Region Archives: International

Business & Politics

South Australia beats Melbourne to new timber facility

By Bevin Liu and Tina Perinotto
The Fifth Estate Australia
March 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

There’s good reason to expect that South Australia’s timber buildings will become taller, more prevalent, and more complex as engineered wood specialists Timberlink open the doors to its new facilities, according to state premier Peter Malinauskas. …The company says it’s Australia’s only facility that can combine CLT and glue laminated timber (GLT) radiata pine mass timber and the first in Australia to integrate this with a structural timber manufacturing plant. …Malinauskas said, “The state government is committed to a sustainable economic path for our forest industries, and that is why we were pleased to contribute $2 million of funding.” The contribution might have helped South Australia beat a Melbourne contender for the location. According to David Oliver, the facility would take up to three years to reach full capacity. It currently employs 27 people with the potential to scale to 50 staff.

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European forest industry requests Japanese imports ban on Russian wood products

The Lesprom Network
March 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The European Organization of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) raised the question of a possible Japanese ban on the imports of Russian wood products, in particular lumber and glue laminated timber. According to figures shared by the Japanese Lumber Importers Association, Japan in 2023 was still importing 13% of its total lumber imports from Russia. This is regrettable. …We believe that a concerted effort to persuade Japan to stop importing Russian lumber would be a significant step in further impacting the Russian economy and its war machine. Our trade posture towards Russia, and sanctions in particular, should be coordinated and coherent among the coalition of countries that have decided to punish Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

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Finnish forestry firms temporarily shut paper mills, suspend wage payments

YLE News
March 12, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

FINLAND — Finland’s three biggest forestry sector companies — UPM, Stora Enso and the Metsä Group — have all announced plans to temporarily close some of their pulp or paper mills due to a two-week walkout by workers that began on Monday. The political strikes reflect worker unions’ continued opposition to the government’s planned changes to labour market legislation. A statement released by UPM revealed that the company planned to shut at least four factories while the political strike is ongoing, and may close more. …Metsä Group also announced that it will close its pulp mill in Lappeenranta, but still plans to continue paying wages for the time being. Stora Enso said its packaging board mill in Varkaus will cease operations from Wednesday. …Petri Vanhala, chair of the Paperworkers’ Union, criticised the decision by employers to suspend wage payments due to the closures.

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Junnikkala commissions new 350,000m3 sawmill from Veisto in Finland

Junnikkala Oy in Forest Economic Advisors
March 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

OULU, Finland — Finnish sawmill company Junnikkala has commissioned its new €80m sawmill in Oulu. The company’s group staff were transported to the site on February 23 to view the mill, which will have an increased 350,000m3 sawn Timber. Approximately 90% of the production is destined for export markets. Veisto Oy supplied the technology for the new mill. Installation began in September 2023, and commissioning took place in December 2023. The line is expected to be fully operational in July 2024.

Related in Lesprom: Veisto installs world’s most modern saw line at Junnikkala mill

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Finance & Economics

Paper packaging facility closures in February

By Maria Rachal
Manufacturing Dive
March 7, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Packaging manufacturers continue to tighten their manufacturing footprints as a result of changes to demand, restructuring plans and M&A deals. These were some of the announcements and disclosures in February:

  • Cascades announced it’s closing three containerboard facilities in Canada and the U.S.
  • Domtar is indefinitely curtailing operations at its mill in Ashdown, Arkansas.
  • Mohawk Fine Papers, certain assets of which were recently in Ohio in February. 
  • SEE disclosed WARN notice that it’s closing a site in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, impacting 83 . 
  • Sonoco announced permanent closures in Sumner, Washington, and Memphis, Tennessee.
  • Stora Enso expects to lay off up to 1,000 employees across all divisions.
  • Tetra Pak will shutter packaging material production operations in Singapore, impacting 300. 

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Softwood imports for 2023 finished higher than the previous year

Specification OnLine UK
March 8, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

UK — Timber imports rallied in 2023 to finish just 2% down on the previous 12 months, according to the latest TDUK statistics. Despite the challenging end to 2023 seen across the construction sector, timber import volumes for the year were actually higher in three of the six product groups, with softwood imports in 2023 just outperforming the volumes seen in 2022 with growth of 0.8%. Overall, the volume of the main imported timber and panel products ended 2023 a little lower than in 2022, down by 2.2% on the previous 12 months. …After a slow start, softwood imports gained impetus in the second half, to end the year 1% higher. Hardwood, plywood, particleboard and engineered wood products imports were all lower in 2023, but OSB import volumes were significantly higher (up 19.4%) and MDF volumes, too, were 2.2% higher than in 2022.

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UK building and construction manufacturers on stronger footing for 2024

Builders Merchant News
March 5, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

UK — New analysis shows that building and construction manufacturers have rebounded from the supply chain challenges of 2022, with a jump in profitability. Mid-sized firms in the sector have benefitted from demand for products and stabilising supply chains, according to the latest Manufacturers’ Health Index, compiled quarterly by inventory management software brand Unleashed. The report reveals data on GMROI (gross margin return on inventory) – a measure of the profits made on inventory costs – across 16 manufacturing categories. Manufacturers were also surveyed to gain first-hand insights into the specific challenges and opportunities they face. Building and construction made an average of £2.51 for every pound invested in inventory, up from £1.80 in the previous quarter. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Plastics recycling has consequences for people and the planet – and it may just be a scam

By Adnan Khan
The Globe & Mail
March 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, International

A new report published last month by the U.S.-based Center for Climate Integrity has made some explosive accusations against the petrochemical industry, accusing it of a “decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics.” More than 99% of plastics are produced from fossil fuels, the report notes, and the “vast majority” cannot be processed and remanufactured into new products. …The dismal numbers add an alarming dimension to the growing evidence that plastic is not only toxic to the environment and human health, but difficult to dispose of, too. …Even the plastic waste correctly labelled as recyclable is, in fact, not recyclable forever. “The reality is that plastics can only be recycled – or more accurately ‘downcycled’ – once, rarely twice,” the report points out. “For this reason, plastics have a linear rather than circular lifespan – when viable, recycling provides only a brief delay on their inevitable journey to landfills.” [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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Inside Vancouver’s Vienna House Project And Vienna’s Vancouver House Project

By Howard Chai
Storeys.com
March 11, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West, International

VANCOUVER and VIENNA — Last month, the Province of BC announced that a new affordable housing project called Vienna House had begun construction, the culmination of a unique partnership between the City of Vancouver and the City of Vienna, the capital city of Austria. …”We were working under the mandate to be the greenest city in the world, and part of what that had us doing is trying to learn lessons from other leading jurisdictions,” says Sean Pander for the City of Vancouver. …Pander says the City had a strong focus on green buildings, use of wood, and off-site fabrication. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is providing some funding; Natural Resources Canada is providing some funding through its Green Construction Through Wood Program; and Forest Innovation Investment is providing some funding through its Wood First program. …Firms involved in the Vienna House project include Wood WORKS! BC.

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Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out

By Petro Kotzé
Mongabay
March 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

While toilet paper use is ubiquitous in China, North America, parts of the EU and Australia, its environmental impact is rarely discussed. Environmentalists recently began urging people to be more aware of the real price paid for each roll — especially for luxury soft, extra-absorbent TP made from virgin tree pulp. Though not the global primary source of tissue pulp, large tracts of old-growth forest in Canada and Indonesia are being felled today for paper and tissue products, impacting biodiversity and Indigenous communities. Eucalyptus plantations to provide pulp for TP are mostly ecological deserts, and put a strain on water supplies. The environmental impacts of toilet paper occur all along its supply chain. Making TP is an energy- and water-intensive process, and also requires toxic PFAS and other chemicals. 

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Swedish companies unveil low-carbon wall system 60% lighter than traditional concrete

By Niall Patrick Walsh
Archinect
March 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A group of materials companies in Sweden has collaborated on a hybrid wall element with a lower carbon footprint than conventional concrete wall elements. The joint venture, comprising concrete element manufacturer Heidelberg Materials Preca and engineered timber manufacturer Metsä Wood, is now rolling out the element for live construction projects. The wall consists of a facade element in a sandwich construction with an outer layer made of ‘climate-improved’ concrete, intermediate insulation, and a load-bearing inner panel made of strong, material-efficient laminated veneer lumber. According to the group, the wall module has approximately 30–50% less of a climate impact than an equivalent traditional concrete wall while also being 60% lighter. …From their tests, the group determined that a typical house using the system could reduce its overall structure climate impact by 15–25%. The wall is particularly suited for buildings with up to five floors, such as residential, office, school, or healthcare facilities.

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European firms unveil concrete-timber hybrid walls

By Rod Sweet
Global Construction Review
March 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Swedish concrete-element maker Heidelberg Materials Precast Contiga and Finnish company Metsä Wood have developed a wall panel made from layers of concrete, insulation, and load-bearing laminated veneer lumber. They say the panel has a climate impact between 30% and 50% lower than a traditional concrete sandwich element, and is 60% lighter. …Walls can be made up to 75mm thinner than walls built only with concrete, which allows extra space inside buildings, they add. They built a small house at Heidelberg’s Norrtälje factory to test the panels’ performance, including for moisture ingress. “One of the advantages is that construction contractors… can still lower their carbon dioxide emissions,” said Håkan Arnebrant, of Metsä Wood. Daniel Eriksson said the panels’ lightness means twice as many of them can be shipped in a delivery.

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Adoption of mass timber on the rise in multiple sectors

By Alex Dunn
PropertyEU
March 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

EUROPE — It is not surprising that timber has always been a fundamental resource and building material globally. It is the only abundantly available, easily workable material capable of being stretched or extended, with good compression and bending strength combined with a relatively low weight. It is also entirely renewable. In that respect, it has no competitors. …Now we are going full circle. The real estate industry is experiencing a shift towards mass timber, which is emerging as a compelling alternative to traditional steel and concrete-based materials due to several societal developments. Drivers of mass timber adoption include Sustainability… Health and wellbeing … Automation… Densification… and Developments across all sectors. …The wider adoption of mass timber in real estate is not just a trend – it is a structural shift towards more sustainable and efficient construction.

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Spinnova and Suzano have signed a Letter of Intent regarding plans for a new production facility

Spinnova Group
March 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Finland – Spinnova Plc and Suzano S.A. have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) regarding a potential new production facility for wood-based SPINNOVA® fibre. Spinnova and its partners will deliver the fibre production technology to Suzano, who will be the owner and operator of the new production facility. The preliminary target capacity of the facility is 20 thousand tonnes of fibre per year, and it is likely to be located near an existing Suzano pulp mill. …Spinnova and Suzano have been joint venture partners since 2020 in Woodspin, whose first production facility producing wood-based SPINNOVA® fibre opened in 2023 in Jyväskylä, Finland. The Woodspin factory acts as an industrial demonstration of Spinnova’s technology and Suzano’s textile MFC technology and is used for qualifying the process and fibre output to support the investment decision for the new facility.

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$100M Australian Forest and Wood Innovations to secure sustainable future for forestry

By Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Government of Australia
March 12, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Murray Watt

AUSTRALIA — The future of sustainable forestry received a significant boost today with the official launch of the Albanese Government’s $100 million Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) program. AFWI is a collaboration between the Albanese Government and the University of Tasmania, committed to advancing research and innovation in Australian forest and wood products. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, said the University of Tasmania AFWI Headquarters in Launceston would support a local AFWI research centre, with further centres planned for the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Melbourne. “Establishing AFWI was an election commitment which we are proud to deliver and forms part of our record $300 million investment in the Australian forestry and forest product sector,” Minister Watt said.

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Vietnam surges up world furniture production rankings to 6th

By Vien Thong
Vietnam Express
March 11, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Vietnam was the sixth highest furniture producer in the world last year, according to a report by Italy-based economic think tank Center for Industrial Studies, moving up from 13th in 2014. The five largest are China, the U.S., Italy, Germany, and India. …Vietnam’s furniture industry has grown faster than any other country in the last 10 years. …According to data from the Department of Forestry, furniture accounted for 82.9%, or US$8.4 billion, of the country’s wood and wood products exports. Subsidiary Tran Duc Homes recently started exporting prefabricated wooden houses to the U.S. It has also invested in Southeast Asia’s first production line for cross-laminated timber, an alternative to traditional reinforced concrete. Nguyen Tuan Hung, an expert at the forestry department, estimated the international furniture market to be worth $405 billion. The exports of wood and wood products in the first two months of 2024 were worth $2.4 billion, up nearly 44% year-on-year.

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Why the Paris Olympics Will Be a Modest Showcase of Wood Architecture

By Feargus O’Sullivan and Jenny Che
Bloomberg
March 9, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

There’s something highly unusual about the new Olympic Aquatics Center on the outskirts of Paris. It’s not just the building’s striking form, with its massive, Pringle-shaped solar roof. It’s not solely that the 5,000-seat venue, constructed mainly from wood, was pieced together like a Lego set. It’s also the fact that the center, designed by architecture firms Ateliers 2/3/4/ and VenhoevenCS, will be the main architectural icon for a Summer Games that is actively trying not to build them. …But Paris 2024 wants to make sustainability, rather than monumental construction, its chief legacy. Compared to the pharaonic projects of the past, the aspiration might seem almost perverse. The Olympic Village, north of Paris, will be an eco-quarter where all buildings under eight floors will be made from wood and glass… using more wood in new construction — including the advanced wood components known as mass timber — is expected to play a significant role as well. 

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Mondi’s Advantage StretchWrap clinches Fastmarkets PPI Product Innovation Award

Mondi plc
March 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The Fastmarkets Forest Products PPI Awards are the only global awards dedicated to recognising the achievements of companies, mills and individuals in the pulp and paper sector. Advantage StretchWrap is a recyclable kraft paper that is made from responsibly sourced materials. Mondi developed it to stretch and resist punctures, making it ideal for replacing the plastic stretch film that has traditionally been used for pallet wrapping and transportation. Advantage StretchWrap has 62% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when compared to virgin plastic stretch film, and 49% lower GHG emissions when compared to plastic film made with 50% recycled content, according to a peer-reviewed independent life cycle assessment. …Mondi’s Advantage StretchWrap which is 100% kraft paper, delivers excellent protection for palletised goods due to high strength, puncture resistance and tension absorption.

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Fears of new UK cladding crisis after blaze destroys timber-frame homes

By Robert Booth
The Guardian
March 5, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A London council has warned of a potential new national fire safety crisis after it discovered hundreds of low-rise timber-frame homes had been fitted with plastic cladding that can spread fire. Barnet council has alerted the government and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, that other homeowners in similar properties across the country could be affected. It said the 580 homes that needed fixing in its area were “the tip of the iceberg”. The council has since found more homes with similar UPVC panels that were also not built with measures to stop the spread of fire. The one- and two-storey homes were built with timber frames from the 1930s to the 1960s but were retrofitted with UPVC cladding panels in the 1980s. Others have timber cladding, timber frames and inadequate fire compartmentation.

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AI Is Redefining Construction and Professionals Need to Lead the Change

By ZIGURAT Institute of Technology
Arch Daily
March 4, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

“We’re on the verge of one of the biggest revolutions that we’re going to face in the industry,” warns German Otto Bodenbender, Design Technology Manager at BIG Barcelona and Professor of ZIGURAT Institute of Technology. First, it was the CAD revolution, with the introduction of computers; then it was the turn of BIM methodology, with new processes and workflows; and now, when many professionals haven’t yet gotten used to all those changes, we have AI. This is not just affecting how we do things, but is revolutionizing the entire lifespan of construction processes, introducing new computational capacities in every single aspect of architecture, construction, and engineering. …For architects, AI opens a realm of possibilities in the design phase. …Builders, too, witness AI’s prowess in the construction phase, where predictive analytics aid in precise project scheduling and resource allocation, minimizing delays and cost overruns. 

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Forestry

If a tree falls in the forest, let the fallen log lie, say conservationists

By Benjamin Preiss
Sydney Morning Herald
March 17, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — Ponder this: If a tree falls in the forest because a storm has knocked it over, should you cart it away and make use of the wood or just let fallen logs lie? Almost three years since a savage windstorm tore through Victoria, some forests are still recovering from the catastrophe that brought down countless trees and left them strewn across the landscape. With fallen trees still prevalent in many areas, forest advocates and scientists are calling for Victoria’s windblown woods to be left alone. …But the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action insists its operations are necessary to mitigate fire hazards and minimise the risk of damaged trees falling in public areas. …David Lindenmayer, a forest ecology professor with the Australian National University, said driving heavy machinery into windblown forests inflicted further damage on them and hampered their recovery.

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Thousands flood Hobart streets urging next state government to protect forests

Pulse Tasmania
March 17, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Thousands of Tasmanians have flooded the streets of Hobart in an effort to send a message to the next state government that native forest logging should be ended. Organisers from the Bob Brown Foundation, who spearheaded the ‘March for Forests’ event, expected a turnout of 500 but “got more than 3,000”. “There is a huge move to get rid of the logging old parties. The swing away from Liberal and Labor will only grow in the coming week,” Bob Brown said. The march down Murray Street to Parliament House, six days before the state election, drew participants from The Greens, The Wilderness Party and Aboriginal Elder Uncle Jim Everett.

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FSC certification in danger of disappearing in Estonia

By Merilin Pärli
ERR
March 17, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

ESTONIA — One of the two main quality labels in Estonia may soon disappear if the certifying body does not abandon additional requirements that the largest wood owner in Estonia, RMK, does not intend to agree with on principle. Most Estonian wood industry companies use the required FSC certificate for export markets. …Estonia has been using a temporary FSC standard because there has been no agreement on the wording of a local standard since 2016. Now, Estonia is close to agreeing on the wording for a local standard, while the proposed solution has been deemed unacceptable by the State Forest Management Center (RMK) because it includes a point about considering indigenous peoples. In Estonia, the Setos and Võros have declared themselves indigenous peoples. “The official position of the Republic of Estonia is that there are no indigenous peoples in Estonia in the terms of the UNDRIP. …Manufacturers could start using the competing PEFC certificate instead.

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FSC joins the EU “Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform”

FSC.org
March 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

FSC was selected as a member of the new ‘Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform’ established by the European Commission. Dr. Marion Karmann, Senior Research Relations Manager, and Matteo Mascolo, Lead EU Affairs & Engagement, will represent FSC in that forum. The Platform gathers knowledge and expertise on forests and forestry-related matters. Members of the Platform will discuss the EU Forest Strategy for 2030’s implementation, policies to better monitor and protect European forests, and closer-to-nature forestry practices. …The Platform’s main responsibility is to assist the Commission in implementing existing legislation, programs, and policies, as well as fostering coordination with European Member States and facilitating exchange of views. …FSC is already supporting the EU Commission on several EU forestry policies, such as the European Union Deforestation-free Products Regulation.

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EU attempts to smooth South American complaints over deforestation policy

By Kate Abnett and Jake Spring
Reuters
March 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BRUSSELS – The European Union’s environment policy chief will tour South America this week in an attempt to alleviate fierce criticism from the region over a landmark EU law that will ban imports of goods linked to the destruction of forests. From the end of December, the EU will require importers of soy, beef, coffee, palm oil and other commodities to provide proof their supply chain does not cause deforestation. …Countries including Brazil and Malaysia have criticised the EU law, which they say imposes trade barriers and extra costs on their economies, and is protectionist. …EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said “We see it as a turning point in the global fight against deforestation,” he added. …The EU law banning the import of goods linked to deforestation would go into effect at the end of 2024 anyway, with all countries initially being granted a “standard” level of risk.

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Sweden has vast ‘old growth’ forests – but they are being chopped down faster than the Amazon

By Anders Ahlström, Lund University and Pep Canadell, CSIRO
The Conversation
March 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Most of Europe’s natural ecosystems have been lost over the centuries. However, a sizeable amount of natural old forest still exists, especially in the north. These “old-growth” forests are exceptionally valuable as they tend to host more species, store more carbon, and are more resilient to environmental change. Many of these forests are found in Sweden, part of the belt of boreal forests that circle the world through Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. But after researching these last relics of natural forest we have found they are being cleared rapidly – at a rate faster even than the Amazon rainforest. There is no direct monitoring of these forests, no thorough environmental impact assessments. …something similar is happening right across the world’s boreal forests. …we’ll need a coordinated system to map and monitor the entire boreal forest simply to learn the rate at which it is being lost. 

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Researchers can reveal illegal timber imports from Russia and Belarus

By University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Mirage News
March 11, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Jakub Truszkowski

SWEDEN — A new method of timber analysis developed by researchers from the University of Gothenburg can confidently identify the location in which the tree was harvested. The method has been developed with the aim of combating illegal timber imports from Russia and Belarus. …The researchers present their findings in a paper published in the journal Nature Plants. …Russian timber continues to be exported to the EU and the US despite imposed sanctions, by falsifying the origin of the timber. …Soil composition, environmental pollution and climate leave a chemical footprint in wood tissue, and this is what the researchers use to determine its origin. The study led to the creation of a comprehensive reference database on Eastern European timber, tailored to products under sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine. …The method is applicable all over the world. It is estimated that more than half of tropical timber may be harvested illegally.

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Giant redwoods: World’s largest trees ‘thriving in UK’

By Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis
BBC News
March 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Giant redwoods – the world’s largest trees – are flourishing in the UK and now even outnumber those found in their native range in California. The giants were first brought to the UK about 160 years ago, and a new study suggests they are growing at a similar rate to their US counterparts. An estimated 500,000 trees are in the UK compared to 80,000 in California. However they aren’t yet as tall. In California they can reach 90m-high, but in the UK the tallest is 54.87m. But that’s because the introduced trees are still very young. …To assess how these towering giants are adapting to their UK home, scientists selected a sample of nearly 5,000 trees to study at Wakehurst, Benmore Botanic Garden in Argyllshire, Scotland and Havering Country Park in Essex. …It will be a few more centuries before the UK’s trees grow as tall as those in California.

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International Day of Forests: Forests and innovation, new solutions for a better world

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
March 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific will be hosting a webinar titled Forests and innovation, new solutions for a better world” to mark the International Day of Forests on Thursday, 21 March 2024. Innovation can help to restore, protect, manage and use forests sustainably. Technological, social, policy, institutional and financial innovations are key to ensure the sustainable supply and use of forest ecosystem services. From construction to medicine, innovations in forest products are helping create alternatives to unsustainable materials such as concrete, steel, plastics and synthetic fibres, while sustainable wood products store carbon for their lifetime. This regional event will showcase the significance of promoting sustainable supply and use of forest ecosystem services through innovations in the Asia and the Pacific region, with a focus on how these advancements contribute to building a sustainable bioeconomy.

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Victoria must ban native forest logging imports from Tasmania before Labor and the Liberals eradicate ancient forests

Australian Greens Victoria
March 7, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Victorian Greens have called on the Victorian Labor Government to ban native logging imports from Tasmanian forests, saying it undermines the state’s own ban and encourages the Tasmanian Liberal and Labor parties to expand their industry. Tasmanian native forest logs have been exported to Victoria …for several months now, fuelling the destruction of old native forests. Accepting native forest timber from Tasmania also enabled Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s catastrophic election pledge last week to open up 40,000 hectares of precious native forest. The Tasmanian Labor Party has likewise abandoned any commitment to protecting nature, by promising this week to extend native forest logging contracts to 2040. …A transition package of nearly $1 billion dollars was provided by the Victorian Government to the logging industry, and more support was provided to transition the industry to plantations. Taxpayers deserve to know whether this money is being used to support workers and transition the industry to plantations

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Audits on forestry practices will improve, industry says

Radio New Zealand
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

…International attention is continuing to hone in on forestry practices on the East Coast – with promises audits around harvest practices will improve….Following massive amounts of slash devastating East Coast farms and infrastructure after storms in 2017, 2018 and 2023, the FSC has been interested in how its certification system was run on its behalf in New Zealand. Late last year, an independent assessor from overseas auditors Audit Services International (ASI) visited Gisborne to check on the forests on behalf of FSC and speak to people in the area, after locals and green groups complained. ASI investigated the auditing practices of Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) and Preferred by Nature. The result was a damning report which found serious shortcomings in SGS and Preferred by Nature procedures on the East Coast. …

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Dozens of koalas allegedly killed or injured during plantation logging on Kangaroo Island

By Daniel Clarke and Adam Morton
The Guardian
March 4, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Dozens of koalas have been killed or injured and left for dead during logging of blue gum plantations in South Australia, according to former employees of the harvesting company and a conservation organisation that tried to save the marsupials. Ex-employees of the company managing the plantation estate Australian Agribusiness Group said they tried to save at least 40 injured koalas and saw about 20 that had been killed as plantations on Kangaroo Island were cleared for agricultural use. They described injuries including broken skulls, jaws, arms and hips. Guardian Australia has seen photos of seriously injured and dead koalas taken at the site. Australian Agribusiness Group said it adhered to environmental land management practices, had welfare practices in place and any concerns would be investigated.

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Nature Wood Group Limited Announces Strong 2024 Guidance Driven by EU Regulations

By Nature Wood Group Limited
Yahoo Finance
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

MACAU — Nature Wood Group Limited, one of global leaders in vertically-integrated forestry and FSC business operations, is pleased to announce its guidance for the fiscal year 2024. The company expects to achieve a significant increase in revenue, reaching $45 million, compared to the recently preannounced revenue of $25.4 million for 2023. The rebound in sales is primarily driven by new regulations in the European Union, which mandates a higher percentage of wood to be used in building homes and requires the wood to be sustainably sourced. As a company with a strong focus on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified operations, Nature Wood is well-positioned to capitalize on these regulatory changes and meet the growing demand for sustainable wood products.

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Bushfire control ‘massive priority’ for timber giant after fire burns Victoria’s Mount Lonarch plantation

By Else Kennedy
ABC News, Australia
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

An out-of-control fire that burnt through hundreds of hectares of timber plantation west of Ballarat last month has rendered a large volume of pine destined for mills “unsalvageable”. Hancock Victorian Plantation Holdings (HVP Plantations) lost 1,000 hectares of pine trees when bushland at Mount Lonarch went up in smoke in fires that began on February 22. HVP Plantations corporate fire manager Richard Mailer said a large amount of pine, which was destined for mills in Victoria, as well as export, would be wasted. …Mr Mailer said the Mount Lonarch fire had been the company’s biggest loss since the Black Summer fires of 2019-20 burnt through 6,000ha of the company’s estate.
He said once the losses were added together, they impacted their plans. …Australia’s national plantation estate shrank 15 per cent between 2009 and 2022, from 2.02 million to 1.72 million hectares, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.

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Woodchopping is one of Australia’s oldest sports but bushfires and a halt to native logging mean it’s being forced to change

ABC News, Australia
March 2, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Australian woodchoppers are pretty much the best in the world at woodchopping. Many believe that’s because of the kind of wood Australians have traditionally used — native hardwood. But bushfires and changes to logging laws have meant that wood has become hard to source. And for the first time in the sport’s long history, its main ingredient is being forced to change. …From those humble roots, woodchopping has grown into an international sport with big prize money and rules, including the wearing of chain mail socks and leg-guards for novices and shoes for all. …But the devastating bushfires in the summer of 2019 and 2020 burned through New South Wales hardwood forests. …This year, the Australian Axemen’s Association came to a deal with the ACT Parks and Conservation Service to use Laricio Pine from a plantation in Kowen Forest as a trial.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

How Clean Energy Tax Breaks Could Fuel a US Wood Burning Boom

By James Bruggers
Inside Climate News
March 15, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Businesses that burn wood to produce energy have struggled in the US to compete economically, even as wood-pellet exports to Europe from states like Alabama and North Carolina have soared with overseas subsidies. But the industry’s domestic fortunes could soon change. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) designed to take on climate change through billions of dollars of direct appropriations or tax breaks, forest biomass-to-energy could potentially see sizable growth domestically. …The Biden administration, including the U.S. Treasury Department, is now navigating competing claims about the risks and benefits of burning wood to the climate and to the health of forests. Treasury will have a key role to play in deciding which businesses get tax breaks even as provisions of the IRA were written so as to not overtly pick winners and losers among various types of energy production, such as natural gas, wind, solar or biomass. …Environmental groups are watching the Treasury Department closely.

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Forest Investors Debate What to Do With All Their Trees: Timber or Carbon Credits?

By Yusuf Khan
The Wall Street Journal
March 4, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Investment managers who have bought up forestland are going tree by tree to figure out whether they should be felled for timber or kept up for carbon-credit generation. Growing demand for credits means investing in forests isn’t just about producing timber, but it can take a lot of legwork to determine what role each tree should play in a portfolio, as well as ensure it is delivering its promised environmental benefit if left standing. …Manulife, which has 5.4 million acres of forest in its investment portfolio, calculates the value of each tree to inform its harvest strategy. Every tree in a forest has to be evaluated based on species growth rates and product value. If the carbon credit value is high enough, it stays up even if for just a few more years. If not, it’s cut down for timber. …Kernohan said that until recently, forest land wasn’t valuable enough to be considered. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Climate cooling benefits of planting trees may be overestimated

By Moriah McDonald
Inside Climate News
March 13, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Most climate-concerned people know that trees can help slow global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but a recent study published in the journal Science shows the climate cooling benefits of planting trees may be overestimated. “Our study showed that there is a strong cooling from the trees. But that cooling might not be as strong as we would have thought,” Maria Val Martin, a researcher at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., said. Darker forests can warm the Earth because they reduce the albedo of the land they cover, meaning they absorb more sunlight and reflect less solar radiation back into space. So more heat is held by the Earth’s surface. In addition, trees… also release organic compounds decreases the destruction of methane and increases the concentrations of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, said James Weber, the lead study author.

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Wood industry has huge potential to increase revenue from selling carbon credits

Vietnam News
March 10, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

HCM CITY — Việt Nam has 14 million hectares of forests, which, if well-managed, offer opportunities for the country to capitalise on the carbon credit market, a dialogue heard in HCM City. Speaking at the Green Finance for Wood and Furniture Industry dialogue on the sidelines of HawaExpo being held in HCM City from March 6 to 9, Phùng Quốc Mẫn, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City, said: “In the event that many countries around the world, including Việt Nam, are making efforts to achieve the Net Zero goal, meaning reducing carbon emissions has become a requirement for manufacturing industries.” The Government has a series of specific action programmes, including a roadmap to develop the carbon credit market until 2028, he said. …the wood industry sees reducing emissions as an opportunity since it possesses large planted forests where carbon credits are created, he said.

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Opinion: I’m a climate scientist. If you knew what I know, you’d be terrified too

By Bill McGuire, professor emeritus, University College London
CNN
March 7, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Are you frightened by climate change? …In the words of science writer and author David Wallace-Wells, “No matter how well informed you are, you are surely not alarmed enough.” …If the fracturing of our once stable climate doesn’t terrify you, then you don’t fully understand it. The reality is that, as far as we know, and in the natural course of events, our world has never — in its entire history — heated up as rapidly as it is doing now. Nor have greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere ever seen such a precipitous hike. …What’s happening to our world scares the hell out of me, but if I shout the brutal, unvarnished truth from the rooftops, will this really galvanize you and others into fighting for the planet and your children’s futures? Or will it leave you frozen like a rabbit in headlights, convinced that all is lost? It is an absolutely critical question.

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