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A healthy forest is not only one that supports the living creatures with in it, but also provides a place for us to visit and enjoy through hiking, boating, camping and other recreational activities...
4. Biodiversity
Forests are complex ecosystems with lives of their own, and every leaf counts. Even the smallest piece of the system, from a bird to a beetle is needed to support every other piece...
3. Environmental protection
In addition to an important production function, North Coast forests also have what is known as a protective function. They absorb greenhouse gases, filter air pollution...
Economic productivity
A healthy forest is highly productive, yielding an ample supply of timber without compromising its ability to produce in the future. Achieving this health is directly related...
1. A healthy forest has Balanced Management Practices
When forests are managed sustainably, there are ecologically sound plans in place for protecting watersheds, harvesting timber, reducing hazards...
Master craftsman Chris Francis was commissioned by the Magistrates Association of NSW to produce a speaker's lectern in memory of Magistrate Mr Tom Hodgson. Mr Hodgson suddenly passed away in 2015...
This following is based on a biomass article sourced from the Chronical Journal.
Biomass is one of the oldest forms of renewable energy with a low carbon footprint. Plants absorb energy from the...
Most businesses aim to become sustainable but for many, reaching that goal is filled with obstacles.
Ironwood Timber Australia, located at Taree, NSW and owned and operated by entrepreneur Chris...
"We believe Forestry Corporation’s recognition of what state forests have to offer to the tourism market makes sound business sense and adds to the vibrancy of the region and to community life"....
“We have never been busier”, says Hayden Timbers Mill Manager, Trent Whitby. This is despite the fact that the industry is in transition with the deep influences caused by an ageing population,...
Machins Sawmill has operated in the beautiful Manning Valley on the Mid North Coast of NSW since 1917. Four generations on, Ralph Blenkin, the current owner reckons that, in order to prosper for so...
Perhaps one of our most recent standout reflections is that people from all walks of life, well and truly get the sustainability message regarding the timber 'things' they want.
Melinda Pavey, MP...
Continuing with our stories from 2015 about those who work in the North Coast Timber industry. For the full document click on the following link
Dorneys
Bulahdelah is the hub of a fertile and...
The overall economic picture of North Coast forestry stands out better than most resource uses. A quick overview of the process proves the point. First, we start with the trees. The process of...
Over the next fortnight we will be reproducing some of our key stories from 2015 about those who work in the North Coast Timber industry. For the full document click on the following link
Those...
“This is the beginning of the timber age.”
— Andrew Waugh, Waugh Thistleton Architects, November 2015
Timber-framed buildings of all shapes and sizes is likely to be at the forefront of sustainable...
With the recent passing of Spiro Notaras, a doyen of the North Coast Timber Industry we thought it appropriate to revisit one of our earlier stories on Notaras Timbers. As noted by Chris Gulaptis,...
Are you a Wood-Wise Architect or Designer located in NSW? The North Coast Timber Taskforce is offering a free listing of your business details on Page 5 of the Directory - a link for which follows...
The North Coast Forests Taskforce has welcomed the release of a new landmark report into the carbon storage and greenhouse gas reduction benefits from working native forests in south-eastern...
Sustainable forestry is a method of forest management that keeps all ecosystem functions in place. Any resource that is used must be replaced, keeping the ecosystem perpetually renewed. sustainable...
This is a story about the house that Andrew built (Link to story) , reproduced with the kind permission of The Owner Builder magazine (www.theownerbuilder.com.au)
Working with North Coast...
Sustainable production with a very positive carbon story - that is surely the Holy Grail to meet future needs without damaging the environment. It is the basis of the North Coast Hardwood industry...
"Australasian Sports Floors (ASF) have again designed and supplied sprung hardwood stadium flooring for the World Netball Championships as they have done for the last 3 World Championships using...
Because those in the forest industry work with nature to earn their livelihood, they must respect the integrity of the land with an eye towards the long term. Thus they mostly see themselves as...
Weathertex, a proud North Coast timber processor, is the only Australian-owned and operated manufacturer of natural Australian hardwood weatherboards and architectural panels.
Based in Raymond...
Update on Australia's Illegal Logging Prohibition legislation (Source: Forestry & Development Newsletter | July 2015)
Australia's Illegal Logging Prohibition Act and associated regulations are...
North Coast Forests’ Taskforce
Notice is hereby given that the North Coast Forests’ intends to apply to the NSW Department of Fair Trading after 1st July, 2015 for the incorporation of the North...
Sometimes entrepreneurial opportunities arise that push small business owners down the path of niche opportunity in areas not previously contemplated.
Ken Sweetman, owner of Sweetman’s Timber,...
The timber industry welcomes the reinstatement of native forest wood waste in the Renewable Energy Target (RET), which was voted through the Senate earlier this week.
This common sense policy, which...
What is this tree saying? It certainly deserves a caption competition. Email your entry to tsarge51@gmail.com or comment on our facebook site (link below right). Entries close on 30 June
There is a $...
Australia is poised to join similar countries around the world with proposed changes to the National Construction Code to allow timber construction in taller structures – up to 8 storeys, for...
Some of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy in the world are wind and solar and hopefully, also the humble wood pellet, if a Lismore based manufacturer, Bill McKee of McKeeco has his way...
What is this tree saying? It certainly deserves a caption competition. Email your entry to tsarge51@gmail.com or comment on our facebook site (link below right). Entries close on 15 June
There is a...
Australian Solar Timbers (AST), which has led Australia in utilising solar technology to dry
hardwoods and produce fine quality timber floors, has called on the Australian Parliament to restore...
A recent article published in the Australian newspaper (author John Ross) indicates that plants including forests are growing more quickly than people can cut them down.
An Australian-led analysis...
Article sourced from Forest and Wood Products Association, R&D Works, April, 2015
For building professionals in the non-residential sector, constructing multi-storey buildings in timber has been...
Excerpt from an address made by SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture and Senator for Tasmania to the FOREST INDUSTRY GALA DINNER AT PARLIAMENT...
Timber, the pre-eminent building material for the next 100 years
Values of well-managed forests bring a whole range of benefits to the community - the environment, carbon storage and regional...
We are getting tired about the false claims being made at election time about the cost of sustainable forestry and that, consequently, all of our beautiful state forests should be converted to...
Source - Timber Communities Australia
Timber Communities Australia pays tribute to Mr Colin Wooster, a stalwart of the NSW north
coast timber community from Casino, NSW, who retires today after a...
There appears to be a confused understanding of regional economics by several groups, particularly Labor and the Greens. Building on this region's competitive strengths would appear to be a lot...
Media release from the North Coast Forests Taskforce
Aspiring NSW Labour leader Mr Luke Foley's plan to turn North Coast productive forests into wilderness contradicts his desire to grow the...
Luke Foley, aspiring NSW Labour leader proposes to turn all North Coast hardwood forests into National Parks. He also strangely claims that the future of timber production is in plantations. And in...
A 2014 report released by the Coffs Coast Area of the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirms that Bongil Bongil National Park south of Sawtell remains a stronghold for the koala in...
The Gottstein Trust (link below) is offering a Forest Science Course in February, 2015 as a "Taster of Forestry". The course will provide anyone working in the industry with an understanding of the...
Compelling letter from Douglas Head in Port News. Please share!
"Labor's Premier-on-Offer for the March election has reverted to the now two decade-old Bob Carr formula of appealing to the city-based...
MEDIA RELEASE from the Taskforce
The North Coast Forest Taskforce disputes any insinuations made by NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley MP that managed timber harvesting has a detrimental effect on...
Sustainable consumerism isn’t just about throwing your glass bottles into the yellow recycling bin. Nor is it only about shopping at the Farmers’ market. Sustainable consumerism involves every aspect...
The North Coast Timber Industry has worked hard for many years to develop a balance between the varied groups with an interest in the sector. This can be a high-wire act at times, and legislation or...
Currently the timber /forests industry is well served by top-end institutions such as Government departments and industry associations, almost all of whom focus on ‘production issues’. Lesser...
A panel-based structural building system developed in South Australia promises to transform the building industry by dramatically reducing the time and cost required to produce a finished home.
The...
J Notaras and Sons, a family owned and highly regarded sawmilling business, is located in South Grafton on the North Coast of NSW, the heart of Australia’s hardwood industry.
60 years of continuous...
From the Australasian Timber magazine
The 12th wave of tracking Australian consumer attitudes continues to report positive perceptions about wood while post campaign research shows an increased...
The Notaras story is one of two brothers of Greek heritage, Brinos and younger sibling Spiro who, in 1952 with the help of their father bought the Lawrence Sawmill in Grafton, NSW.
In somewhat...
As we move around the timber industry we have amazing conversations with people who are achieving great things. We then see the press and read that teachers are guiding their students away from the...
Bulahdelah is the hub of a fertile and productive region, set on the banks of the Myall River in the heart of the Great Lakes at the southern end of the North Coast timber industry.
The area has a...
The linked document - "Build Green: Wood Can Last for Centuries" provides many helpful tips for homeowners. While this an American document the principles are just as relevant to Australian...
Australian Solar Timbers, located at West Kempsey at the centre of the the north coast hardwood industry, is just a few years away from celebrating its 100th year anniversary, joining other...
A report from the Weekly Times.....
According to renewable energy experts, Australia is now “lagging decades behind Europe and New Zealand”, having failed to develop a bioenergy sector.
And farmers...
One of the key objectives of the North Coast Forests' Taskforce is to increase the demand for sustainably grown timber. We are very confident that any additional demand can be met by planting more...
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called on the world to strengthen its forest policies so that they “put people at the centre”, recognising the role they can have in reducing...
NSW North Coast Timber Decision – A Step towards a Sustainable Future Author, Maree McCaskill, General Manager, NSW Forests Products Association
The NSW Forest Products Association (NSWFPA) welcomes...
Eucalyptus trees are more than just koala food, with potential for forestry and biofuels. (Reporter Cassie Hough, ABC Rural 12 June, 2014) and ABC TV)
"Scientists have unravelled the genetic makeup...
The 200 000 regional Australians reliant on income from the forest products industries can breathe a little easier after the release of the latest set of industry statistics from ABARES.
While...
Native vegetation clearing rules have changed, placing more trust in the hands of landholders to sustainably manage their land.
Following a review of native vegetation legislation in NSW, the NSW...
PhD thesis by Hamidul Islam. Article courtesy of FWPA.
Understanding which building materials have the least environmental impact when used in a standard house design over the life of the home...
Advice from Forest and Wood Products Association
A research project has developed a practical lightweight timber ground-floor system that includes prefabricated timber floor panels and the ‘stumps,’...
One of the longest-serving employees at Boral will this year celebrate half a century of continued employment – and Mal Green says he has no plans to slow down, or retire quite just yet.
Mr Green...
The following is an Opinion Piece written by Mr Ross Hampton, CEO, Australian Forests Products Association following Prime Minister Tony Abbott's presentation to 600 Australians packed into the...
A newly commissioned study by Deloitte Access Economics has shown that removing fuel from the bush by mechanical removal, combined with prescribed burning of trees and understorey biomass, could...
This is a an article from Ross Hampton, CEO Australian Forest Products Association. It s about comparative advantage and that the experiences of the Mitsubishi/Ford/Holden story should teach us a...
The NSW Government is now permitting the burning of native forest biomaterials. FAQ's are available at the following link. At last it is legal to burn invasive native species and also biomass to...
What if we could identify plants not by sight but by sound? It’s not entirely fanciful: every plant makes a unique set of sounds, an auditory signature, influenced by its physiology. Source: Gizmodo...
Australia’s largest known colony of Eastern Horseshoe Bats in the Ourimbah State Forest is in good shape, according to a 15 year research project undertaken by Department of Primary Industries (DPI)...
This is a link to the first episode of the acclaimed series 'Going Bush'. Component 3 (use the arrow in the video window) features Hurford's Timber, a very succussful and long-established North...
The following link is to a recent Landline story on some high technology being employed by firms to minimise log wasteage and maximise productivity.
Landline story
In announcing the appointment, Chair of Timber Communities Australia, Mr Tim Woods said that ‘Helen brings a breadth of experience working in the rural sector and with communities, as well as...
Professor Andreas Rothhe, who teaches at the University of Applied Sciences, Weihenstephan in Germany notes the huge gap in the way forest biomass is valued and used in Australia in comparison with...
Click on the following link to the January 2014 edition of Focus Magazine (pages 116, 117 and 111) where North Coast businesses are featured. This article is a good representation of both the...
North Coast hardwood species are an excellent choice for decking and outdoor landscaping because of their high density, toughness and natural beauty.
According to Clinton Skeoch, market development...
Last night, Forestry Corporation won two silver awards at the NSW Tourism Awards, which recognise the State’s most outstanding tourist attractions.
Strickland State Forest was awarded silver in the...
Forest and Wood Products Australia invites the submission of research proposals for projects commencing from 1 July 2014 addressing published FWPA industry research priorities. Details of forest and...
Grazing and forestry friends with benefits
Source: North Queensland Register
Toweran Park, just south of Gladstone is leading the way in diversification for primary production successfully...
With the impending retirement of Russ Ainley in December 2013, Maree McCaskill has joined the NSW FPA as the new General Manager. Maree has considerable experience in managing peak industry bodies/...
According to economic forecaster, BIS Shrapnel in the company's Building in Australia 2013 report, the value of national building commencements is forecast to grow 3% in 2013/14.
There will be a...
Information about the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture’s upcoming illegal logging information sessions in New South Wales. These sessions are proudly supported by the North Coast Forests'...
The Australian Standard® that underpins the traceability of wood from well-managed forests into the wood and paper products we use every day is currently being reviewed.
Public comment is now being...
Quality is whatever the customer thinks it is! However often there is a substantial gap between whatever the producer might think quality to be and how it is perceived by the customer. This...
After 39 years of dedicated service to the NSW timber industry, Russ Ainley, OAM, Executive Director of the NSW Forest Products Association, has announced his plans to retire.
"Russ has been a great...
Story and image courtesy of the Northern Star
That's what NSW Forestry Corporation is calling Oscar, a Labrador who has been specifically trained to go into native forests and find live koalas.
In...
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports, via media release, that the number of dwelling approvals (a key indicator of future building sector activity) increased by 1.0 per cent during May...
It is amazing to think of the many ways timber is being used today - in things such as beauty products, gels for back pain, hip replacement material and even in spacecraft.
Many experts claim that...
(Sourced in part from AFPA Canopy Newsletter Edition 109)
New Forests and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (“CEFC”) have announced that they have jointly executed a collaboration agreement to...
(Courtesy ABC News)
The installation of a new biomass boiler at the Mount Gambier Aquatic Centre has begun.
The new boiler replaces one which has heated the pools for the past 25 years.
The Mount...
The NSW Government has recently announced an amendment to permit timber forest wastes and residues, often termed biomass, to be used for the generation of electricity.
This highly responsible...
The following article has been sourced from AFPA Occasional Paper No 1 AFPA article
Forests must be managed for long term environmental and economic benefits. With a global population of about 7...
Because those in the forest industry work with nature to earn their livelihood, they must respect the integrity of the land with an eye towards the long term. Thus they mostly see themselves as...
The North Coast Forests Taskforce has welcomed the announcement by the NSW EPA that the NSW Government intends to change the rules to allow timber waste and residues – often called biomass - to be...
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) will hold information sessions in capital cities and regional centres across Australia to outline the Illegal Logging Prohibition...
Wood product manufacturers on the North Coast have long known the benefits of using biomass residues to produce energy
The carbon cycle is nature’s way of cleaning the air. As forests grow, they...
Article from The Conversation, 13 June 2013
Countries create national parks to protect areas of biological, physical, cultural and spiritual significance. In Australia, we generally prefer national...
I bought a notebook the other day at the newsagent. On the back it read that the paper was made from sustainably managed forests. What do they mean by this?
In Australia the highest sustainability...
The following is a summary of information provided by the NSW Forest Products Association relating to illegal logging.
The Illegal Logging prohibition Act 2012 was assented into law on 28 November...
Hazard reduction burning underway to assist with wildfire control during spring and summer. The image shows a recent burn-off in the Kiwarrack State Forest targeting leaf litter, long dry grass and...
Australia is currently considering legislation to prevent the importation of illegally logged wood. Researchers Andrew Lowe and Hugh Cross are developing a series of DNA methods: DNA fingerprinting...
Click on the facebook link (bottom of page on right) for a fascinating video (just 7 minutes) on the Langley Vale Tramway that operated in Lansdowne SF for many years.
A KEY United Nation’s study completely debunks the Labor/Greens strategy to lock-up additional Australian forests.
In the forward to the State of the World’s Forests Report 2012 by the UN’s Food...
Taxpayers in NSW are achieving positive benefits in return for the costs associated with the sustainable harvesting of North Coast Forests, supporting the findings of a parliamentary committee...
Forest and Chain-of Custody certification assures Autralian and international buyers that forest products they purchase come from legally harvested and sustainably managed native forests and...
While the number of jobs created by the North Coasts Forests industry is impressive (nearly 1000, the second highest of all manufacturing jobs on the North Coast) it is the quality of these jobs that...
AUSTRALIAN SOLAR TIMBERS AND GALAXY TIMBER FLOORS HOST OPEN DAY IN PORT MACQUARIE
Australian Solar Timbers (AST) has been trading as a privately owned family company since 1919.
To celebrate the...
"Wood, when burned or when it decays, initially releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A sustainably well-managed forest, however, also recaptures the carbon released through combustion, and...
The Dorney family operates two hardwood sawmills, Newell’s Creek at Markwell and S A Relf & Sons at Bulahdelah. The Company is now widely known for its quality flooring and decking products and...
"Australia has some of the best quality renewable resources available in hardwood timbers, and none more distinct than NSW North Coast Hardwoods. The NSW North Coast region has been a valuable...
New GDP figures from NZ show that the forestry industry is the busiest it has been for 13 years.
BNZ Chief Economist, Cameron Bagrie says the success of forestry often goes overlooked. "NZ probably...
Saretta Fielding from Lake Macquarie is the winner of the Forestry Corporation of NSW's (formerly Forests NSW) competition to develop a logo in acknowledgement and respect of management of the...
The former Forests NSW have recently changed to a State owned corporation. To understand the reasons behind this decision, the following explanation is provided by Forestry Corporation NSW, a more...
Swan's Crossing is a great showcase of sustainable forest management with a beautiful river, camping and recreation areas - all side by side. Back in 1970, 33 hectares of land was first planted...
Sealy Lookout at Coffs Harbour has proved very popular in a recent visitor’s survey commissioned by the Forestry Corporation of NSW.
“Overall visitor satisfaction with Sealy Lookout is very high,...
The environmental movement,has grown stale and ineffectual saysTed Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger in "The Death of Environmentalism" (see link following). The traditional greenie they say " is...
The Forestry Corporation of NSW (formerly Forests NSW) has advised the public that numerous visitor sites within State forests across NSW have been closed due to extreme weather conditions.
Forestry...
There is potential for increased greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation benefits through an increased use of wood products in buildings. A study reported in the International Journal of Life Cycle...
Australian Solar Timbers (AST) is Australia’s premium specialist manufacturer of hardwood flooring, located at Kempsey on Australia's Mid North Coast. AST is indisputably the nations most modern and...
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) held its annual general meeting and policy forum in Melbourne earlier last month and was pleased to welcome the Parliamentary Secretary for Industry...
Late last year Federal Forests Minister Joe Ludwig visited Big River Timbers in Grafton with a message that the forests industry had been waiting to hear - that the Federal Government would do '...
AE Gibson and Sons have evolved into one of Australian's leading manufacturers of hi-tech timber processing equipment. They operate from a small village named Kendall, between Port Macquarie and...
Some recent reports have erroneously claimed that 'locking up' our native forests will lead to substantial greenhouse gas benefits. . However these studies have not included many important elements...
Australian owned and manufactured at Raymond Terrace in Newcastle, with a better than zero carbon footprint, Weathertex‘s external timber cladding is the ideal solution for any builder, architect or...
This well attended conference was recently held in Sydney to which North Coast Forest's Taskforce had the privilege of attending. Over the next few weeks this column will discuss some of the major...
A landmark NSW report published in an international forest journal has, for the first time, highlighted the potential role of production forests in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions...
Regeneration harvesting techniques are utilised by foresters when the trees in an area have reached their full size for sawlogs. In the North Coast region, blackbutt forests in particular need this...
Australian Solar Timbers Contributes to The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Schools Program
The recent collaboration between Aldavilla Public School in West Kempsey and the Stephanie Alexander...
Ian & Judith Leslight operate a Private Native Forestry Management and Consultancy business, called “Forest Restoration Projects.”
They have most recently obtained funding through the Australian...
There is a certain righteousness in using sustainable resources. In fact as Ric Sinclair, Managing Director of the Forests and Wood Products Association recently said "sustainably sourced forest and...
A landmark NSW report published in an international forest journal has for the first time highlighted the potential role of production forests in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The...
The following photograph shows the first commercial thinning, post 1994, at the Comboyne State Forest. The 15year old blackbutts yielded 100 cu. metres/hectare of thinnings . The area is now roaded...
Trees are necessary to our very existence. It's fair to say that trees are our breathing partners for, without trees, we would not exist. As we breathe in, our bodies take in oxygen. As we breathe...
Forests NSW employ a team of skilled ecologists and support staff who have undertaken an estimated 20,000 surveys in the NSW Central Region over the last 15 years. The Central Region extends from...
Forest Restoration Projects assist people in protecting their forests from risks, restoring their forest through silviculture, invasive weed control and monitored regeneration. The focus is on...
Read more about Darrell Hayden’s high recovery mill at Telegraph Point, NSW.
As the timber industry evolves into the 21st Century it is faced with new challenges including smaller diameter trees,...
North Coast forestry is an integrated industry comprising native forest, plantations and private forest resources. The forests are sustainably managed with a significant amount managed in reserves,...
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