industry, detached house approvals were up 0.1% for the month and 3.2% when comparing the May 2025 to May 2024. More >> EWP imports – up. Most wood panel imports – down The latest data on engineered wood product (EWP) imports for the year ending April 2025 shows mixed trends across product categories. Key highlights include:
Woodchip trade softens but prices largely stable in Asia Australian woodchip exports totalled 382.8 kbdmt (thousand bone-dry metric tons) in April 2025, down -8.5% on the prior month
Softwood sales volume Softwood sales in October 2024 show (on the less volatile year-end basis) a continuation of the softwood market, which has declined every month since November 2021. In October, 2024 the year-end sales were 2.68 million m3, down -3.2% over the previous period. The monthly data is more positive with sales for October of 245,061m3, up +7.3% over the previous month. Over the past six months, monthly sales have seen four positive months and two negative months. More >> Source: FWPA  NZ July 2025 market update
The law of averages is rarely wrong, especially when it comes to
rain. If you’ve had a nice dry summer and autumn, you can
generally brace yourself for a good old-fashioned whopping at some point
during winter, and this year is no different.While many parts have seen massive rainfall during July, the Nelson and Tasman regions were absolutely pasted and had the unfortunate double whammy with a significant wind event. This, on top of super saturated soils, has created a severe windthrow event reminiscent of the Gabrielle event that flattened forests around the Taupo region. While it’s too early to give accurate estimates of the damage, early comments are that it’s chunky and likely around 4,000ha. What is important is that no matter how much wood is on the deck, it’s unlikely to have the same impact on increased export volumes as the Taupo salvage. There are a few reasons for this including topography, logging crew availability and port configuration. While the Taupo region was largely flat, Nelson/Tasman is steeper meaning more specialist machinery is required and that machinery is much harder to mobilise into the region due to the bit of water between the lslands. In addition, the Nelson Port can only load vessels on one berth which limits the throughput for export logs and hence the volume that can be put through the entire system. Deliveries into China from NZ have slowed in recent months as a result of winter and subdued prices and this is unlikely to pick up this side of summer – which currently seems as long way away. In-market inventories have been steadily reducing month on month since February and, even though Chinese uplift has reduced, inventories have continued to head south. What is important to note is that China is in its low season for construction and therefore demand is subdued, however we are still seeing reductions in the inventory position of around 60,000m3 per month. At the current rate we will see inventory into the sub 3.0 million m3 range by year-end, which is getting into pucker territory for buyers, and buyer pucker is good for sellers. The in-market sales price (CFR) has increased slightly from June into the $US111-113/m3 range, more due to the impact of the log futures market than real demand. Shipping has settled down after a slight flurry following the US and Israel’s set-to with Iran and FOREX continues to hover around the $US0.60 mark. Combined, this has led to a slight increase in At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices in NZ for July with A grade around $115/m3 in Southern North Island ports. This AWG spot price level is unlikely to see anyone want to hit the go button on a short-term harvest, however, as inventory reduces and summer approaches, we will probably see a historic price uptick from September onwards. More >> Source & image credit: Forest360 .jpg) Slash & forestry management changes proposed – reactions
Less than two weeks remain for the public to have their say on
sweeping proposals to change many aspects of the RMA, including how
forestry and slash are managed.Under proposed changes to the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF), councils would be more restricted in their ability to set harder controls. Other proposals would require all forest harvests to have ‘slash mobilisation risk assessments’ as part of their harvest management plans, and/or change requirements around slash removal. Consultation on the proposed NES-CF runs until Sunday, 27 July 2025. Dr Steve Urlich, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, Lincoln University, commented, “Stabilising hill country is a national emergency as intense rainfall occurs more frequently. Recent cyclones and atmospheric rivers have led to loss of life, profound economic and infrastructure damage, and ecosystem degradation." More >> Source: Science Media Centre SnapSTAT - Forest area for OECD countries This chart, titled "Forest area in OECD countries," displays the percentage of forested land area for various OECD countries in 2012 and show large variations in forest cover among these nations. Finland leads with the highest percentage of forested land at 72.9%, followed closely by Sweden (69.2%) and Japan (68.6%). At the other end of the spectrum, Iceland has a minimal 0.32% of its land covered in forest. New Zealand is in the middle with 31.3% forest cover. 
Australian firefighters join international Canada deployment
Forestry Corporation firefighters from Tumut and Deniliquin will
deploy to Canada this week to reinforce local and international crews
battling ongoing wildfires, where close to five million
hectares have been burnt, approximately 150 wildfires remain active, and
multiple communities have been evacuated.Forestry Corporation’s Linda Cotterill of Tumut will deploy to the position of Divisional Supervisor in Alberta and Peter O’Toole of Deniliquin will deploy as an Incident Management Team Safety Officer in Manitoba. The firefighters will be based in Canada for four weeks, working in challenging conditions. Linda has been involved in fire management throughout Australia for 28 years, but this is her first international deployment. Linda said, “I have been fortunate to work all over Australia on fire management and suppression across 28 seasons as both a volunteer and professional forest firefighter. “There are tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated in Canada. Family is very important to me and I know what it means when people are managing fires and also wanting to be home assisting their loved ones and communities. I’m grateful to have the support of my partner and three sons, as well as my manager and colleagues picking up the additional load back home, to be able to provide that assistance and relief to the Canadian firefighters. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to seeing how things are done differently and what I can bring back to share for Forestry Corporation and for our region. There are a lot of lessons that I have gained when firefighting interstate and international firefighting is another dimension that can help us improve forest firefighting in Tumut.” Peter has been a forestry firefighter for nearly nine years and this is his first international deployment. “I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to repay the Canadian services for their help in the 2019-20 fire season. During the 2019-20 season I worked alongside Canadian and Kiwi firefighters who came in to support us and I have worked with a lot of Canadians as seasonal staff over many years. I am looking forward to being able to help them out in return,” Peter said. The deployment follows a formal request for assistance through international firefighting agreements and highlights the strong collaboration between Australia and Canada in emergency response. It is the third Forestry Corporation deployment to Canada this winter, with eight Forestry Corporation staff from Bathurst, Bombala, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Wauchope and Eden deployed in June and currently completing month-long deployments. Forestry Corporation continues to support bushfire preparedness and response efforts both at home and abroad, ensuring its fire specialists are ready to assist wherever they are needed most. More >> Source: Forestry Corporation Read also: 43-strong Kiwi taskforce deployed to Canadian wildfires Funding boost to support farm forestry in Murrindindi, Victoria
Murrindindi Shire Council welcomes the announcement of $130,000
in Victorian Government funding to support the work of the Farm Forestry
Innovation Working Group, part of Council’s broader
Shaping Murrindindi’s Future program. Council auspiced the funding
application on behalf of the community-led Innovation Working Group,
which is focused on identifying sustainable and innovative approaches to
farm forestry in the region.This funding will enable delivery of the Murrindindi Farm Forestry Project, a strategic initiative to assess the current state of farm forestry across the Shire, identify opportunities for growth and innovation, and build on the region’s deep expertise in forestry and land management. The project will explore the potential for small to medium-scale plantations on farming land, supporting income diversification through products such as sustainably harvested timber, firewood, carbon offset credits, eucalyptus oils and native food production. A proposed pilot Farm Forestry Interpretive Centre will also be developed to share knowledge, showcase innovation and support best practice across the industry. This investment builds on the foundations of Shaping Murrindindi’s Future, a community-led initiative supporting the region’s economic diversification in response to the Victorian Government’s phase-out of native timber harvesting. Farm forestry is emerging as a key opportunity for innovation, aligning with Council’s environmental values and the community’s aspirations for a more resilient and sustainable future. Cr Sandice McAulay, Council’s Economic Development Portfolio Councillor, said “This investment will help our community explore the economic and environmental potential of farm forestry. It supports our vision for a stronger, more diversified local economy, and Council looks forward to working with the community and industry partners to explore how farm forestry can deliver long-term benefits for Murrindindi Shire.” For more information on Council’s Farm Forestry project, visit the Shaping Murrindindi's Future website. Source & image credit: Murrindindi Shire Council FSC certification contributes to increasing forest cover
A new study in The Journal of Cleaner Production confirms that
FSC certification contributes to maintaining and increasing forest
cover, especially in lower-middle income countries. These
findings reinforce the conclusions of previous research and provide
insights on adapting regional certification strategies to increase
sustainable forest management.The study, led by researchers Inoussa Boubacar and Yaya Sissoko, investigated the critical role of FSC certification in promoting sustainable forest management and mitigating deforestation across diverse economic and climatic contexts. Using dynamic panel data model and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimations on 70 countries from 2000 – 2021, the researchers examined forest cover as a measure for impact of FSC certification. Key findings Results indicate that FSC certification contributes to maintaining and increasing forest cover across diverse economic and climatic contexts. This positive impact is most strongly observed in lower-middle income countries (as defined by World Bank economic classifications). Scaling up certification and integrating it into national policies could benefit countries of this economic category. The data also shows positive impacts of certification on low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The study also found that FSC certification has a positive impact on all climate zones – tropical, temperate, and others. However, the strength of the impact varies across zones, highlighting the need for region-specific strategies. More >> Source & image credit: Forest Stewardship Council International The first machine of its kind - hybrid electric logging yarder
T-Mar Industries Ltd, a Canadian manufacturer that specialises
in building machines for the forestry industry, has developed the first
ever hybrid electric logging yarder.“This is the first machine of its kind anywhere,” says Tyson Lambert, VP of T-Mar Industries Ltd. A logging yarder is a crane like machine that has been used in the industry more than a century. “It’s basically a zipline for logs,” adds Lambert. “You put a log yard in a logging setting that’s inaccessible to machinery.” Called the 7280E Hybrid Electric Drive Yarder, it has taken T-Mar five years to develop, and uses electric drives that share power back and forth like a hybrid vehicle. “(It’s) very different from a traditional machine where it’s all mechanically linked and gears and clutches have to engage to make everything work,’ says Philip Biebach, mechanical engineer for T-Mar Industries Ltd. More >> (including video) Source: CTV News  Jobs
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