Famed designer Pininfarina and the Morgan Motor Company teamed up to design a new open top vehicle  – the Midsummer. It was created in recognition of the heyday of European barchetta designs, this is special – limited to just 50 examples. Source: Timberbiz Midsummer represents the shared vision of Morgan and Pininfarina, who have collaborated to reinterpret and celebrate the timeless Morgan silhouette. As a unique celebration of the coachbuilding heritage of both Morgan and Pininfarina, Midsummer exhibits the skill of Morgan’s craftspeople more than any previous model. Inspired by marine ..read more

In recent years, Precision Forestry has emerged as a transformative approach, leveraging advanced technologies to collect and utilize data, to optimize forest management practices for sustainability, efficiency, and productivity. Source: Timberbiz This data-driven approach enables forest owners, including Stora Enso, to make informed decisions at a fine scale, tailoring forest management actions to specific areas or even individual trees. Stora Enso’s Precision Forestry program uses modern tools and technology such as drones, satellites, laser scanning (lidar), and harvesting machines to colle ..read more

As part of Business Finland’s Veturi funding for forest machine manufacturer Ponsse, Sitowise is working with Ponsse to explore the potential of artificial intelligence for smarter planning and optimization of logging. Source: Timberbiz The aim of the project is to explore the use of AI and remote sensing data, as well as other data sources such as harvester data, to produce intelligent map data and services and to increase our understanding of potential customer needs. The main target groups are organizations involved in logging and timber harvesting. “The project will explore possible ways t ..read more

New Zealand’s consultation to update carbon auction price settings for its emissions trading scheme failed to provide certainty to the market, with the government’s option to lower the auction floor denting market confidence and pushing prices down. Source: S&P Global The consultation released on May 15 was part of an annual review of the price and volume settings for the quarterly auctions of New Zealand Units, under which the government must consider the advice of its national climate body, Climate Change Commission. The latest consultation will review the settings for 2025-2029 but the ..read more

The effects of bushfires, floods, storms and other extreme weather events are becoming increasingly impactful on our communities, environment, and economy in Australia and, in turn, the need for resilient housing is growing. Source: Timberbiz The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) reports that Australians are five times more likely to be displaced by a natural disaster than someone living in Europe and the costs associated with those events are significantly growing. The ICA also reports that the costs directly related to repairing or replacing homes and their contents after natural catastro ..read more

Tasmania’s largest private forest and land asset manager Forico will welcome a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chris Oddie, from 24 June 2024. Source: Timberbiz Mr Oddie is a chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ experience in senior executive finance, commercial and operational management, gained across the agribusiness, construction, community services, financial services and logistics sectors both in Australia and overseas. Most recently he has occupied CFO and company secretary roles with Regional Livestock Exchanges, Li-Ve Tasmania, and Spectran Group, where he shaped business ..read more

Building enough homes for all Australians is again at the centre of Federal policy decisions, with the Opposition’s Budget reply acknowledging the critical importance of addressing housing supply challenges, said Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn. Source: Timberbiz “To solve the housing crisis, we need to see action beyond the housing portfolio with skills, migration, infrastructure, industrial relations, defence, social services, and industry portfolios pulling in the same direction. “Builders applaud the Opposition for calling out the damaging impacts of recent industrial relations r ..read more

Australia’s forest products sector has welcomed the Federal Government’s ongoing support in the 2024-25 Federal Budget. Source: Timberbiz “The Budget builds on the Australian Government’s investment since 2022 to boost timber and wood fibre supply, enhance manufacturing productivity, develop strategic industry policy planning and fund training and skills,” Australian Forest Products Association CEO Diana Hallam said. “The $3.4 million provided over four years in this Budget for development of a National Timber Fibre Strategy and a review of the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement ($1.8 milli ..read more

In today’s world, where environmental conservation is at the forefront of global concerns, ensuring the responsible management of our forests is paramount. One crucial tool in achieving this goal is the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification. This certification plays a vital role in safeguarding our forests and promoting sustainability. But what exactly is PEFC and Responsible Wood certification, and why does it matter for our forests? PEFC certification is a globally recognised standard for promoting sustainable forest management. It provides assurance to c ..read more

May’s a funny month, you’re hanging onto the autumn weather and good times that were had over summer, knowing fully well that winter is around the corner, and it’s going to get cold and ugly. This is usually the case for our industry as log prices generally start heading south in late autumn and rain is not our friend. However, winter came early in terms of southward heading log prices, with a significant drop in April that extended into May with mainly flat pricing at the NZ$106/JAS level for A grade. Thankfully the weather has played ball with reasonably dry conditions to date, but this is c ..read more