Australian wood industry seeks more political clout

The Australian forest and wood products industry is finally doing something about ‘muscling-up’ nationally, and should have a new ‘peak’ organisation operational in the first half of next year.

The drive to more sharply focus the wood industry’s government relations and public authority representation, and to present a more cohesive voice is coming from some of the country’s ‘new’ forest owners – including Hancock Victoria CEO Linda Sewell, who also happens to be chair of the Australian Plantation products and Paper Industries Council (A3P).

A memorandum of understanding has been signed by A3P and the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI), detailing the intent to form a single national representative body for forests, wood and paper products.

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Certification wars: PEFC fighting FSC monopoly

The big guns may have been quiet for a while, but the battle between major certification brands PEFC and FSC is back on – just in time to vent their respective spleens at a conference in Australia.

ForestWorks, organisers of 'Australia's Place in the Changing Global Forest Products Market' conference being held in Melbourne on 9 September, believe they have pulled off a “major coup” in getting the top executives from FSC and PEFC to speak.

PEFC global president William V. Street from the US has confirmed he will certainly be in Melbourne, but when inwoodtoday spoke to one of the organisers this week, the FSC was still coy about who would be in its corner.

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Queensland shows plantations hand

Although plantation forestry in Australia is still reeling from the hammer blow it took with the collapse of managed investment schemes (MIS) all over the country, the Queensland Government has announced a positive new strategy to grow more trees.

The release last week of a strategy to support expansion of the state’s $4 billion forest and timber industry signals a “new direction” according to primary industries and resources minister Tim Mulherin. Removing regulatory impediments should produce an investor-ready environment for a competitive, sustainable timber plantation sector.

Timber Queensland chief executive Rod McInnes says the 20/20 strategy is intended to create a planning environment that allows plantations to be a ‘code-assessable’ development rather than ‘impact assessable’. “Providing the plantation meets an agreed standard, local councils will approve them automatically, rather than have to go through longwinded processes as at present.” (Read full story)

Forestry off the political radar?

A distant second to cooking show phenomenon Master Chef it has been, but now the ‘plating up’ is over, the Australian federal election is back on the front burner. And the strange thing is … forestry seems to have been dumped as the traditional whipping post for parties desperate to curry favour with the Green vote.

Not that anybody’s complaining. But what with the Greens and post-Gunns forestry interests in Tasmania actually talking sense, and most of the country’s hardwood forests already behind locked gates, the timber industry is a bit of a political damp squib just now. (Read more)

Organics boss takes on wood processing

The man credited with “putting organics firmly on the New Zealand national agenda” will be representing the interests of the country’s wood processing sector from mid-August.

Dr Jon Tanner leaves Organics Aotearoa New Zealand to replace Peter Bodeker as CEO of the Wood Processors Association (WPA), where he is expected to combine his strong scientific background with industry issues management and government relations responsibilities.

Maybe his first move should be to get a new media agency – somebody who can supply us with a picture of the man.

Meanwhile, Bodeker took his proven track record as a lobbyist and industry advocate to the Seafood Industry Council where he has been CEO since May.