Over the last decade, plastic waste has more than doubled to 353 million tonnes in 2019, according to the OECD Global Plastic Outlook. It is clear to governments, businesses and citizens that something must be done now to slow down this alarming development. Source: Timberbiz As part of the global effort to reduce plastic waste, UPM Plywood has introduced a new wrapping for WISA birch panels that are packaged on pallets using transparent plastic film, wood, cardboard and paper labels. Spruce plywood sheets, used mainly in construction and non-visual applications, are simply bound together usin ..read more

At this year’s PEFC Forest Forum in Paris, five engaging speakers discussed the future of forests in policy, the benefits of forest certification for responsible businesses, and the need to align demand-side expectations with those of forest owners globally. Source: Timberbiz “With issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change becoming the centre of public policy and private sector concerns, sustainable forest management and forest certification have become more important than ever,” said PEFC’s Head of Advocacy, Thorsten Arndt. Adrian Leip from the European Commission op ..read more

As global environmental concerns escalate, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is at the forefront of promoting various aspects of restoring degraded lands on a global scale, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Source: Timberbiz This critical effort was highlighted during the webinar “Restoration for a Better Environment,” held on World Environment Day in June. An information brief titled “Fostering Linkages Between Sustainable Wood Supply and Forest and Landscape Restoration in the Asia-Pacific,”, was launched during the webinar. As per the brief, the concu ..read more

People across the forest industry are facing some of the toughest challenges in the past decade with weather, markets and regulations all challenging the best of our foresters. Source: Timberbiz One way for people to make positive change in the face of adversity is to network with others and gain inspiration from sharing success stories that can lead to motivating others in similar roles and circumstances. On 25-26 June the 3rd Annual Environmental Forestry Conference will do just that bringing practical foresters together with local regulators and national policy makers to debate an ..read more

New Zealand Forestry Minister Todd McClay has announced that annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24. Source: Timberbiz “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay said. “They have said that there was insufficient transparency, communication, and engagement around the introduction of the new annual service charges. This compromised the sector’s confidence, which I am now working hard to restore. “To give participants certainty, we will ..read more

In a world where environmental concerns are becoming increasingly urgent, making informed choices about the products we use has never been more critical. Sustainable forest products play a vital role in this equation, offering consumers an opportunity to support responsible forestry practices and contribute to the preservation of our planet’s natural resources. But what exactly are sustainable forest products, and why do they matter for the future of our planet? Sustainable forest products refer to wood and paper products that are sourced from forests managed in an environmentally and socially ..read more

VicForests has issued an alert over the serious risks and hazards from threatening and aggressive driving targeting log trucks and other forestry workers. Source: Timberbiz The alert follows reports of anti-logging activists allegedly tailgating a 63-tonne logging truck from the Wombat Forest for almost 200km, until Victoria Police stopped them at Longwarry on 30 May 2024 more than two hours later. VicForests alleged this extremely dangerous incident included tailgating, swerving and driving without headlights in the dark. The vehicle in question had been observed at locations of protests bein ..read more

Engineers at Cambridge University have reconstructed a historic wooden bowling machine that bowled out players from the Australian cricket team during a visit to the city more than a hundred years ago. Sources: Timberbiz, Cambridge University photos Adam Page Using patent illustrations and an old photograph discovered online, the team brought the 7ft contraption to life using materials that would have been available when Dr John Venn, who first described what are now known as Venn Diagrams and was also president of Gonville & Caius College, created it in the early 1900s, and which bested t ..read more

Despite global commitments to halt deforestation by 2030, only eight of the top 20 countries with highest rate of tropical deforestation have quantified targets on forests in their national climate action plans, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Source: Timberbiz This is one of the key findings of the UN-REDD report “Raising ambition, accelerating action: Towards enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions for forests,” published as countries gather for the Bonn Climate Change Conference. The report reveals a major gap in forest protection, management and restoration i ..read more

International Labour Organization (ILO) is moving to boost safety and health in forestry work. Despite progress in recent decades, forests remain hazardous workplaces. New guidance from the ILO aims to better protect those women and men working in the sector. Source: Timberbiz Millions of forestry workers globally are set to benefit from an updated version of the ILO code of practice on safety and health in forestry work, adopted by ILO. The updated code, discussed and adopted in a meeting of experts held in Geneva by experts from governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations, aims to ..read more