New Zealand’s forestry sector has confirmed it will align its workplace vocational training with the new Engineering and Manufacturing Private Training Establishment (PTE), operating under Competenz. The decision follows extensive consultation with employers, contractors and training providers, led by the ...

In the wake of wildfires, bringing affected areas back into production poses a major challenge, particularly in remote or hard-to-reach areas. In Canada, wildfires affect an average of 2.8 million hectares of forest each year, underscoring the importance of exploring innovative ...

Modern LiDAR technology is transforming the way we understand forests. With the introduction of sensors such as the DJI Zenmuse L3, collecting detailed three-dimensional information about forest structure, terrain, and vegetation has become more accessible than ever before. At Interpine, ...

John O’Donnell Opinion Piece Firefighter safety in Australia requires urgent attention as forest structure, fuel loads and fire behaviour shift toward more dangerous conditions. Past crown fires have created dense shrub dominated understoreys, abundant dead wood, reduced height stratification and ...

The results of the Forest Growers Levy Trust’s 7th annual Social Licence to Operate (SLO) survey have been published, continuing to build one of the sector’s most valuable long-term evidence bases for understanding how New Zealanders view forestry. After 7 years ...

What’s the best way to manage a forest? Australians have argued about this for decades. The debate is often framed as binary: do we protect forests entirely, or harvest trees to support local economies and communities? The reality is more ...

Hexagon has acquired ITRES, the Calgary-based provider of high-performance airborne hyperspectral and thermal imaging systems, strengthening its ability to deliver richer multi-sensor geospatial data for advanced airborne mapping and analysis. The acquisition unites two complementary portfolios under one provider. Hexagon ...

In his office in MSU’s forestry department, EEB core faculty member David Carter shows off an image of a virtual forest on his laptop. It’s not just any forest. It’s a computerized replica, or “digital twin,” of a loblolly pine stand, created ...

Innovatek is inviting expressions of interest from technology developers, researchers, forest managers and equipment suppliers interested in presenting at ForestTECH 2027, Australasia’s leading forestry technology conference. The event series is running 9-10 March 2027 in Brisbane, Australia, and 16-17 March ...

Forestry’s injury claims have fallen by around 34 percent since 2018, reflecting sustained improvements in safety performance and injury prevention across the sector. ACC has highlighted the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC) as a strong example of what can be ...

New research from the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao aims to improve New Zealand’s wildfire preparedness and response.  The institute has developed national-scale wildfire hazard potential data layers to help communities, businesses and wildfire managers better understand the areas that are more likely to burn under high-risk conditions, and how severe fire behaviour is likely to be. The data was developed by simulating more than 500,000 potential ...

An Opinion Piece: John O’Donnell Across south eastern Australia, prescribed burning rates remain at historically low levels, despite overwhelming evidence that this single mitigation tool is the most effective, scalable and proven method for reducing the extent of bushfires. While ...

Spark, the Far North District Council (FNDC) and Dryad have implemented an advanced ultra-early fire detection system at the Waitangi Endowment Forest – the first of its kind in New Zealand. This initiative aims to safeguard one of New Zealand’s ...

The Government is backing the New Zealand’s forestry sector’s innovation and sustainable productivity, announced from Agriculture Minister Todd McClay last month. “Greater land use flexibility results in prosperity through productivity, and new production methods and technologies are key to driving ...

Researchers report that methane absorption has increased under shifting climate conditions, based on a long-term study conducted in Germany. Forest soils play a key role in regulating the climate by removing large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from ...

Red needle cast (RNC) is shifting from an unknown threat to a disease New Zealand foresters can actively manage. The release of the RNC Manual and Regional Risk Forecasting Tool this month marks an important step in that transition. The ...

This year, Carbon Forestry 2026 is taking place on 4–5 August 2026 at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua. Following a sold-out 2025 event that attracted more than 300 delegates, this year’s conference reflects a major shift in the sector as ...

The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) says the latest set of changes to the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) are an important step toward a more nationally consistent and risk-based framework for managing forestry activities across New ...

Public claims that timber harvesting increases bushfire risk are based on narrow and contested evidence, and should not be generalised across Australia’s diverse forests, according to a new evidence review released by Forestry Australia. The review, Contested Evidence About Timber Harvesting ...

A major technological milestone has been achieved in timber harvesting with the successful completion of the world’s first drone-assisted tree harvest within an operational forest stand.  AirForestry’s field test validated the system’s capabilities in a natural forest environment, proving its functionality ...

Public comment is now being sought on an amendment to Australian/New Zealand Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (AS/NZS 4708:2021). Developed by Responsible Wood, AS/NZS 4708 sets out requirements for sustainable forest management in Australia and New Zealand. It forms part ...

The 2026 Youth Micro Innovation Challenge is calling on young people across New Zealand’s forestry sector to help shape the future of the industry – one practical idea at a time. Open to students, recent graduates, and early‑career forestry workers with ...

The Fieldays Forestry Hub returns to Fieldays in 2026 for the fifth consecutive year, highlighting the important role forestry and wood processing play in supporting New Zealand’s economy, environment, and regional communities.  Each year, forest growers and sector organisations come ...

Understanding how easy (or difficult) it is to move through a forest stand is something every forester and contractor experiences — but until recently, it has been difficult to quantify at scale. Using LiDAR data, Interpine has developed an approach to ...

One of the highlights for the Precision Silviculture Programme team is seeing a project grow from ‘just an idea’ to being used by real people in the field.  One such project is the Virtual Reality Thinning Training Tool, developed in partnership with the ...

Komatsu North America is expanding its Smart Forestry platform, combining machine learning, satellite positioning, and connected equipment to digitize forestry operations and improve productivity in remote environments. The system integrates onboard machine data, fleet-level monitoring, and mapping tools to give ...

Following a sold-out event in 2025 that saw over 300 industry leaders gather to discuss a sector “at the crossroads,” Innovatek has officially launched the programme for Carbon Forestry 2026. Scheduled for 4-5 August 2026 in Rotorua, the conference arrives ...

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has released a comprehensive industry-wide carbon study showing Australia’s forest and wood products industry is well positioned to support the nation’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The study outlines credible pathways for the forest and ...

Koala habitat is being restored across flood-impacted parts of the Northern Rivers, with community groups and Indigenous Ranger teams leading the planting of thousands of vital eucalypt trees. A total of 20,000 seedlings will be delivered through Koala Conservation Australia’s ...

Integral Limited is inviting forest nurseries and forest management companies to register for a free full season trial of PlantIT, its digital tree tracking and management platform designed specifically for the forestry supply chain. PlantIT was created to make tree tracking ...

For the first time globally, a stand of hybrid P. radiata and P. attenuata pine trees has been milled – allowing scientists to compare its wood qualities against two purebred species. The hybrid stand (a cross of P. radiata and ...

Bark and ambrosia beetles are acting as tiny taxis for fungi across New Zealand, giving researchers valuable clues about how these organisms travel through forests and crops. To understand whether plant disease-causing fungi are being moved this way, Bioeconomy Science Institute scientists are identifying the species being ...

Discover Forestry has launched a new Minecraft-based learning game that lets students grow and manage their own virtual forest, reflecting real New Zealand plantation forestry systems. The game takes players through the full forestry cycle, from establishing a crop, through ...

Just in case you ever wonder what us foresters get up to. The AI-generated video was created by presenter Julian Moore as part of Forestry Australia’s webinar on AI Skills to Save Time & Improve Productivity. The video was developed to give participants ...

Six Bioeconomy Science Institute Endeavour Fund Research Programmes and six Smart Idea Endeavour contracts have secured 12‑month funding extensions, with a total value of $17.63 million, enabling high‑impact research to continue through 2026. The extensions were announced on 23 April, ...

FGR assisted Hamish Scown of Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd with recent trials of using shredded wood from forestry debris as temporary roading aggregate. Three test roads were built using shredded wood in layers half a metre deep (500mm) to ...

The first joint Australia and New Zealand Forest Valuation Standard was launched at the 2026 Forest Valuation Summit this week in Melbourne, marking a watershed moment for forest valuation and setting a new benchmark for how forest assets are assessed, reported ...

An immersive learning experience. Forestry Minecraft World isn’t just a game, it’s a complete educational tool developed with funding from the WIDE Trust. The resource includes a Forestry Minecraft Guide Book for teachers and a series of modular challenges for students. These ...

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is taking a major step toward improving New Zealand’s exotic forestry data system, announcing a new partnership with Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao to support the upgrade of the National Exotic Forest Description (NEFD). “The planned ...

Sharp fluctuations in the global oil and gas industry underscore the value of a resilient and diverse energy system. Against this backdrop, low carbon liquid fuels offer practical pathways for hard-to-abate, hydrocarbon dependent sectors like aviation, shipping and heavy industry. Speaking ...

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, invites Queensland SMEs to apply for Innovate to Grow: Circular Economy and Sustainability, a free eight-week research and development (R&D) training program. Delivered as part of the Queensland Government funded Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program, Innovate ...

Not only does planting Mānuka trees for honey collection deliver health and financial benefits for local communities and the national economy, this research shows that the industry is also good for the environment. A collaboration between Comvita and scientists from ...

The Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) Centre for Sustainable Futures, housed at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), has awarded A$1.5 million in funding to support a new research project that will accelerate automation in Australia’s plantation forestry ...

U.S. forests have stored more carbon in the past two decades than at any time in the last century, an increase attributable to a mix of natural factors and human activity, finds a new study. To unravel the cause behind ...

At a commercial tree nursery near Evans, western Louisiana, 5m pine seedlings are packed on to 12 vast circular irrigation tables, each as wide as a football field. Last September, many of these young trees were sprayed with what looked ...

As part of Forestry Australia’s commitment to ensuring Australian Forestry, our peer-reviewed journal remains relevant, valuable and fit for purpose, we are seeking your feedback through a short survey. Forestry Australia has appointed a review panel for Australian Forestry, to lead a three-year ...

The event, combined with our long-standing Wood Residues2Revenues Conference, saw close to 300 delegates take in the latest innovations and technologies for extracting energy and value from wood fibres. This was our largest and most comprehensive conference this year. With ...

With the New Zealand forestry sector facing a massive regulatory reset and intensifying environmental pressures, the upcoming Environmental Forestry 2026 conference is pivoting away from high-level theory to focus on the immediate, practical needs of forest managers and planners. While ...

Dynamic, non-destructive tracking of plant physiology using wearable biosensors was one of the top emerging technologies of 2025. In research published in August 2025, Bioeconomy Science Institute researcher, Dalila Pasquini, co-led the study into monitoring potassium ions in living pine trees. ...

Across Australia, Eucalypt forests are declining in ways that cannot be fully explained by drought, pests, pathogens, or climate change. A major cause of this decline lies in the long‑term exclusion of regular, low intensity fire, an ecological process that shaped ...

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) National Exotic Forest Description 2025 (NEFD) provides the latest snapshot of New Zealand’s plantation forest estate and confirms that the resource continues to expand and mature. Net stocked area increased to 1.82 million hectares, up 1.4% from 2024, while ...

Soil depletion has become one of the most serious global threats to food security. Forest industry side streams provide raw material for strengthening the soil resilience and microbiome. UNESCO and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations ...

A sweeping global study warns that forests are becoming dominated by fast-growing trees, while slow-growing species that stabilize ecosystems are fading away. This shift could leave forests less diverse, less resilient, and less capable of protecting the planet from climate ...

New research is putting the litter bed flammability of New Zealand’s beech forests under the microscope. The Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao’s extreme wildfire research team and Lincoln University academic staff are jointly supervising student Georgia Stevenson, who is conducting ignition ...

Fighting fires could be done remotely, without the need to place firefighting crews directly in potentially dangerous situations. Collaborative teams of artificial intelligence-powered robots, with extinguishing equipment on board, has had success in initial soft trials. Led by Cyborg Dynamics Engineering ...

In the aftermath of Australia’s “Black Summer” bushfires of 2019–20, few policy questions have proved as persistent as how, exactly, to live with fire on a warming continent. Governments promise resilience. Communities demand safety. And industries facing declining markets look for ...

Robust, time-sequenced calculations of carbon in different landscapes across Aotearoa are essential to support sensible conclusions about future national carbon inventory goals and commitments. Back in 2002, to establish a baseline, a nationally representative forest inventory plot network (the Land ...

Environmental forestry is no longer a niche discussion. Across Australasia, forest managers are grappling with increasingly complex challenges — from pest incursions and biodiversity protection to wildfire risk and climate-driven extremes. One of the most encouraging developments is the growing ...

Forests, when well-managed, are critical to Australia meeting its emissions reduction targets, according to a new evidence review released today by Forestry Australia. The Forest Carbon Balance Evidence Review brings together the latest science on forest carbon dynamics, demonstrating that ...

At 8.40am on Dec 12, 2025, in the midst of Australia’s bush fire season, a blaze erupted in Golden Valley, a remote woodland region of the island state of Tasmania. Typically, such a fire in a sparsely populated area might not ...

Western Sydney University’s Blue Mountains Hub for Ecology and Conservation has made substantial progress in establishing a long-term, integrated ecological monitoring network across one of Australia’s most significant and vulnerable landscapes. Developed in partnership with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network ...

Changes are underway across New Zealand’s vocational education system, and forestry training is part of this wider reform. These changes follow the Government’s decision to disestablish Te Pūkenga and restructure work based learning, which has included Competenz. Competenz has confirmed it ...

A New Zealand-first native tree study has highlighted the Bioeconomy Science Institute’s position as a forestry research leader. Our work to improve propagation and increase the production of indigenous species in nurseries was the focus of a journal article published ...

This report is a world review of forest decline in relation to inadequate regular mild fire and consequent changes in soils, nutrients, mycorrhizae and other soil factors. Released by John O’Donnell on 5 January 2025. The role of mild fire ...

Australia’s trees must contend with many lethal factors, from intense megafires to introduced diseases and invasive species.  But beyond these specific pressures, new research indicates the underlying natural death rate of trees in major forests across the country is rising. This ...

The Forest Growers Levy Trust (FGLT) Board has approved 22 new research projects under its 2026 work programme, complementing ongoing long- and medium-term programmes such as Precision Silviculture and Automation and Robotics. Sixty percent of the projects are hoped to ...

New Zealand forest harvesting operations are highly mechanised, with all stages of the harvest process, from felling to loading out, being achieved by machines. All the functions of these machines are controlled using the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, a ...

The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) has confirmed new dates and released the full programme for its highly anticipated Environmental Forestry 2026 conference. The event, initially slated for September 2025, will now take place on 23-24 March 2026, at the ...

Interpine is proud to be New Zealand’s Planet Partner, delivering high-frequency satellite imagery to forestry and natural resource clients across the country. For years, our clients have benefited from near-daily monitoring at 3m GSD (Ground Sample Distance) using Planet’s SuperDove constellation—supporting ...

Irish forestry technology company Treemetrics Ltd has announced the launch of Crann, the world’s first AI Forestry Assistant. Designed to reduce time spent on administrative work, Crann allows foresters to focus more on managing forests and less on paperwork. Crann ...

ForestTECH 2025 reaffirmed its position as Australasia’s leading forestry technology event, bringing together forest managers, researchers, and technology specialists in Rotorua, New Zealand (18-19 November) and Melbourne, Australia (25-26 November). The series continued its role as an independent platform for ...

Australia’s bushfire landscape has been shaped by 60 years plus of important fire research, providing a legacy of lessons in fire mitigation, behaviour, suppression and other research areas, and the attached comprehensive review highlights this. The full review is included here. ...

New Bioeconomy Science Institute research shows a fungus discovered in 2020 can process wood and agricultural waste more effectively than traditional commercial enzymes – helping transition forestry into a high-value manufacturing sector. The fungus, Penicillium rotoruae, was discovered as a new species growing ...

The status quo for thinning operation QC is to get boots on the ground to check that the target SPH has been achieved. It’s accurate, but it’s slow and costly. Interpine is putting a different approach in front of forest ...

We’re proud to announce the launch of a new digital research archive, bringing together decades of valuable research to make it easier for the forest and wood products sector to access and apply knowledge that drives innovation. The FWPA Industry ...

The ForestTECH 2025 conference series is set to return this month in New Zealand and Australia, bringing together leading researchers, technology providers and forest managers to explore the latest advances in remote sensing, data capture, inventory management and precision silviculture. ...

The NZ Government has released its Wood Energy Strategy and Action Plan and a Government Statement on Biogas, signalling its strong support for New Zealand’s bioenergy sector. Hon Simon Watts, Minister for Energy, made the announcement this week at the Residues2Revenues 2025 and Bioeconomy Innovations ...

Since Planet’s founding in 2011, the mission has been simple yet bold: to make the Earth visible, accessible, and actionable. By pioneering a new approach to space, Planet has built and now operate the world’s largest commercial network of Earth-imaging satellites. This ...

Australia’s forestry sector has reached a major sustainability milestone and a new FWPA-commissioned report highlights why it matters for both industry and consumers. The report, Forest Certification in Australia: Driving Responsible Management and Consumer Confidence, prepared by Indufor, shows how the ...

Koala numbers in NSW have doubled since the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2012 according to a new report from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. According to Timber NSW Chief Executive Maree McCaskill, ‘These numbers are the actual science that ...

Safeguarding Australia’s log export market as methyl bromide faces increasing restrictions globally. Australia’s log export industry faces growing pressure to reduce its reliance on methyl bromide (MB), a fumigant under increasing global scrutiny. New research funded by Forest & Wood ...

Remsoft, a leader in Forest Intelligence solutions, has acquired LOGR, an Australian forestry technology company known for its innovative real-time data capture and operational multi-party analytics platform. The acquisition advances Remsoft’s strategy to build a unified, cloud-based ecosystem that connects ...

The Advanced Fatigue Management Scheme (AFMS) trials have gained traction across the trucking sector and is beginning to show tangible operational and safety benefits for the forest industry. The Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) Log Transport AFMS trial has included approximately 520 ...

Timber Queensland, the peak body for the forest and timber industry, has welcomed the release of the landmark Queensland Future Timber Plan, describing it as a balanced and forward-looking strategy that provides long-overdue certainty for the sector and regional communities. ...

The 1952 bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) stand as one of the most significant events in Australia’s bushfire history, not for their death toll, but for the enduring lessons they offered in fire management and mitigation. Spanning over 8 million ...

We are pleased to release the working programmes for both the New Zealand and Australian ForestTECH 2025 events. This well-established forest management technology conference series is highly rated by forest managers, applied forest technology specialists and tree crop and forest ...

The forestry industry contributes around A$5.2 billion to the Victorian economy and supports more than 25,000 local and regional jobs, according to a new study commissioned by Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA). The Economic Contribution of the Forestry Industry in Victoria report found ...

WorkSafe NZ has released the new Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) for forestry operations along with the Health and Safety when Managing a Small Forest Harvest Good Practice Guidelines (GPG). This guidance outlines the responsibilities and legal expectations under the ...

New research led by Griffith University has measured individual tree heights across 3.1 million hectares in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region, revealing old growth forests and a tree as tall as a 27-storey building at 81m. In the ...

A new study by ecologist Meg Graeme for Tāne’s Tree Trust and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) shows that pine plantations across erosion-prone hill country in Tairāwhiti already host an understory that is 98% native species – dominated by kawakawa, māhoe, ...

Forestry Resources Drive Sustainable Breakthroughs in the Bioeconomy New Zealand is set to take centre stage in the global move towards a sustainable bioeconomy, leveraging its forest resources to spearhead innovation and international collaboration. The upcoming Bioeconomy Innovations Conference, organised ...

From California to the Mediterranean, and now even in the far north of Europe, wildfires are increasingly making headlines. The growing vulnerability of regions once considered low-risk underscores the urgent need for action—and the development of innovative firefighting technologies.  While wildfires ...

The Minns Labor Government is preparing state forests to be better monitored and protected from fires with the roll out of Australia’s largest early detection smart camera network mostly across central and southern NSW. Early fire detection cameras will be ...

Looq AI, an innovator in ground-based reality capture, today announced that its AI-powered, ​​photogrammetric data capture platform is now compatible with Trimble® Business Center (TBC) software. This compatibility enables engineering professionals to efficiently extract and utilize high-accuracy Looq Platform data within ...

As the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme – Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill moves through Parliament, opposition to carbon forestry is reaching a crescendo. It is timely to take stock of why carbon forests exist and the broader benefits they ...

National Forestry Day is usually a time to celebrate the achievements of Australia’s forest and timber industries, with this year marking 150 years since George Goyder mapped out South Australia’s first plantation. But despite this milestone, the industry faces an ...

Aratu Forests Limited is in the early stages of planting its own poplar and willow pole nursery to aid in erosion control initiatives not only within its own forest estate but also across Tairawhiti. Those species of fast-growing trees have ...

In August 2025, over 300 industry leaders, corporate emitters, and investors gathered in Rotorua, New Zealand – and virtually online – for Carbon Forestry 2025, the region’s premier event on carbon markets and forestry investment. Now firmly established as the ...

The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) is pleased to announce the release of the 2025 editions of the Australia and New Zealand Forest Products Industry Maps. These maps have long been a staple resource for the sector—widely displayed in offices across ...

In early 2025, wildfires ravaged Southern California. Firefighters spent days battling flames that engulfed houses, businesses and landmarks while forcing thousands to flee. But even once the fires came under control, the danger wasn’t over. As the smoke cleared from ...

A forestry right agreement between Crown Forestry and Ngāi Tahu Farming in North Canterbury is an exciting opportunity for the emerging woody biomass sector, says Paul Burridge, General Manager Crown Forestry. “Woody biomass is a leading alternative to replace coal ...

In a move set to disrupt the global packaging industry, New Zealand’s NZ Bio Forestry and Taiwan-based PanCycle and Inspira Applied Bio Solutions have signed a strategic Agreement to develop a network of biorefineries producing sustainable, biodegradable biochemicals from New Zealand Pinus radiata. These next-generation materials will ...

Victoria’s mountain ash forests are thinning rapidly as the globe heats up, and could lose a quarter of their “giant” trees that grow up to 80m tall in the coming decades, research has found. Forests of Eucalyptus regnans – one of the tallest ...

A recent study from Germany’s Technical University Darmstadt, and published on Commun Earth Environ, has revealed that forest soils act as major sinks for microplastic pollution. Researchers found that tiny plastic particles are carried through the air, deposited onto forest ...

Levy changes and rising risks drive capability assessment. A cancelled panel at a Christchurch rural and forest firefighting conference has brought to light wider debate over wildfire strategy, funding, and capability in New Zealand. The discussion – planned for last ...

The recent storm events in the Nelson-Tasman region have shown us we are now living in a climate-changed world. Climate adaptation is no longer optional – it is essential. So too is the need for robust environmental regulation that enables us to ...

FSC Australia and New Zealand is seeking nominations for an economic chamber vacancy on the Standards Development Group (SDG), which is responsible for revising the FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for Australia. This vacancy follows the departure of Simon Cook, who has ...

Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is continuing its strong commitment to advancing Australia’s forestry industry, announcing a major investment in new research worth $8.75 million. This latest round of funding marks another milestone in FWPA’s mission to deliver impactful, ...

A new paper published in Nature Communications reveals how the way tree species are arranged in a forest can help optimise ecosystem functioning and productivity. The study was conducted using empirical field data combined with advanced computer models and simulations by researchers ...

UC researchers are using drones and satellite remote sensing to track the health of eucalyptus trees from above and protect the future of New Zealand’s plantation forests.  Originally from Nepal, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) ...

Pilot project aims to cut wildfire risk and smoke from slash piles. The Oregon Department of Forestry is teaming up with the owner of 33,000 acres of private timberland west of Bend to test a new technology that reduces the ...

After months of collaboration and input from forest owners, contractors and forest industry leaders, the revised Forestry Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) will be formally launched on Tuesday 26 August in Palmerston North. The new ACOP has been significantly updated from the 2012 ...

SpaceX says a new Starlink upgrade can keep the satellite internet flowing — even if trees partially block your home’s view of the sky. Last week, the company touted its real-time “beam switching” system to maintain satellite internet connectivity even if a Starlink dish ...

EarthDaily is proud to announce our release of two open datasets covering aboveground biomass (AGBD), tree height (CH) and cover (CC) for forests globally, as well as a derived forest mask. The benchmark global datasets (2023) are freely available alongside ...

A new innovation conference focusing on biotech opportunities is gaining momentum across New Zealand’s land-based sectors. Bioeconomy Innovations 2025 is a must-attend event for industry leaders working with fibre products who are interested in cutting-edge, value-added solutions—from farm and forest ...

ForestTECH 2025 will be running this year in Rotorua, New Zealand on 18-19 November 2025, and again in Melbourne, Australia on 25-26 November 2025. The annual ForestTECH series is the one single technology event every year that’s the ‘must attend’ event for foresters across Australasia. It’s well ...

This proposal came after some Gisborne schools said that wanted a North Island alternative to the University of Canterbury’s BE (Hons) Forest Engineering. The School of Engineering, Te Kura Mata-Ao, at the University of Waikato wants feedback from forestry industry ...

Muon Space, a leading provider of end-to-end space systems specializing in mission-optimized satellite constellations, has released the first light images from its FireSat Protoflight, marking a significant milestone in the development of the world’s first dedicated wildfire detection and monitoring ...

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, with content provided by Tāne’s Tree Trust, has released A New Zealand Guide to Growing Our Native Tall Tree Species. This is an introductory, educational resource to support farmers, private landowners, councils, ...

A US startup used extensively by Australian authorities to detect bushfires has raised A$68 million in Series B funding. The round for Pano AI included an undisclosed level of secondary share sales, with the surveillance platform claiming to have raised A$138m ...

Two Scion programmes have received a second round of government funding for collaborative research with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – aimed at increasing water flow and wildfire knowledge and preparedness in New Zealand. The $2.35 million from the ...

ESA has revealed the first stunning images from its groundbreaking Biomass satellite mission – marking a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth’s forests are changing and exactly how they contribute to the global carbon cycle. But these ...

Researchers at the University of Canterbury has spent the last eight years developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) that can use precise tools in complex, dynamic environments. Led by UC Computer Science Professor Richard Green and UC Mechanical Engineering ...

In collaboration with the AI company Terra Labs, Södra is now launching an initiative to ensure that members have continuous access to regularly updated insights about their forests. Broad knowledge of forest owners’ needs is being combined with AI, automated ...

This Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) shows a food and fibre sector on the rise after some tough years. Thanks to the sector’s hard work, strong prices for key exports, and a focus on strong relationships with our ...

The 2023/24 Facts and Figures publication is produced annually by the New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA), providing the latest data and insights from across New Zealand’s forest growing sector. It includes planted forestry highlights, ownership and forest management information, deforestation trends, export and production statistics, health and safety data and supplementary information such ...

The Residues2Revenues event is back, and will run on 21-22 October 2025 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Last year saw a record turnout, with over 200 attending from across forest management, harvesting, log cartage, and wood processing & manufacturing operations. Demand ...

The Government is taking firm action to ensure commercial forestry – one of New Zealand’s most productive and sustainable export sectors – is not stifled by red tape and inconsistent council rules Minister of Forestry Todd McClay announced today. Public ...

Scion has launched the world’s first field trial of gene-edited conifer as part of research aimed at improving wood quality and producing materials to support New Zealand’s bioeconomy. The Crown Research Institute has developed and implemented an advanced gene-editing technique ...

A $3 billion privately funded development in Otago is set to create New Zealand’s largest inland port, in a move expected to future-proof South Island freight logistics and significantly boost export capacity for the region’s primary industries. The Milburn Quadrant development, ...

The B.C. forest sector plays a critical role in the provincial economy, providing family-supporting jobs across urban, rural and Indigenous communities, while operating under a robust sustainable forest management regime. However, the sector is facing serious challenges, including declining wood ...

There have been many bushfires that have had major impacts on towns and cities, indeed many that were bushfire disasters. However, there have been many cases where prescribed burning, mechanical treatments/thinning, active management options and grazing have resulted in reduced impacts on towns ...

Polish scientists are working alongside an international team to create a forestry robot capable of inventorying trees, counting animals, collecting ticks and scouring the forest floor for archaeological nuggets. The project, which is a world first, has been jointly undertaken ...

The Carbon Forestry Conference 2025 programme is now live, with registrations open. This year’s event features a robust lineup of speakers and panellists, including a wider range of local carbon specialists and international carbon forestry companies—making the programme stronger than ...

ESA’s groundbreaking Biomass satellite, designed to provide unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle, has been launched. The satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 ...

The University of Leicester has joined forces with one of the UK’s leading providers of aerial survey and geospatial data, Bluesky International Ltd, to transform the way we understand trees. This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) will enhance Bluesky’s National Tree MapTM (NTMTM) ...

In a partnership aimed at revolutionising wildfire response, Strategic Natural Resource Group (Strategic) and FireSwarm Solutions Inc. (FireSwarm) have joined forces to make automated aerial fire suppression a reality in Canada. With wildfires escalating in frequency and severity, innovative solutions ...

In an exciting advancement towards proactive water management for forests, new research shows that early signs of water stress in Kauri can be detected as early as two weeks from the start of drought conditions, and two weeks before signs of ...

A few months ago, Scion and Carbon Critical released the Multispecies Dashboard – a free, interactive web tool for exploring and comparing carbon sequestration and growth rates across 11 exotic tree species commonly planted in Aotearoa New Zealand. In a recent upgrade, ...

The Forest Owners Association (FOA) and the Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) have come together to establish a new joint Training Committee to strengthen how the sector approaches vocational training. The new committee is comprised of eight individuals, with four ...

Opinion and opportunities review John O’Donnell on 4 April 2025 The author undertook this 5-year review of the alpine area post the 2019/20 Dunns Road bushfire, in particular the Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) section and areas to the west and ...

A new study led by researchers at WashU and the Missouri Botanical Garden has uncovered a surprising layer of diversity in tropical forests. Not only are the forests populated by a dizzying number of tree species, but each of those ...

In this episode of Mapping the Conversations, host ValrieGrant sits down with Aaron Addison, Executive Director of the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC), for a deep dive into the future of the geospatial workforce and the evolving needs of our ...

How do you make the world of forests, sustainability, and tech careers come alive for students and communities? At the recent Try a Trade & Employment Expo in Tumut, NSW, Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) did just that — giving students ...

It’s that time of year again! Carbon Forestry 2025 is New Zealand’s premier event for the sector. Last year, the event hosted over 250 industry leaders, and in 2025, with the stakes higher than ever, you won’t want to miss it. Join ...

The future shape of New Zealand’s forests will reflect today’s policies, just as past policies created the forests we see today. In this report, Alt-F Reset: Examining the drivers of forestry in New Zealand, the Commissioner discusses how current policies are ...

Research lead by Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service (TUR-NZFS) has mapped the change and severity of gullies caused by erosion in the Gisborne District following Cyclone Gabrielle.  The mapping is based on post-cyclone Gabrielle aerial imagery and complements three ...

Forme Consulting Group, in collaboration with Pan Pac Forest Products, and with support from the Precision Silviculture Programme, studied the machine productivity of the PlantmaX. The study looked at planting efficiency, downtime and utilisation through time and motion studies. A short report ...

The five-year Forest Flows programme has improved our understanding of what is happening to the water in New Zealand’s forest soils – and has helped us answer pressing community questions. The programme, which ended in June 2024, created and used cutting-edge technology to ...

“Forests are among the most important ecosystems in nature, constantly evolving, yet their monitoring is often delayed,” says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Climate change, pests, and human activity are transforming forests faster than we ...

Scion and Forest Growers Research (FGR) can now use robotics technology to improve forest tree propagation and breeding, following the signing of a formal partnership agreement with the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences ...

The views of Australian academics Professor David Lindenmayer and Associate Professor Philip Zylstra, as reproduced in recent CFA Newsletters (December 2023 and March 2024), that logging and prescribed burning are making Australian native forests more flammable are highly contested by many Australian forest ...

Forest owners and farmers want a review into Fire and Emergency NZ, saying wildfire specialist skills and capability is being lost. In 2017 the National Rural Fire Authority, 12 rural fire districts, and 26 territorial rural authorities merged with the ...

Last month’s publication of the Wood Volumes Analysis indicates Australia has reliable access to structural forest and wood products to meet future demand. The report provides an analysis of the long-run supply of and domestic demand for wood products in Australia, ...

Expressions of Interest (EOI) for transformative, industry-focused forestry research are now open until 14 April 2025, as the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) National Open Call for Research launches its second round.  This round invites bold ideas with real-world ...

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has launched a candid new video that demonstrates the importance of the essential and sustainable products our sector creates, Chief Executive Officer of AFPA, Diana Hallam said. “This video, try living without Aussie timber and ...

Note: Dates changed to: 21-22 October 2025. “News of recent paper mill closures and a log export slump may soon be replaced with more positive news logs and other forest resources”, says Rotorua-based forest technology specialist, John Stulen. “Scion has ...

NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, and Marble Visions Inc., a provider of advanced Earth observation(EO) satellite services, today announce that Marble Visions has commenced the development of a high-resolution, high-frequency satellite system in a joint ...

Our team have been actively using OneNZ’s SpaceX Starlink mobile phone text service for a couple of weeks now, and the impact of nationwide mobile coverage is starting to become evident. Even in the most remote areas, far from any ...

AFWI’s National Open Call for Research is back, with Expressions of Interest (EOI) opening on Friday, 7 March, for projects that deliver transformative, industry-focused research to support Australia’s forestry and forest products industries. This call encourages innovative ideas that lead to commercial ...

University of Queensland studies have used a natural tree sap gum and light to extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables to combat food waste. The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) research used edible coatings made ...

New Zealand’s forestry sector faces challenges in modernising silvicultural practices due to the need for mechanised solutions tailored to local terrain. Moreover, adopting these new technologies requires addressing training, ergonomics, workload management and decision-making challenges. The planting workstream of Forest Growers ...

From tailored Netflix recommendations to personalised Facebook feeds, artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly serves content that matches our preferences and past behaviours. But while a restaurant tip or two is handy, how comfortable would you be if AI-algorithms were in charge ...

Scion is running experimental research burns near Christchurch from March 3-14, to test new theories on how wildfires spread under various conditions. This will help improve operational and community readiness for and response to future events – and enhance firefighter ...

Note: Dates changed to: 21-22 October 2025, Rotorua, New Zealand New Industry Conference: Forestry sector set for biomanufacturing boost – A recent report from Europe on the opportunities for natural resources including wood fibre has been identified by Scion Research ...

Note: Dates changed to: 21-22 October 2025. “Recent pulp and paper mill closure announcements are set to be replaced by more positive news of exciting moves for using our logs and other forest resources for higher value export products from ...

The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) says the Government’s decision to merge the country’s seven Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) could strengthen forestry’s important role in bolstering the bioeconomy. The announcement, which will affect forest research CRI Scion, will see ...

Editorial by John O’Donnell The NSW Rural Fire Service 2023/2024 Annual Report is now available and worth discussing.  Hazard reduction burning and mechanical removal totalled 139,927 hectares for NSW (Appendix pages 98 and 99): There is difference in terminology used, some use ...

A new wildfire forecasting system that updates using real-time weather data could help firefighters protect lives and property from a growing global threat.  Developed by an international team led by Dr Alberto Ardid, a research engineer in Civil and Natural Resources ...

The world’s largest pulp supplier, Suzano, announces a long-term commercial agreement with the AI-powered land use and supply chain management startup, Marvin. Alongside this, Suzano’s venture capital arm, Suzano Ventures, has completed a strategic follow-on investment into Marvin, following its ...

OroraTech successfully launched its latest fire-detection satellite, FOREST-3, onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 (TR-12) mission on Tuesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. By incorporating miniaturized infrared sensors and advanced on-orbit processing, the satellite will deliver near-real-time wildfire alerts to customers across the ...

Quantum researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have demonstrated the potential for quantum computing to significantly improve how we solve complex problems involving large datasets, highlighting the potential of using quantum in areas such as real-time traffic management, agricultural ...

Finland’s forests, once a crucial carbon sink, have become a source of emissions, raising concerns over the country’s climate policy and carbon neutrality targets. According to the latest data from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland’s forests emitted 1.12 million ...

The Government has released a request for information (RFI) seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic ...

ForestTECH 2024 once again delivered a blockbuster event, drawing over 200 delegates to FIEA’s highly anticipated year-end technology series. This premier event, held across New Zealand and Australia, has been a cornerstone of the forestry technology calendar since 2007. ForestTECH ...

Interpine’s TreeTools Near Realtime Drone Inventory tool has been developed for foresters to assess stocking in Post Thin stands. This is an early test version release for Windows operating systems, and the project is still ongoing. The purpose of the release is to ...

Picterra has introduced a new all-in-one platform for plot monitoring, reporting and verification. This innovative tool is designed to support companies in the supply chains of soft commodities and forestry in meeting their compliance and sustainability objectives.  The new platform, ...

The rollout of a new bushfire detection camera network using artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the state’s forest plantations and communities in the South East has been completed in time for fire danger season, with industry now in conversations about ...

Letter from NZIF to NZ Prime Minister I write on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) to express our deep disappointment regarding your recent statement on RNZ suggesting forestry does not embrace science, technology, and innovation (ST&I), while dairy ...

Radiata Pine Breeding Company (RPBC) moves location to further enhance collaboration and extend its research reach. Radiata Pine Breeding Company (RPBC) is now located within the School of Forestry, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury. The move is ...

The world’s first wooden satellite, called LignoSat, has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule. This tiny Japanese satellite, measuring just 4 inches (10 cm) on each side, could pave the way for more sustainable ...

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is pleased to announce the public launch of the new FWPA Data Dashboard, now accessible for anyone interested via a subscription model. This enhanced platform provides valuable insights and data specifically tailored for the ...

Another major forestry company is planning to construct debris traps in its Tairāwhiti/Gisborne forest areas. These debris traps are installed in riverbeds to capture woody material flowing downstream while allowing water to pass through or over them. Similar to slash ...

On-site and virtual registrations to this year’s annual ForestTECH 2024 event continue to flow in. A truly international line-up of presenters, both for the New Zealand and Australian leg of this year’s technology series, are involved. Speakers involved in the upcoming ForestTECH ...

A training program where new forestry recruits learn to make crucial thinning decisions through immersive virtual reality simulations of forests could be just around the corner.  And the technology to get us there could also be used for training across the ...

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has, this week, released Australia’s State of the Forests Report: Synthesis 2023.  ABARES Executive Director, Dr Jared Greenville, said the five-yearly report covered all areas of Australia’s forests—public and private forests, ...

Virtual reality is set to revolutionise Australia’s $24 billion forestry industry by training workers risk-free, remotely, and much faster. A VR immersive training tool developed by the University of South Australia with the support of the Green Triangle Forest Industry Hub is also expected to ...

TrusTrace, a global SaaS company with a market-leading platform for product traceability and supply chain compliance, has announced the launch of its new Deforestation Compliance Solution. This helps brands achieve and prove deforestation-free shipments ahead of the delayed Regulation on Deforestation Free Products ...

Access to tree seedlings for commercial plantations and biodiversity plantings has just become easier with the next generation at Hills Transplants growing the business. From what started 60 years ago as a humble backyard market garden at the family home in Don, Stephen ...

Aratu Forests has announced plans for the first of three Swiss-designed high strength steel debris nets which aim to reduce the amount of woody debris flowing into catchments following storm events. Aratu plans debris nets at private properties bordering Te Marunga, Waimanu ...

We are thrilled to release Analysis-Ready PlanetScope (ARPS). ARPS harnesses a cutting-edge proprietary algorithm to create harmonized and spatially consistent near-daily stacks of images that enable time-series analysis and machine learning applications. ARPS normalizes data from PlanetScope’s daily 3m imagery by reducing ...

In today’s fast-paced forestry industry, staying on top of operations is an ongoing challenge. Nurseries, forest managers, and contractors face the constant challenge of ensuring every tree seedling gets from point A to point B safely, securely, and without costly ...

A global forestry event attracted experts from NASA and remote sensing specialists from nearly 30 countries to Rotorua in September. Crown Research Institute Scion hosted ForestSAT 2024, the most prestigious international conference on the application of remote sensing technologies for ...

We’re on the brink of a new era in satellite technology, and the Wyvern Constellation is leading the charge. This groundbreaking advancement is set to revolutionize the way we observe and interact with our planet. Whether it’s tracking environmental changes, boosting agricultural ...

Discounted early-bird registrations to this year’s eagerly awaited annual ForestTECH 2024 series finish in one week, on Friday 18 October. Registrations to this year’s event can be made here. On-site and virtual registrations to this year’s annual ForestTECH 2024 event continue to flow in. For ...

If you own a plantation forest, small or large, you are required to pay a levy on the volume of wood material harvested from your forest. The Forest Growers Levy Trust (FGLT) is the custodian of this levy money, ensuring ...

Another opportunity (free stuff) is being offered with a free conference registration to the NZ leg of this year’s forest technology series – up to five of them in fact – for the annual ForestTECH 2024 event running in Rotorua, New Zealand on ...

The NZFOA/NZFFA Transport and Logistics committee is pleased to announce the release of a new appendix to the New Zealand Forest Owners Road Engineering Manual, titled Forest Roads for High Productivity Motor Vehicles with Two Drive Axle Log Trucks. Prepared ...

An international collaboration, exploring using a robot from Finland, to improve productivity and consistency in propagation for forestry is being formalised. A key tool to help achieve those outcomes has been officially blessed. Forest Growers Research (FGR) and Scion will sign a formal partnership agreement ...

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is excited to launch the new FWPA Data Dashboard, an essential tool designed to empower Australia’s forest and wood products industry with access to crucial data, insights and forecasts. This innovative platform, available as a complimentary benefit ...