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The all-party South Australian parliamentary select committee which is inquiring into the exporting of wood fibre and other Limestone Coast timber matters has been granted yet another extension to its deadline. Source: The SE Voice The Legislative Council subcommittee was due to report last November. However, it was granted an extension until 1 May. When the Legislative Council met this month, it agreed to a request for extra time from Upper House Opposition Leader Dr Nicola Centofanti. The revised deadline is now 24 November. Several other select committees were also granted extra time.

In a ground-breaking collaboration, the Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance (MECLA), Hyne Timber, XLam, Forestry Corporation of NSW, and Responsible Wood joined forces to organise a transformative field trip focusing on certified sustainable forest management and ethical supply chains. Source: Timberbiz The event, held across New South Wales and Victoria, provided attendees with invaluable insights into the intricate processes behind responsible forestry practices. “Events like these are crucial for fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable forestry practices,” sustainability manager at Responsible Wood Matt de Jongh said. “By witnessing firsthand, the efforts put into maintaining our forests, participants gain a renewed appreciation for the importance of ethical and responsible supply chains.” The field trip offered participants a multifaceted experience, where attendees had the opportunity to witness sustainable forestry practices in action, gaining insights into forest regeneration, biodiversity conservation, and responsible harvesting techniques. “For over 140 years, Hyne Timber has prioritised delivering industry-leading products while ensuring the preservation of our natural resources,” Katie Fowden, general manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Hyne Timber said. “This field trip underscores our dedication to promoting sustainable forestry and driving positive environmental impact.” Alexi Barnstone, project manager at MECLA, echoed similar sentiments. “MECLA is dedicated to reducing embodied carbon in the construction industry. Collaborating with key stakeholders in initiatives like this field trip allows us to align our efforts with the Paris Agreement targets and advance the principles of the circular economy,” he said. The field trip offered participants a multifaceted experience, where attendees had the opportunity to witness sustainable forestry practices in action, gaining insights into forest regeneration, biodiversity conservation, and responsible harvesting techniques. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to a certified sustainable pine plantation managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW. Participants observed firsthand the meticulous planning and execution involved in maintaining a renewable plantation to ensure a sustainable supply of timber. Additionally, demonstrations and presentations from industry leaders such as Hyne Timber and XLam showcased innovative solutions for sustainable construction. Hyne Timber and XLam’s expertise in engineered timber for mass timber construction exemplified how advanced technologies can enhance sustainability, increase construction efficiency, and improve overall project outcomes. Overall, the field trip served as a catalyst for promoting awareness and collaboration within the construction industry. By bringing together key stakeholders, it facilitated meaningful discussions and laid the groundwork for future initiatives aimed at advancing sustainability practices. “This field trip is just the beginning. By continuing to work together and championing sustainable forestry practices, we can pave the way for a greener, more environmentally conscious future,” Mr de Jongh said.

In reference to your opinion piece of the 3rd of May 2024 – Opinion: Marcus Bastiaan – VicForests hung themselves and the industry out to dry, would you please correct the many incorrect assertions. VicForests was not responsible for the current situation facing the management and regeneration of Victoria’s native forest estate. Of the native forest estate, only 6% of Victoria’s public forests and woodlands were being managed for long term wood supply on a sustainable cycle of harvest and regrowth. The demise of VicForests was due to the combined impacts of judicial activism, environmental protests, green lawfare, and an abject failure of the Victorian Labor Government to support the Victorian world class and environmentally sustainable native hardwood timber industry. Victorian forestry with its multiple layers of forest certification processes has been dealt a death knoll. This has resulted in the current Victorian labour government announcement that all native forest harvesting ceased on the1st of January 2024 and that VicForests will cease to exist by the 30th of June 2024. A summary of the past government agencies managing the Victorian Forest Estate is described in the following: Between 1918 and 1983, the Forest Commission of Victoria (VFC) as a statutory authority efficiently managed and protected the Victorian Forest Estate. In 1983, the Cain labour government merged VFC with the newly formed mega department of Conservation, Forests and Lands. (CFL). Successive governments amended these cumbersome arrangements. By 1992, the Kennett liberal government added VicForests under the State-Owned Enterprise Act. In 2003, VicForests became a state business corporation and in 2023, a reorganised body. The author, Mr Marcus Bastiaan, has made many incorrect statements during VicForests time of managing the Victorian forest estate. These assertions have been addressed. They are well documented. Mr Bastiaan has suggested that an accreditation body such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) be engaged to manage the Victoria Forest Estate. It has no management expertise. VicForests management follows the guidelines established by the global accreditation body PEFC with checks by JASANZ. The impact on the closure of the Australian native forest industry is that hardwood timber supplies are vastly impacted due to the Australian Labour governments wishing to build more social housing. The only depository of hardwood supplies uncommitted somewhat is tropical countries. This creates enormous market distortion globally because there are no initiatives to replace those tropical hardwood resources as in Australia. The issue facing Speciality Doors is a lack of future resource allocation. It is an open and shut door issue. All Victorians would share the frustrations exhibited by Speciality Doors and its director Mr Marcus Bastiaan in the uncertainty re future forest resources. However, mistruths and false assertions expressed in the opinion piece by Mr Bastiaan will not resolve the issues faced by future management of Victorian forests and its forest industry. The dilemma in Victoria again demonstrates that the forest industry is on the “user end” of government decisions and actions regarding a stable investment climate, resource security and consistent administration of rules and regulations especially relating to forest revenue systems in the context of fiscal stability. It is hoped that somehow endeavours are undertaken to ensure the native forest estate can meet future demand for native forest products investors by allowing “economic sustainability” of any long-term timber harvesting entity which is being managed under active sustainable forest management principles. R B McCarthy BSc (Forestry), M Sc (Foresty Man) Member, Forestry Australia.

I am writing to make some comment on the opinion piece published in the Daily Timber News on 5 May 2024. After reading the first two paragraphs, I thought I was reading an opinion piece from one of The Age newspaper’s “environmental” reporters, so stopped reading and closed the article and deleted the DTN email. After receiving calls and emails over the weekend from SETA members and others, I forced myself to pull the email out of the trash and read the rest of the article. The first question that occurred to me was, who is Mr Bastiaan? Having had some connection with the native forest industry over several decades, including four years as general manager of Forestry Victoria, the predecessor of VicForests, his name drew a blank. I could not remember Mr Bastiaan pushing back against any of the activist and ALP political bastardry, that has affected the industry since former ALP senator Graeme Richardson used the workers and timber communities of East Gippsland to progress ALP political interests. Unlike Mr Bastiaan, I have an understanding of how the Labour Environment Action Network, headed by a former Wilderness Society employee has used the ALP to implement Wilderness Society policy of a total closure of the native forest industries in WA and Victoria, with more to come. In 2002, the Steve Bracks and Sherryl Garbutt inspired Our Forest No Future policy, cast the die to close the native forest industry in western Victoria. It was left to the debt-ridden Andrews’ Labor government to kill off the industry. You don’t have to be a cynic to know that a Green-Labor government was more than happy to make the industry vanish. After more than 20 years of multimillion activist charity campaigns targeting the native forest industry there was lots of anti-forest political milage in ill-informed city electorates. The ALP was happy use this tool to destroy the industry and help stem the flow of ALP left voters to the greens, in four critical and once safe Labor seats in inner city Melbourne. With a tape measure regulatory system misused by activists and their media supporters and a political party with no desire to rectify the flaws in the system, the government deliberately left VicForests to fail. If I was working for VicForests, I would find Mr Bastiaan’s opinion to be insensitive and insulting. When a minister is prepared to stop VicForests collecting a $1.2 million debt for a failed activist lawsuit, it gives a glimpse into the political bastardy that has impacted VicForests and staff for more than a decade. This debt has ballooned to more than $2 million over time. One of the reasons why the native forest industry has been subject to so much political destruction is that too many participants in the value chain have stayed silent while forests managers, harvest contractors and primary processors have copped the brunt of nonviolent direct-action protests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goxsLw443dw Anyone who has even a passing understanding of the industry would know that the no Labor government will ever go back to the drawing board. The wilderness mentality, which is silently undermining the reserve system, is about to be inflicted on hundreds of thousands of hectares of state forests. After a sham consultation process the Great Big National Park will be announced before the next election. Mr Bastiaan’s suggestion of a forest management framework under FSC also shows a lack of understanding. The FSC has been used in Australia, to a greater or lesser extent, as part of the lock up native forests campaign. While forcing myself to read Mr Bastiaan’s opinion, I was reminded of a saying about those that come in after the battle is over to bayonet the wounded. Aside from political bastardry, the biggest threat to the native forests in Victoria is high intensity bushfires. Given the pending closure of VicForests, a significant hole will be left in the firefighting ranks. Given the views Mr Bastiaan has expressed about VicForests, I am sure VicForests staff will be happy to not have to risk life and limb in future fire seasons. Mr Bastiaan, if you haven’t already done so, please join the Country Fire Authority, train up over winter and see how much of a difference you can make to filling the gap. Peter Rutherford is secretary South East Timber Association