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New building approvals data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have once again painted a concerning picture of the nation’s housing crisis. Source: Timberbiz The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its monthly building approvals data for March 2024 for detached houses and multi-units covering all states and territories which show the number of multi-units approved for construction in the first three months of 2024 fell further to be the lowest volume since April 2012. Master Builders Australia Chief Economist Shane Garrett said March was the worst month for new detached house approvals since July 2012 – almost 12 years ago,” he said. “There was a small gain (+1.9%) in approvals for higher-density homes during the month, but we need to see more growth in this sector of the market.” The results meant that just 161,500 new homes have been approved over the past year. Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the figures stood in sharp contrast to the yearly target of 240,000 new homes under the National Housing Accord. “The Accord takes effect in less than two months’ time, and if we are going to have any chance of meeting this target, we need to lift new home building by 50% from current levels over the next five years,” she said. “Despite the will of governments to get home-building activity moving, there are still too many obstacles in our way. “Chronic tradie shortages, planning and licensing delays, draconian industrial relations changes, material cost inflation, inefficient regulation, unfeasible lending practices and risk allocation are making projects unsustainable. “We have to make it easier to build new homes by bringing down the cost of construction. This must be a priority in the upcoming Federal Budget.” HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said the mismatch between rising demand from migration and constraints on the supply of housing was likely to see the acute shortage of housing stock continue to deteriorate. “Higher density housing development is being constrained by labour, material and finance costs and uncertainties, as well as cumbersome planning rules and punitive taxes, especially on foreign investors,” he said. “This lack of new work entering the construction pipeline is occurring alongside record inflows of overseas migrants and a pre-existing acute shortage of rental accommodation across the country. “The positive news is that for the past 12 months the volume of detached building approvals has remained relatively stable, albeit at their lowest level for a decade. “There is growing evidence that the volume of new detached homes commencing construction will reach a trough in 2024, albeit, at its lowest level since 2012,” Mr Reardon said. The volume of detached approvals nationally rose for the second consecutive month, to be 0.7% higher than it was in the same quarter in 2023. “Rising interest rates is the key factor slowing building activity, but there is an increased divergence evident in some states. Those able to deliver low-cost land are seeing more modest slowing in activity,” Mr Reardon said. “Approvals for new houses in Western Australia contrast with the rest of the country and have been increasing steadily since mid-2023. House approvals in Western Australia are now 33.2% higher than in the same quarter the previous year. “It is possible to build the Australian Government’s target of 1.2 million homes over the next five years, but it will require significant lowering of taxes on home building, easing pressures on construction costs, and decreasing land costs,” he said. In seasonally adjusted terms, dwelling approvals in the three months to March increased in Western Australia, up by 38.5% compared with the previous year, and in New South Wales (+7.7%). Other jurisdictions saw declines in approvals, led by Queensland (-17.6%), followed by South Australia (-9.0%) and Victoria (-1.9%). In original terms, dwelling approvals declined in the Northern Territory (-46.2%), the Australian Capital Territory (-14.6%) and Tasmania (-5.4%).  

The Forest Practices Awards are presented by the board of the FPA to recognise excellence in various areas of expertise in the Tasmanian forest practices system. Source: Timberbiz The highly skilled and experienced people who continually strive for excellence in their varied roles are critical to the functioning of the system. The FPA board values this expertise and the importance of acknowledging it. There have been six previous rounds of Forest Practices Awards – in 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2022. Now is your chance to highlight the outstanding achievements of someone you know (or yourself) working in the forest practices system. The nomination process is simple all you need to do is complete the nomination form found on the FPA’s website home page in the ‘News’ section and send it to the FPA. This year will feature a new award category – the Natural and cultural special values management award. This award will apply to individuals, groups or businesses showing innovative identification, planning and management of natural and cultural special values. These values could include soils and water, geomorphology, biodiversity, visual landscape or cultural heritage. It will be judged on the number and complexity of the special values, the innovation of the planning and the positive management outcomes. Nominations are open until 8 August with the awards in Devonport, Tasmania on 19 September.

New Zealand’s forestry trade is presently dominated by three countries, Australia, Japan and Korea. Between them, these countries absorbed 74% of New Zealand’s 1995 exports. This market concentration leaves New Zealand vulnerable to downturns in any of these markets and is leading to New Zealand actively seeking a more diversified market base, particularly seeking greater scope to trade in processed products. Sources: FOA, Timberbiz Presently, logs comprise 82% of New Zealand’s exports to Korea and 30% of exports to Japan. Figure 7: Value of NZ Forestry Exports by Destination Country 1991-1995 ($NZ) A part of New Zealand’s future trade strategy will be to substitute processed products for logs into Japan and Korea. Some slow progress has been made in this direction in Japan. New opportunities in these markets are expected as supply shortfalls from Indonesia and Malaysia occur, however, offsetting this will be reduced opportunities in the Australian market as that market moves toward self-sufficiency. Increasing production from Australia is a major concern for New Zealand since Australia presently absorbs around 30% of New Zealand’s exports, including a considerably higher proportion of processed products. Increasing efforts are being devoted to the development of new markets. In the long run, New Zealand may well find itself selling the bulk of its logs into Korea and China with some sawn timber being exported to these markets as well. China, although historically not proving a stable market, appears to offer vast potential. Japan may develop further into a market for processed product, particularly for panel products, while continuing to import a moderate volume of logs. New Zealand sawmillers may find their best opportunities in South-east Asia, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. Some high-quality timber should continue to be exported to the United States. Market-trading countries such as China-Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore are likely to continue to purchase a range of New Zealand wood products. The pulp and paper sector is likely to become increasing focused on Australasia with only the Asian-owned pulp companies exporting beyond these bounds. This focus is likely to see a marked decline in New Zealand’s imports of paper and consequently in total forestry imports. New Zealand’s roles in global forestry can be broadly summarized in four categories: as already discussed, at an industrial level New Zealand is a net exporter of forestry products; in global forestry debates New Zealand is a small and generally moderate country regarded by most as having few “axes to grind”. Its primary contribution is often as an arbiter or conciliator, seeking ways to progress deadlocks between more protagonist countries. New Zealand’s primary concern is to ensure plantation forestry, as practised in New Zealand, continues to internationally be accepted as a means of achieving environmental objectives; as described in the introduction New Zealand provides a “model” for a range of topical policies including plantation forestry and privatization; in the South Pacific New Zealand is a substantial source of development funding. New Zealand’s bilateral assistance on forestry is provided in response to specific requests from partner governments on the basis of their national and regional plans and priorities. Bilateral assistance is directed primarily to the island states of the South Pacific. New Zealand participates in projects by contributing technical assistance, cash grants, material supplies, and training. Currently New Zealand is associated with overseas development assistance in seven Pacific Island Developing Countries.  

Well known spokesperson Don Carson’s worked his last day at the New Zealand Forest Owners Association last week. He retires after eight years at FOA and decades within the primary industries, at organisations like Federated Farmers and the Wool Board. Sources: Friday offcuts, Timberbiz Mr Carson has a background in journalism and a great passion for communicating about how people grow, harvest, and make things that support our society. “I have really appreciated working with him, particularly for his intellect and humour,” said Elizabeth Heeg, Chief Executive Officer at New Zealand Forest Owners Association. “He also seems to know pretty much everyone in Wellington! Don will still be doing a few of our referendum roadshow sessions as he fully wraps up, so you can still have a last cuppa with him on the road.” Emily Pope will be stepping up into the role of communications manager for FOA.

Private Forests Tasmania has launched an interactive knowledge hub for Tasmanian landowners to learn about the positive impact integrating commercial trees can have on their properties. Source: Timberbiz The Tree Alliance Knowledge Hub and its content have been developed in consultation with a broad scope of state and nationally renowned forestry, agricultural and biodiversity experts to ensure landowners can glean the best advice and support from the information resources. The $400,000 project was supported by the TAS Farm Innovation Hub through funds from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, PFT and supported by 10 other stakeholder project partners. The Knowledge Hub, developed by Walker Designs and Cavalletti Communications, consolidates accessible and user-friendly information and tools that highlight how integrating trees on farms through whole-farm planning can improve farm resilience through environmental and economic shocks such as droughts. People can visit the hub to: Discover how to integrate trees into your farming operations to maximise productivity, and generate economic, ecological and societal benefits Learn about the experiences of farmers who have successfully planted trees on their land Explore the results of Tasmanian case studies measuring the productivity and environmental impacts of trees on farms Access tools that support decision-making from carbon estimation to forest mapping, to species selection Find practical step-by-step resources backed by the latest research, market insights and industry knowledge Gain information and advice from leading forestry professionals on each aspect of the tree-growing process Begin planning their own tree-growing journey for a thriving future Included in the hub is PFT’s new Farm and Forest Mapper tool to help simplify the farm-planning process for landowners, consultants, planners, contractors and land agents. The Farm and Forest Mapper, developed by Esk Spatial, in consultation with Private Forests Tasmania and the Forest Practices Authority, is a FREE set of mapping and decision support tools and calculators where users can easily plan, map and manage their properties to expand their plantation estate and leverage the multiple benefits that trees on farms can provide. PFT Chief Executive Officer Dr Elizabeth Pietrzykowski said the Knowledge Hub would be a key resource for many Tasmanian landowners to learn more about the benefits of trees on their farms and then find what help is available to enable them to make the best decisions for their enterprise. “The Knowledge hub is an extension of PFT’s strategic program Tree Alliance, which works with forestry, agricultural and environmental stakeholders to raise awareness of farm forestry and the benefits of trees on farms,” she said. “Longer-term, we hope the outcomes of this project will be more trees of the right type, in the right places across the agricultural landscape, improved farming businesses’ drought resilience and better carbon and other natural capital asset outcomes. “We know farmers are interested in integrating trees into their whole farm plans, however, in many cases, they don’t know how or where to start. “This Knowledge Hub, developed by the forestry and agricultural sector, will provide them with key information and direction of the process and who to talk to make sound economic and environmental decisions.” Director of the TAS Farm Innovation Hub Sandra Knowles said the project supported the hub’s aim of helping farmers access information and drive innovation in their business. “As our climate changes and becomes more variable, we need to build climate resilience into communities, economies and environments at all scales,” she said. “We know that a critical part of this is ensuring farmers are able access information they need to make the best decisions for the future. “The Knowledge Hub will be a fantastic resource as it uses a variety of methods to show farmers how integrating trees on farmers and whole farm planning can improve their financial, social and environmental resilience to drought and climate variability.” The TAS Farm Innovation Hub is one of eight hubs nationally funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. The hub is based at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) at the University of Tasmania and delivered through a network of industry and community partners. The Tree Alliance Knowledge Hub can be explored at www.pft.tas.gov.au by clicking on the Tree Alliance tab in the top right-hand corner and people can call PFT’s free Helpline on 1300 661 009.

Miners and small prospectors fear that the state government’s study into the future of Gippsland’s forests could lock up swathes of forest and shackle mining as a driver of local economic growth and jobs. Source: Philip Hopkins, Latrobe Valley Express Both the Minerals Council of Australia and the Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria (PMAV) are critical of mining’s inability to have a say in the process. The government has appointed a taskforce headed by a former Environment Minister, Lisa Neville, to investigate the forest’s future, particularly the areas used for timber harvesting. A key member of the taskforce is the chair of the Victorian Environment Assessment Council, which in December released an interim report into the values, management and use of state forests in the Central Highlands – the area of the CH Regional Forest Agreement. The taskforce is liaising with an Eminent Panel for Community Engagement (EPCV) that is seeking feedback from the community into the issues identified by VEAC. The executive director of the Victorian division of the Minerals Council of Australia, James Sorahan, said the MCA was extremely concerned that it had had no input into the investigation. VEAC was considering extending areas of forest into protected conservation zones that are mineral rich, he said, urging the government to consult with affected stakeholders and communities, including the mining industry. “A proper analysis of impacts on economic opportunities for regional Victorians needs to take place to ensure a balanced analysis of the economic, social or environmental impacts of mining and minerals exploration in the study area,” he told the Express. “There has been no detailed analysis.” Mr Sorahan said active exploration and mining in the region showed the potential for minerals which can benefit the local and broader state economy. More than 20 mining and exploration companies with 38 exploration licences (EL) and eight EL applications are in the study area. “Explorers are looking for not only gold exploration, but at least one other commodity including antimony, tungsten, tin, molybdenum, bismuth and base metals such as copper and zinc,” he said. Many critical minerals needed for renewables were available. Mr Sorahan said Geological Survey Victoria (GSV) estimates there is “significant potential” for gold and critical minerals worth at least $3.4 billion. “MCA Victoria is not against extending protected areas, but they need to be areas that don’t risk sterilising minerals rich regions because exploration has effectively no impact on the environment, and mining’s is minimised and highly regulated,” he said. “Conservation and modern mineral resource development are not mutually exclusive outcomes.” Mr Sorahan said minerals development had not been identified as a major driver of biodiversity loss in Victorian state of environment reporting. “The footprint is small, and most exploration is low impact,” he said. A PMAV Committee member, David Bentley, told the Express that the government was rushing through the VEAC report that could close up to another one million hectares of public forests and reserves in Gippsland. “Prospecting, mining, camping, hunting and fishing, four-wheel driving, horse and trail bike riding, rally cars, dogs – every bush user group will be affected,” he said. “A major mining area like Walhalla-Potts Point could be lost. This is the first step towards the Great National Park.” Mr Bentley said the process in Gippsland was akin to the Central West Investigation area, which resulted in the loss of more than 7000ha of goldfields into national parks. The PMAV has 1706 paid up members, but Mr Bentley said 85,000 people in Victoria have mining rights licences, which are valid for 10 years. The interim VEAC report into the forests of the Central Highlands, based largely on desktop assessment of previous research and talks with experts, emphasised that forest values were particularly threatened by climate change – heatwaves, floods, higher temperatures, declines in annual rainfall, and increased bushfire frequency and severity. Other threats were invasive plants and animals, such as blackberry and deer, and loss and fragmentation of habitat. Melbourne’s growing population was also placing more pressure on the forests for recreation and other uses. Native timber harvesting, now closed, is a legacy use. “In spite of having had significant impacts (disturbance) on these forests, it can no longer be viewed as an ongoing threat,” VEAC said. VEAC said it had identified large areas of high quality natural values with relatively low conflicting uses that could be protected in a national park, and that link the existing parks in the region. The taskforce’s community engagement process and more detailed information were needed where national park values and other uses were in conflict, VEAC said. The reported noted that a large national park could be created from three large areas in the north and south of the RFA area would link the existing Yarra Ranges, Kinglake, Lake Eildon and Baw Baw national parks and the Bunyip, Cathedral Range and Moondarra state parks. “There are relatively few uses that would conflict with the national park designation, although this is an area that the EPCE should explore further with the community during its engagement period,” VEAC said. “The upper Thomson catchment also contains outstanding natural values commensurate with a national park designation, and would link to the Yarra Ranges National Park to the west. More detailed consideration is needed however as there are potentially high value uses such as mineral extraction that would conflict with such a designation.” The VEAC report said there is significant potential for gold in the state forests in the east of the Central Highlands RFA area. “GSV found that areas near Erica and east of Warburton, in particular, exhibit very high potential for critical minerals (including copper, nickel, tin, tungsten, antimony, zinc, rare earth elements, platinum group elements an cobalt), gold and extractives (including limestone and sedimentary hard rock),” the report said. VEAC noted there are recreational uses of the forests, including camping, fishing and water-based activities, four-wheel driving, mountain biking, horse riding, trailbike riding, bushwalking, birdwatching, recreational prospecting, deer hunting and scenic driving Given the threats to the […]

Varias empresas quieren crear una nueva industria que pueda hacer que los árboles, que almacenan el carbono que calienta al planeta, sean más lucrativos que la mayor causa de deforestación mundial: la ganadería.