Jamax Forest Solutions

28/05/2026

AFAC has released Australia’s national bushfire outlook for winter with fire authorities predicting an increased risk of fire across the northern parts of the Great Sandy Desert and surrounds in Western Australia (WA), and parts of central and northern New South Wales (NSW).

Over the southeast, the potential for drier and warmer than normal conditions have authorities watching fuels closely. Without significant rainfall, there is potential for increased fire activity later in the year.

In WA, risk of fire is expected to be mostly average, with increased risk in parts of Dampierland, the northern Great Sandy Desert and the Ord Victoria Plain as the dry season progresses.

Above normal fire potential is expected in drought-affected areas of central and northern NSW later in winter, driven by unusually hot and dry autumn conditions that have expanded drought across much of the state.

AFAC CEO Rob Webb said: “Contrasting but equally important bushfire risks are evident across NSW and WA. Ongoing dry conditions continue to drive concern in NSW, while elevated grass fuel loads following a wet season are increasing risk in northern WA, highlighting Australia's vast landscape and the importance of being prepared for bushfire year-round."

“Communities are encouraged to be vigilant, even in areas of Australia that show a normal risk of fire this season. A dry winter could signal an early start to the bushfire period so stay connected to advice from your local fire services.”

The areas marked in red on the map represent an increased risk of fire, largely driven by below average rainfall and dry conditions.

The Seasonal Outlook is the culmination of a complex analysis by expert fire specialists across Australia, and climate prediction and fire weather experts from the Bureau of Meteorology.

This Outlook was developed by the Bureau of Meteorology, ACT Emergency Services Agency, ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Bushfires NT Country Fire Authority, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action Victoria, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions WA, NSW Rural Fire Service, SA Country Fire Service, Tasmania Fire Service, Department of Fire and Emergency Services and AFAC.

28/05/2026

Interesting study, but correlation doesn’t necessarily prove causation. Another plausible explanation is that koala admissions and deaths increase during the breeding season, when koalas are naturally far more active and mobile.

During these periods, koalas travel longer distances searching for mates and territory, which increases their exposure to cars, dogs and other hazards. At the same time, the spring/summer breeding activity coincides with hotter months and drought conditions, meaning the higher temperatures may simply overlap with periods of elevated movement and stress rather than being the sole driver of mortality.

It’s also important to remember that rescue admission data reflects animals found by people, not necessarily total mortality across the landscape. Koalas moving more frequently near roads, towns and farms are more likely to be detected and admitted to care.

Heat and drought clearly affect koalas, but attributing rising deaths primarily to a 27°C threshold may oversimplify a much more complex interaction between breeding behaviour, seasonal movement, habitat condition, disease, predation and human interaction.

Nearly 12,000 NSW rescue records reveal koalas face sharply higher odds of death once seven-day temperatures hold above 27C.

28/05/2026

Dutch timber homes hit carbon-negative milestone

ORGA has built a carbon-negative neighborhood in Marknesse, the Netherlands, using biobased materials, prefabricated timber, and breathable, foil-free construction that shows sustainable, affordable housing can scale.

With the constant pressure for architecture to reduce its massive carbon footprint, studios are always looking for solutions beyond traditional materials. ORGA from the Netherlands has taken on this challenge, rewriting the rulebook by building a carbon-negative neighborhood prototype in the…

27/05/2026

Creating a legacy.

27/05/2026

The recent article by Lindenmayer (see like below) promoting the benefits of plantations over native forests is misleading and simplistic.

We certainly need more plantations, both hardwood and softwood, as the estate has been shrinking over recent decades. However, sufficient hardwood plantations do not currently exist to simply "transition" away from sustainably managed native timber. Existing hardwood plantations were largely established for pulp and paper production and are generally not suited to sawlog production.

Why didn't we plant sawlog species instead of good pulping species? Largely because there was sufficient hardwood available to meet our needs from native forests, where access was bilaterally guaranteed under Regional Forest Agreements, and the shorter rotations needed provided better returns for investors.

To simply state that plantations provide 90% of sawn timber in Australia is simplistic and misleading. Research shows that hardwood still makes up approx. 1/3 of the timber required to construct your average 1 or 2 storey house (see attached diagram). The majority of that hardwood either comes from our native forests or is imported, often from countries with lower environmental controls than ours. Further recent research shows that imports now constitute 46% of the timber traded in Australia, with 43% of those imports from high Illegal Deforestation and Associated Trade (IDAT)
Risk countries.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/05/the-importance-of-plantations-in-the-australian-forest-industry/

26/05/2026

"Lower intensity, patchier burns create a wide range of habitats and resources over time, which in turn supports a greater diversity of plants and animals in the landscape."

Fire is a natural part of many Australian landscapes, and it can be both a threat and a tool. The difference for wildlife and flora often comes down to the...

26/05/2026

"let the timber lead where you go, let it inspire you"

Each of these guitars is handmade from worn-out pianos and old-growth timber reclaimed from heritage homes and warehouses. Chris Bonham…

26/05/2026

Ethtec has completed construction of the Hunter Pilot Biorefinery in Muswellbrook and is developing technology for the sustainable production of ethanol form lignocellulosic (woody and fibrous materials) in significant volumes at a cost competitive with petroleum fuels.

https://arena.gov.au/knowledge-bank/ethtec-cellulosic-ethanol-pilot-plant-lessons-learnt-report-no-2/

26/05/2026

"Six aircraft thinning a single stand at once, each flying autonomously, is the operation AirForestry is now building toward. The company has said that fleet configuration is the point at which the cost of airborne thinning matches the ground-based machinery it intends to replace, and it forms the basis for the commercial rollout it is now preparing."

An autonomous electric drone has felled a tree and flown it clear of a working forest with no ground machine, a world first for forestry, AirForestry says.

25/05/2026

New timber post technology to save vineyards thousands

Australia’s wine industry is vast, and behind every row of vines stands treated timber posts. When a vineyard reaches the end of its productive life, those posts require careful disposal: subject to waste regulations, they must go to licenced landfill facilities, which can be costly for growers. As a result, posts are often stockpiled on-site, presenting challenges in bushfire-prone regions.

The Vineyard Post Reuse Pilot, part of The Timber Circularity Project, is developing a practical end-of-life alternative and the upcoming Pilot Showcase is the culmination of trials run by the FABAL Group. Using innovative technology to process the vineyard posts for reuse, it represents a step forward for the Timber Circularity Project in developing pathways for CCA treated timber posts.

The scale of the opportunity

Between 1.7 and 4.3 million treated timber posts are currently being removed from Australian vineyards annually, representing 15,000 to 38,000 tonnes per year. This initiative is addressing that problem by safely stripping them to be repurposed as fence posts or landscaping materials using a system that can readily be adopted by vineyard managers and farmers. At $3.50 – $5.50 per post, times 600 – 700 per hectare, there’s potential to save up to $3000 a hectare in waste management.

Dr Pene Mitchell, Research Fellow from National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life who is leading the project, puts it plainly: “If we treat timber, we can get 20 plus years out of it. If we change to concrete or steel or plastic, the overall sustainable impact is much more significant: “We really need to find a solution for treated timber in a circular economy.”

Practical technology fit for purpose

The post reuse system is mobile and can connect directly to existing farm machinery, meaning capital and operating costs are reduced and logistics costs are kept to a minimum.

Early studies suggest the system can process around 600 posts per day, and preliminary economic modelling indicates that the posts can be sold for more than it costs to process them.

“We thought it wouldn’t be economically viable,” Dr Mitchell says. “But then when you factor in the fact that the farmers would have to pay to get rid of them, it just makes a lot of sense.”

What timber circularity really means

Research indicates that timber has a fraction of the environmental impact of extractive materials such as steel and concrete as it can be grown in ways that build ecosystems rather than deplete them. Timber already has strong sustainability credentials – it’s renewable and stores carbon. The next step is building better reuse and recycling pathways so those benefits last even longer.

“The timber circularity project just closes that loop of how we can continue to keep timber in our supply chain,” Dr Mitchell says. “The benefits of sustainability, community, economic security, all of those things can be addressed through a timber circular economy.”

The Vineyard Post Reuse Pilot Showcase takes place on Thursday 21 May 2026 at Vinarchy Langhorne Creek Vineyard in South Australia, where attendees will see the technology in action and hear more about the project’s findings and future direction.

Source & image credit: FWPA