Friday Offcuts – 27 February 2026
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Welcome to this week’s issue of Friday Offcuts.We begin with the long-term impacts of Victoria’s recent wildfires and the massive replanting effort required. We also revisit the debate over forest thinning, report a tenfold rise in weather-related states of emergency in New Zealand, and look ahead to AI-driven firefighting trials led by Griffith University and Cyborg Dynamics. February’s New Zealand log reports from PF Olsen and Laurie Forestry highlight stable export pricing, firmer domestic demand and tightening inventories in China, while Port Marlborough posts solid half-year results despite weather disruptions. In innovation and skills, we cover manufacturing upgrades at Wesbeam’s Neerabup plant, updated optimisation software from FPInnovations, new tech-focused training pathways in Australia, expanded forestry training in South Australia, changes to heavy vehicle rules in New Zealand, and students engaging through the Discover Forestry programme. Finally, entries for the NZ Timber Design Awards close next Friday, 6 March, and Environmental Forestry 2026 is only 3 weeks away. Read these stories and more in this week’s packed issue of Friday Offcuts.
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This week we have for you:
13 million trees to be replanted after Victorian State fires
The fire threat in Victoria's Upper Murray has eased, but the
region's famously green, undulating hills still bear the black scars of
a devastating bushfire. The Walwa-Mt Lawson State Park
fire started in early January, spreading through 120,000 hectares of
land before it was contained just over a month later.It was one of several major fires that burned in Victoria during catastrophic conditions. "It's surprising how much it's demolished and how quickly it did it," Koetong wool producer Meaghan Williams said. Fourteen homes were lost, farms were razed and 11,000 hectares of pine plantation were wiped out. Down the road, the Shelley pine plantation, owned by Melbourne-based HVP Plantations, is a forest of black trees. Corporate fire and silviculture manager Richard Mailer said the fire burnt 80 per cent of the 13,500-hectare plantation. "That [was] 10,500 hectares of plantations that varied from one year old to 37 years old," he said. "We also lost some specialised forest harvesting equipment and our shelling works centre." More >> Source: ABC Image credit: HVP Plantations PF Olsen NZ log market report - February 2026
Market SummaryFebruary At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices at New Zealand ports were largely unchanged from January. Lower shipping costs earlier in the pricing cycle and modest CFR price increases in China offset the strengthening of the NZD against the USD. The NZD has since eased slightly from its January highs and, unlike recent months, currency movements are expected to have minimal impact on March AWG pricing. However, shipping costs are now trending upward. Reduced import cargo volumes into New Zealand have limited back-loading opportunities, increasing freight rates for outbound log vessels.Log exporters are therefore seeking higher CFR prices in China to recover rising freight costs. The PF Olsen Log Price Index remains at $121, sitting $2 above the two-year average and in line with the five-year average. NZ Domestic Log Market The gradual recovery in New Zealand’s construction sector continues, although activity remains well below peak 2021–22 levels. Building consent volumes have stabilised after significant declines through 2023–2024, and there are early signs that residential activity may be approaching a cyclical floor. Sawmillers report steady demand across structural and industrial grades, supported by:
Mortgage rates have eased from peak levels, and improved business confidence is contributing to more stable building enquiry levels. However, developers remain cautious and new housing starts are still constrained by financing conditions and cost pressures. Overall, while the recovery is slow, domestic sawn timber demand conditions in early 2026 are firmer than at the same time in 2025. China Softwood log inventories in China increased during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period as expected and are currently estimated at approximately 2.8 million m³. The increase of 500,000–600,000 m³ over the holiday period is materially lower than seasonal norms, reflecting delayed vessel arrivals from New Zealand due to earlier weather-related harvesting disruptions. Log supply from New Zealand is now expected to increase as harvesting activity normalises. The interaction between rising New Zealand supply and the pace of post-CNY demand recovery will determine whether inventories trend higher or stabilise in March. Immediately prior to CNY, CFR prices for A-grade logs were aroundUSD 117/JASm³. Exporters are now seeking higher CFR prices to offset increasing freight costs, though the ability to secure increases will depend on post-holiday demand momentum. China’s plywood exports rose 7% in 2025 to a record 12.99 million m³, of which 78% was hardwood plywood. Interestingly, hardwood log imports declined 25% year-on-year, indicating greater utilisation of domestic resources and alternative supply channels.Chinese exports of lower-priced laminated veneer lumber (LVL) into Australia have increased, placing downward pressure on pricing in that market. The Caixin Manufacturing PMI rose modestly to 50.3 in January, supported by improved new orders. However, business sentiment weakened to a nine-month low amid ongoing concerns around property market weakness and export growth. Infrastructure fixed asset spend in China has remained positive (mid-single digit growth) but spending in transport, utilities, energy and urban renewal projects is less timber intensive than residential construction. This has contributed to the relatively stable base line demand but will never replace the peak demand during the construction boom. More >> Souce: PF Olsen Does forest thinning in Australia reduce fire risk?
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 new purposes. Out of this
mix has emerged an unlikely battleground: the thinning of native
forests.Mechanical thinning — the selective removal of trees to reduce stand density — has long been a conventional forestry practice. What is new is its political repositioning. In Victoria and Western Australia, where governments have largely halted native forest logging, industry advocates now present thinning as a public-interest service: a tool to reduce fuel loads, moderate fire behavior, and protect towns. Critics counter that the same activity, carried out at scale, risks becoming logging by another name. A recent perspective paper in Biological Conservation, Ecological trade-offs of mechanical thinning in temperate forests, provides a useful anchor for the debate. Its authors, including David Lindenmayer and colleagues, do not dismiss thinning outright. Instead they catalog a series of trade-offs that are often underplayed in policy discussions: impacts on biodiversity, carbon storage, hydrology, soils, and even fire dynamics themselves. Mechanical thinning, they note, can reduce competition among trees and sometimes lower canopy fuel loads. But it may also increase wind speeds near the ground, promote the growth of flammable understory vegetation, and release stored carbon — effects that can alter fire behavior in ways that are difficult to predict. More >> Source:Mongabay  Laurie Forestry NZ sector report - February 2026
The positive start seen in January has continued into February
with sales across both domestic and export segments and showing signs of
continuing improvement with some exceptions.In China, daily consumption and the total softwood inventory across the eastern seaboard are key market robustness indicators. Just prior to New Year holidays, daily consumption was ticking along at 55 – 58,000 cubic metres and most of that was NZ Radiata pine logs. Just to put that in to context, the timber created from 55,000 cubic metres of logs would be enough to build nearly 4,000 Kiwi houses and remember that is every day for 6 days a week (an average China work week in sawmills). Commentators have suggested sawmill owners were stocking up prior to the CNY holiday as they expected log prices to increase. It seems they were correct with most sales for March shipments looking at US$2 to $3 per m3 up. The upward movement is in part the consequence of inventory not hitting the expected numbers. As at early February, the total eastern seaboard inventory sat at around 2.4 million m3, down 180,000 m3 from mid-January. The combination of less vessels from NZ than expected in tandem with good usage rate and wallah, you have supply/demand 101 working as it should. Many regions in NZ are experiencing harvesting declines, which for many is a function of age class distribution. This in turn reflects less numbers of hectares planted 26 – 28 years ago. The Nelson region is an exception with wind damage recovery hitting its straps and likely to continue until Christmas this year. As stated last month, what happens when sawmills get in to full swing again in China 1stweek of March is going to impact our near-term future. Key manufacturing data coming out of China is generally just OK with BAU or slight contraction in some regions. The positive here is the market largely continues unabated despite President Trump’s tariff stupidities. Most commentators are suggesting a continuance of manufacturing strength citing some shift around in where things are made. Vietnam is a rapidly growing market, in some cases a tariff dodging strategy, in others a reflection of the lower cost of processing. In the latest news, break bulk log cargos are being investigated as an option for Vietnam but there are plenty of sceptics about that. Regardless, the demand for containerised logs is rising exponentially and that is all be good for NZ Forest growers. More >> Source & image credit: Laurie Forestry  SnapSTAT - State of emergencies from weather-related events State of emergencies from weather related events in New Zealand are increasing. In the decade to 2025 New Zealand averaged 48 days per year with some part of the country under a weather related state of emergency, up from just 5 days a year on average in the decade prior to this, which is nearly a tenfold increase.  Wesbeam's major manufacturing upgrades at NeerabupWesbeam have reached an important milestone in our ongoing manufacturing transformation with the successful commissioning of two advanced processing technologies at our state-of-the-art Neerabup manufacturing facility in Western Australia.Delivered with support from the Australian Government’s Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation Grant, under which Wesbeam was awarded $4.486 million, these upgrades have enabled us to invest in advanced automation and smart manufacturing technologies that improve production efficiency, increase log recovery and enhance overall plant output. Green Veneer Composer: Maximising Veneer Recovery A key component of this upgrade program is the installation of our new Green Veneer Composer, supplied by Meinan. Positioned directly beneath the lathe, this fully automated, unmanned system recovers usable veneer segments from the tail ends of peeled ribbons and recomposes them into continuous whole veneer sheets. By recovering and recomposing material that was previously lost in the peeling process, the Green Veneer Composer enables us to maximise log utilisation and efficiently process smaller-diameter logs. This improvement is expected to deliver up to an additional 5,000 cubic metres of veneer annually for downstream drying and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) production, supporting both operational efficiency and sustainable resource use. Log Conditioning Chamber: Improving Hardwood Processing Performance Complementing the Green Veneer Composer is the newly commissioned Log Conditioning Chamber, a specialised pre-processing unit designed to soften hardwood logs before they enter the lathe. Conditioning logs prior to peeling reduces mechanical challenges such as equipment wear, spinouts and core failures - issues traditionally associated with processing certain hardwood species. As a result, the Log Conditioning Chamber improves equipment reliability, reduces maintenance interruptions and extends asset life. This upgrade is forecast to increase veneer yield from difficult-to-process hardwoods by up to 5 per cent, while also enabling us to successfully process a broader range of timber species, strengthening supply flexibility and resource resilience. Supporting Growth in Local LVL Manufacturing Together, the Green Veneer Composer and Log Conditioning Chamber form a key part of our broader strategy to enhance manufacturing capability and reinforce Wesbeam’s position as a world-class, world-scale LVL producer supporting the Australian construction industry. “These strategic investments reinforce our commitment to manufacturing excellence and sustainable local production,” said Kathy Morris, General Manager of Manufacturing at Wesbeam. “By improving material utilisation and plant efficiency, we are expanding the capacity and resilience of Australia’s engineered timber supply chain.” These upgrades build on earlier innovations introduced across our Neerabup facility and were made possible through the Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation Grant program, which aims to strengthen productivity, sustainability and competitiveness across Australia’s wood processing sector. More >> Source:Wesbeam  SA's $400k investment to boost regional forestry training
The South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) has warmly welcomed the State Government’s commitment of A$400,000 in funding to support the completion of LITA’s new training base, a significant investment in securing the future of skills development and long-term industry capability across the Limestone Coast.This funding recognises the critical and enduring role LITA plays not only in supporting the forest industries, but in delivering essential skills training that underpins all primary industries, trades, emergency services, First Nations groups, community busdriversand many other regional occupations. Completion of the new training base will deliver modern, fit-for-purpose facilities that reflects contemporary industry needs and emerging technologies. It will also improve access to vocational pathways for young people and career changers in regional areas, helping retain talent locally while strengthening the long-term economic resilience of the region. SAFPA Chief Executive Officer Nathan Paine said the Government’s decision demonstrates a strong understanding of the interconnected nature of regional industries, the significance of the forest industries to the state and the importance of investing indelivering skills infrastructure in the region. “Alongside investments in TAFE, the new Technical College, the Forestry Centre of Excellence and Tree Breeding Australia, the funding reflects a strong and consistent commitment to education, training, research and development in Mount Gambier and the future of the Limestone Coast,” said Mr Paine.“This commitment shows strong recognition that training capability is not just a forest industries issue, it is a community and regional development priority,” Mr Paine said. “LITA plays a vital role in preparing the workforce that supports forestry, farming, logistics, domestic manufacturing, emergency services and a wide range ofother community operations. Investing in LITA’s facilities is an investment in South Australia’s long-term productivity and regional prosperity.” The funding will help ensure the permanent training base is completed to a standard that meets both current and future needs, enabling LITA to continue delivering high-quality, hands-on education aligned with industry expectations and safety standards. Since the early 1990s, LITA has been a cornerstone of practical, industry-aligned training, equipping apprentices, trainees and existing workers with the skills required to operate safely, productively and sustainably. While its contribution to the forest industries has been significant, its impact extends well beyond a single sector. Without LITA’s presence in theSouth East, people seeking this training would be required to travel to Adelaide,or even as far as Port Lincoln,to access training that is currently delivered locally.The training delivered through LITA underpins workforce capability across the broader Limestone Coast economy and community. SAFPA congratulates the State Government, and in particular Minister for Forest Industries, The Hon Clare Scriven, forher support for LITA Training, which will deliverpositive outcomes for students,employers and regional communities alike. Source & image credit:SAFPA  AI-powered robot vehicles team up to fight fires
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 with Griffith University and funded by Queensland Defence Science Alliance (QDSA), the team demonstrated the technology in both simulated and hybrid simulation-physical demonstrations using an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), simulating real fires for a team of up to five robots to extinguish. In the trial, the UGV successfully navigated around physical obstacles and teamed up with its simulated robot team members to locate and work together to extinguish multiple simulated fires. Dr Zhe Hou, project Lead Chief Investigator from Griffith University’sSchool of Information and Communication Technology, said the results demonstrated a 99.67 per cent success rate in navigating and extinguishing two fires, suggesting its strong potential for real-world deployment. “We demonstrated that multiple real and simulated UGVs, trained through a structured three-stage AI learning curriculum, could learn to perform both low-level navigation and high-level collaborative tasks,” Dr Hou said.“This confirms the operational potential of our approach for practical case studies such as autonomous navigation and firefighting.” The research team adopted an artificial intelligence (AI) technique called multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) to build neural-network-based AI ‘agents’ trained through a custom-designed curriculum, progressing from simple tasks such as single-robot navigation, to multi-robot navigation around obstacles, then finally to completing a complex firefighting scenario involving multiple robots and fires with obstacles. The team said the ability of the robots to self-organise and allocate tasks autonomously – such as splitting into teams to handle multiple fire outbreaks – reduced the cognitive load on human operators, offering increased safety and operational efficiency in emergency situations. “We have developed the control systems for firefighting UGVs that are currently deployed on mine sites across Australia,” Cyborg Dynamics Engineering General Manager Ryan Marple said.“These units are remotely controlled by a human, a bit like an RC car.“They have been an extremely effective measure in removing human firefighters from dangerous situations and enabling high-value assets to be saved from fires. By ingesting data from a wide variety of sensors, these systems can make decisions quickly, which just isn’t possible by the very limited situational awareness of a human looking at a screen. Looking ahead, the research team envisioned further advancements in both the design of neural networks and sim-to-real transfer methodologies.Future work would also explore the adoption of the developed AI technique on other autonomous systems, such as autonomous underwater vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, or even a hybrid team of different types of vehicles. The study ‘Multi-agent reinforcement curriculum learning for real unmanned ground vehicles’ has been published in Engineering Applications for Artificial Intelligence. More >> Source & image credit:Griffith University NZ heavy vehicle rule changes fall short
Road freight lobby group Transporting New Zealand says the Government’s latest heavy vehicle reforms are a step in the right direction but will bring only modest productivity improvements and fall short of what is needed to support the country’s growing freight task.If follows Phase 2 of the Government’s Heavy Vehicle Productivity reform programme, proposing changes that include allowing drivers on a Class 1 licence to operate heavier electric trucks and buses, removing permitting requirements for vehicle rental service providers moving empty trucks, and simplifying the conversion of overseas heavy vehicle licences. Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih says the proposals but do not go far enough.“To put things in perspective, the current proposals would remove the need for about 79 heavy vehicle permits a year, affect around 30 battery electric heavy vehicles annually, and remove a NZ$100 fee and a paper form from international driver licence conversions,” Kalasih says. “The proposals are a step in the right direction, but tinkering with the regulations wouldn’t deliver the productivity improvements the country needs.” The association says the scale of the changes does not match the Government’s stated growth agenda or the increasing national freight task. “There are some really exciting technological developments in higher productivity and lower emission trucks that are being blocked by the current land transport regulations,” Kalasih says. Consultation on Phase 1 of the productivity reforms closed in December and included proposals to remove 50MAX permits and H Plate requirements. Transporting New Zealand says its submission on Phase 1 included six specific recommendations, including changes to permitted axle configurations and spacing limits. “Officials are currently considering this feedback, and we want to see those changes adopted,” Kalasih says. “Similarly, with these Phase 2 proposals, particularly around increased weight limits for heavy electric vehicles, we’ll be pushing for more meaningful changes that accommodate larger battery electric, hydrogen and hybrid truck and trailer combinations.” Submissions on the Phase 2 proposals close on March 25. Source:Transporting New Zealand  Tech focussed training is a pathway for Australian employers
Employers across the forestry and wood products sector in
Australian are invited to participate in a new tech‑focused training
pathway designed to build a capable, workplace‑ready pipeline of new
entrants.The ForestWorks programme; 'Future-Ready Skills Pathways for School Students and New Entrants in Forestry and Wood Processing', aims to support a modern, technology‑focused workforce for the forestry and wood processing industry. This project is developing training programs that can begin while learners are still at school, and can also support post‑school new entrants as a pathway into employment. Successful implementation depends on strong links between schools, employers, learners and trainers. ForestWorks are inviting:
Training Focus Areas This training program supports the development of transferable skills valued across forestry, timber, and related sectors. It focuses on developing job‑ready learners who:
More >> Source & image credit: ForestWorks Updated FPInnovations saw design software tool
Sawmills are pushing the limits of sawing systems to maximize
production and recovery while trying to maintain acceptable sawing
accuracy and uptime. There are a set of calculations based on
bite per tooth, the sawdust carrying capacity of the gullets and cutting
power that have been used for decades to ensure the tooth design is
within a range that results in good sawing performance.However, these calculations are too simple to account for several known factors, such as:
More >> Source & image credit: FPInnovations  Future foresters in actionEarlier this week, over 40 year 11 students and teachers from St Francis Douglas College in New Plymouth (New Zealand) enjoyed an outstanding field visit to Ararata Forest, hosted by the teams from MGB Logging and Forest360. Tyler (Foreman), Shae, Cam, Simon and the wider crew generously shared their expertise, giving students a real-world look at modern forestry operations. The quality of questions from students and their positive attitudes stood out, making the day both educational and genuinely enjoyable. This is the first of many field trips planned around the region by Discover Forestry this year to open our forest gates and show locals how forestry really works. There was a real sense of pride from Tyler, Shae, Cam, Simon and all the team at MGB Logging showing off their impressive set up and by the end of the day students were offering their phone numbers and lining up for work. Along with logging crews there are visits planned to sawmills, nurseries and farm forestry with hands on activities like tree measurement, invertebrate studies, biodiversity studies and pruning to show the full extent of how forestry can be applied with the aim to engage students in further university study or directly working for our contractors. A special thank you to Steve Harris, owner of MGB Logging, and to Taylor Hayston Carroll from Forest360 for his hard work behind the scenes, including coordinating logistics to ensure the visit ran smoothly. The collaboration between industry and education made this a memorable example of teamwork in action. Click here for further details. Source & image credit: Discover Forestry New Zealand Port Marlborough delivers solid half year result
Port Marlborough has reported a solid financial and operational
performance for the six months ended 31 December 2025, while
progressing its largest capital investment programme to date. EBITDA for
the period was NZ$8.62 million, with Net Operating Profit After Tax of
NZ$3.20 million. Shareholder funds represent 63.0 percent of total
assets, showing a strong balance sheet position.Chief Executive Rhys Welbourn said the result represents the continuation of stable operations alongside significant capital delivery and external disruption in key sectors. “The first half of the financial year has demonstrated Port Marlborough’s ongoing contribution to the regional economy and resilience to one-off events. Despite some challenges facing our forestry volumes and moderating cruise activity, our core port and marina operations have remained steady.” Revenue for the period was $21.8 million. Results were influenced by a severe windthrow event in the neighbouring Tasman region, which disrupted forestry supply chains and contributed to a 23 percent reduction in JAS throughput compared with the same period last year. “While the windthrow event occurred outside Marlborough, the impacts were felt across the wider supply chain. We worked closely with exporters to provide alternative options and additional capacity where possible. Our on-port debarking facility and deep-water berth provided flexibility during this period, although the disruption has had an unavoidable impact on volumes and revenue.” Major projects advanced during the half year, including the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment, the Havelock Channel and Marina Redevelopment, and the new Blue Economy Precinct development at Westshore. “The Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment is now firmly in delivery phase, with visible construction activity on site. This is a generational infrastructure investment that secures Marlborough’s role at the centre of New Zealand’s transport system and supports local employment and contractor capability.” Port Marlborough’s marina network continued to support regional prosperity, accommodating more than 2,000 vessels. As at 31 December, eight cruise ships had visited Marlborough this season, bringing approximately 33,000 passengers and crew into the region. Environmental performance also progressed during the period. Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduced by five percent, and carbon emissions reduction planning supported by regeneration and replanting initiatives. Mr Welbourn said the company enters the second half of the year with strong project momentum and a disciplined approach to financial management. “This result shows we are delivering on our commitments while advancing infrastructure for the future. Our vision remains clear: to lead the way as an environmentally restorative port, driving success for Marlborough, and we are doing that while also positioning Waitohi Picton as the centre of excellence for New Zealand’s inter-island ferries.” The Half Year Report is available to read online. Source & image credit:Port Marlborough  Jobs
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The deepest well ever dug, British comedy at it's best. Check out the video:
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