Friday Offcuts – 18 September 2026
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Welcome to this week’s issue of Friday Offcuts.Our lead story this week looks at a world-first prototype from Forest Growers Research and Polish tech firm Deeplai that gives individual logs a permanent digital identity, allowing them to be tracked through the supply chain using a standard mobile phone. There’s also a new CEO coming to FWPA, with Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra taking over the role in December, while we remember industry pioneer Carl James Peterson, inventor of the commercial portable swingblade sawmill, who passed away following a period of illness. Elsewhere, we look at the latest developments around the East Cape forestry clean-up, plans for a $137 million electric heavy freight network in Western Australia, and new research into formaldehyde-free bio-resins. Next week, we’ll be in Brisbane for Residues2Revenues 2026, with more than 150 people joining us. We’re looking forward to catching up with many of you there. Grab a coffee and have a look through this week’s stories.
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This week we have for you:
World-first prototype gives logs a permanent digital identity [NZ]
Forest Growers Research (FGR) and Polish technology company Deeplai have successfully demonstrated a world-first system that can give each harvested log its own permanent, scannable identity.The Automated Log Identification project, known as Log ID, is part of the Forestry Work in the Modern Age partnership between FGR and the Ministry for Primary Industries. This research is being co-funded by the Forest Growers Levy Trust, the Ministry for Primary Industries, and industry partners and collaborators. This technology will reduce the cost involved in manually marking logs and attaching export log tags. It will also improve stock records, making it easier to verify where timber has come from as it moves through the supply chain. FGR Research Programme Manager Keith Raymond says the prototype addresses a practical challenge for forest growers, processors and exporters. “Forestry still relies on paint marks and physical tags to identify logs. This system creates a permanent code directly on the log end and links it to information about where and when the log was produced,” Raymond says. “For growers, that could mean less manual work, lower marking and tagging costs, and an easier way to provide the traceability increasingly expected by customers and overseas markets.” The Dcode™ system developed by Deeplai creates a unique mark directly on each log. The mark can then be read using a standard mobile phone without relying on a label or electronic tag, or data connectivity. Raymond says the demonstration proved that all the parts of the system, log marking, reading and data management, can work together. “The system can connect with the data already produced by harvesting machinery, allowing it to be introduced into existing forestry operations and data systems.” Deeplai Chief Executive, Swapan Chaudhuri, says already established identification systems, like VIN numbers for vehicles and GTIN barcodes for retail products, have transformed the way goods are tracked around the world. “Giving timber its own permanent identity creates the opportunity to manage and verify it in the same way,” Chaudhuri says. Deeplai is now leading the commercial development of Dcode™ in New Zealand, supported by FGR. For more information contact Keith Raymond at Forest Growers Research Ltd (keith.raymond@fgr.nz) Source & image credit: Forest Growers Research (FGR) FWPA announces Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra as new CEO [AU]
The Board of Directors of Forest and Wood ProductsAustralia
(FWPA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Julianne
O’Reilly-Wapstra as the organisation’s new Chief Executive
Officer (CEO).Dr O’Reilly-Wapstra brings more than two decades of senior executive, board, and operational leadership experience across the forestry, research, and government sectors. She joins FWPA from the University of Tasmania, where she currently serves as Dean of Natural Sciences, overseeing a large team, managing complex operations, and directing substantial research and development portfolios. The FWPA Board welcomed the appointment, highlighting Dr O’Reilly-Wapstra’s proven leadership, deep sector relationships, and strong track record of translating research into practical, commercial outcomes for industry. "We are delighted to welcome Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra as Chief Executive Officer of FWPA. Julianne is an exceptional, outcome-driven leader who brings a rare blend of people management expertise, deep technical knowledge, commercial acumen, and high-level governance capability. Having worked at the intersection of research, industry, and government for 26 years, she is uniquely positioned to drive FWPA’s strategic vision and deliver measurable value to our members and the broader forest and wood products sector." Throughout her career, Dr O’Reilly-Wapstra has played a pivotal role in national sector initiatives. She currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI), having previously led the successful $101.5 million federal funding negotiation to establish the national research institute. Her previous positions include Chair of the Tasmanian Forests and Forest Products Network (TFFPN)—where she oversaw significant membership growth and governed the Tasmanian Regional Forestry Hub—as well as Director of the ARC Training Centre for Forest Value. Commenting on her appointment, Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra said: "It is a privilege to be appointed to lead Forest and Wood Products Australia at such a pivotal time for our industry. The forestry and wood products sector faces a changing economic, environmental, and global landscape, but it is also primed with incredible opportunity. "FWPA plays a critical role in supporting innovation, capability, and profitable market growth for its members. I look forward to working closely with our members, industry partners, and government stakeholders to execute FWPA's strategic priorities, build industry capability, and ensure our sector can thrive." Dr O’Reilly-Wapstra will commence work as CEO on 1 December and relocate to Melbourne to lead the FWPA team in delivering its national Research, Development & Extension (RD&E) programs, promotional activities, and standards development. Source & image credit: FWPA  In memory of Carl James Peterson [NZ/AU]
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Carl
James Peterson on 11 September 2026, following a period of illness.
Carl was the founder of Peterson Sawmills and the creator of the first commercial portable swingblade sawmill in 1988. From that breakthrough came the Peterson Sawmill brand—now recognised around the world for practical, innovative portable sawmills built for people who want to turn their own logs into valuable timber. Carl was far more than an inventor and entrepreneur. He was a creator, an adventurer, a determined problem-solver, and a man who lived a remarkably colourful life. His experiences and escapades were many, and his stories were as memorable as the first machines he designed. Carl’s ideas, energy and independent spirit shaped a business, a product category and a worldwide community of sawmill owners. His legacy will live on in the thousands of Peterson Sawmills operating across the world, and in the customers, distributors, staff, friends and family who knew him or benefited from his vision. His invention has literally shaped the portable sawmill world, as his original technology continues to be utilised in various other subsequent swingblade brands and models as well. We extend our sincere thanks to all who have supported Carl and Peterson Sawmills over the years. He will be greatly missed. This short video shares one chapter of Carl’s extraordinary journey. It recalls his experience of being caught up in Fiji’s 1987 military coup—an event that became part of the unlikely path leading to the development and birth of the first Peterson Sawmill in New Zealand the following year. More >> Source: Peterson Portable Sawmills Te Araroa Forest: Council, Summit Forests enter mediation [NZ]
The Gisborne District Council remains tight-lipped on the
outcome of a mediation meeting this week with forestry parties over the
recovery of a Te Araroa forestry site staff and experts described as
“one of the worst” they had seen.The site is the focus of council action relating to the clean-up of slash and debris. An environmental commissioner facilitated the meeting after the council applied for enforcement orders against Summit Forests NZ, associated parties and directors over consent conditions on an East Cape forest this year. Summit is one of the country’s largest commercial forest owners, with forests in Northland, Coromandel, Whanganui and Gisborne. It oversaw the harvest of Awatere forest, a 390ha pine forest on Awatere Station, which is on Māori freehold land and is managed by Awatere B Trust. More >> Source: The Gisborne Herald Plans for state’s first electric freight network [AU]
Perth-based logistics giant Centurion is backing plans to build
the first electric heavy freight charging network in Western Australia,
which would comprise an initial three 12-bay charging networks between
Perth and Bunbury to the south.The freight network is the brainchild of Purpose Energy, the W.A. energy company formerly known as Wind With Purpose, and aims to develop a network of battery electric truck charging hubs located along one of the state’s major industrial freight corridors. The $137 million charging network, being developed under the name Purpose Charging, has proposed building the first three 12-bay heavy vehicle charging hubs at Rockingham, Forrestfield, and Picton, along with two battery swapping stations, potentially provided by China’s Sany. Purpose Energy, which is now pursuing three separate business lines – wind, baseload, and electric truck networks – and says the move into truck logistics is a natural extension of its approach to energy development. More >> Source: The Driven Image credit: Centurion  Lignin resin delivers flame retardancy without formaldehyde [Int]
Researchers have developed a bio-based, formaldehyde-free
phenolic resin derived from lignin that provides fire protection, strong
adhesion, and zero toxic off-gassing for timber products.Published in the journal Green Chemistry, the study details how the new material, dubbed SALG-PR, functions as both a high-strength structural wood adhesive and an effective surface coating. In laboratory testing, timber treated with the bio-resin prevented burn-through during 300 seconds of direct torch exposure while releasing negligible formaldehyde emissions compared to conventional options. The development points to a promising upcycling path for pulp mill lignin while addressing increasingly strict indoor air quality and fire safety standards. More >> Source: European Coatings Rise in fibreboard exports to China [NZ/AU]
Although China's fibreboard imports are not large they increased
significantly in the first half of the year. China’s fibreboard
imports totalled 30,000 tonnes valued at US$21 million, up 11%
in volume and 12% in value over the same period of 2025. Fibreboard
imports from most top suppliers rose at faster rates in the first half
of 2026.Imports from New Zealand, as the first largest supplier, rose 9% to 13,000 tonnes in the first half of 2026. It is particularly worth noting that China’s fibreboard imports from Australia surged 395% over the same period of 2025. In addition, China’s fibreboard imports from Thailand, Romania and Belgium grew 21%, 61% and 32% respectively in the first half of 2026. In contrast, China’s fibreboard imports from Germany alone among top suppliers dropped 30% over the same period of 2025. The main reason for the significant increase in China's imports of fiberboard from Australia in the first half of 2026 was the substitution of import sources by different countries. The traditional high-end fibreboard supplier, New Zealand, reduced their exports of high-level fiberboard to China. Domestic, export-oriented, furniture enterprises in China still have a strong demand for highend MDF/HDF that meets international environmental protection certification regulations Domestic purchasers have shifted some of their high-end panel orders to Australia relying on the advantages of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the zero-tariff policy of RCEP, combined with the stable supply of Australian radiata pine raw materials, complete product certifications and smooth maritime Customs clearance, thereby increasing the import volume of Australian fibreboards. Click here for the latest Tropical Timber Market Report Source: ITTO Market Information Service (MIS) SkyForest: A nationally consistent forestry picture [AU]
What are Australia’s forests? Where are they? What do they
contain? How are they changing and what is driving those changes?
Can we answer these questions consistently across the Australian
landscape? Not yet.Australia’s forests are ecologically and economically significant landscapes. They support biodiversity, store carbon, provide timber, and sustain a wide range of environmental and social values. Developing a consistent understanding of these forests is therefore becoming increasingly important for their effective monitoring, reporting and management. Australia already has a wealth of forest data, but these observations are often collected by different agencies using different methods, technologies and standards. The challenge is not simply a lack of data, but the difficulty of bringing these datasets together consistently across regions and through time. SkyForest, an Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) initiative, delivered via AFWI Centre for Climate-Smart Forestry (CCSF), is responding to this challenge by contributing to the framework of a nationally consistent forest inventory framework for Australia. In partnership with the NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC), Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW), and CSIRO, the project is prototyping a transparent, auditable and open operational data platform, called Monitoring and Observation System for Australian Forest Inventory and Change (MOSAIC), that brings together existing forest observations across spatial and temporal scales. It is at this intersection between detailed field observations, remote sensing and forest change that Aakash Chhabra, based at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE), Western Sydney University, brings his research experience and capability in developing operational monitoring systems to SkyForest. He works with Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn, who leads SkyForest at Western Sydney University. More >> Source & image credit: AFWI Centre for Climate-Smart Forestry (CCSF)  Joystick trades: Gaming to a high-tech workforce [NZ]
Years spent gaming may be giving some young New Zealanders an
unexpected head start in the modern trades, as automation, robotics and
digital technology transform traditional workplaces.Industry training organisation Competenz has coined the term Joystick Trades after hearing the same story from apprentices across the more than 30 sectors it supports - young people who grew up gaming are finding skills developed behind a controller increasingly relevant in the workplace. From advanced manufacturing and forestry to refrigeration and signmaking, strategic thinking, problem solving, spatial reasoning, resource management and the ability to quickly learn complex systems are proving valuable as trades become increasingly technology-driven. Industry training organisation Competenz’s National Manager - Apprentices, Kevin Withell, says the organisation is seeing a natural confidence with technology among many younger apprentices. “It’s actually really amazing how some of these young people are coming through, and they have, like, a natural affinity for technology. It’s kind of like they’re hardwired.” Two strong examples are Competenz plastics apprentices Josh Felise-Anderson and Brendan Sekene, who work as Plastics Technicians at Pact Group in East Tamaki, Auckland, where robotics and automated machinery are part of everyday production. Josh, Plastics NZ’s 2026 Plastics Learner of the Year, says he quickly recognised a connection between the gaming he enjoyed growing up and the work he was learning to do. “I used to play a lot of video games when I was younger. I kind of related that to my job. Just fine-tuning these machines and setting them up, I really felt like I liked doing that kind of thing.” Josh describes himself as a class clown who never felt particularly at home in the classroom. Through his apprenticeship, however, he discovered an aptitude for robotics and automation and has since created operating guides for new robotic systems to help colleagues learn the technology. Kevin says that willingness to engage with unfamiliar technology is something Competenz is seeing more widely. “When you put a new piece of equipment into a factory, or you’re working on something that’s very, very technical, they’ll step forward and step into the technology. Josh has helped write ‘how to’ guides in standard operating procedure manuals, supporting his team to learn new machines.” And the crossover between gaming and modern trades isn’t confined to Gen Z or millennials. At Auckland advanced manufacturer Buckley Systems, which produces electromagnets used in particle accelerator technology, 51-year-old Competenz learner Maika McMath says gaming sparked his fascination with technology, led him to build his own computers and ultimately helped steer him into advanced manufacturing. He sees strong parallels between assembling a gaming PC and assembling the complex electromagnets he works with today. Similar stories are emerging from across the varying industry sectors Competenz supports. Forestry apprentices operate sophisticated harvesting machinery using joystick controls, refrigeration technicians work with increasingly digital systems, while signmakers and manufacturers are adopting automation, AI and advanced technology. Kevin says one of the challenges is ensuring young people know these career options exist. From 2029, nine new industry-led subjects are planned for Years 12 and 13, including Next-Gen Manufacturing, Engineering Technology and Applied Intelligent Systems, giving students greater exposure to vocational and technology-based career pathways while still at school. Source & image credit: Competenz  Comact launches Comact Cutting Solution [Int]
Comact, a global leader in high-performance OEM wood processing
technologies, announced this week the launch of Comact Cutting
Solutions, bringing together Smith Sawmill Service, Oleson Saw
Technology, Checkmate Precision Cutting Tools, and the proprietary BLADE
brand under a common organizational identity.Customers will continue to work with these established brands as they do today, with each maintaining its unique identity, expertise, products, and customer relationships. Comact Cutting Solutions was created to reflect the collaboration that already exists across these businesses. While each brand will continue to operate under its own name, customers will benefit from access to a broader range of products, expertise, and resources backed by Comact's OEM knowledge of the complete sawmill. “Bringing these businesses together within Comact Cutting Solutions reflects how we work with our customers: as one team focused on the performance of their entire cutting operation,” said Dustin Norris, Vice President of Comact Cutting Solutions. “Our expertise goes beyond the cutting tools themselves. We work alongside customers to address operational challenges and improve cutting performance, backed by Comact's deep understanding of mill operations.” The Comact Cutting Solutions portfolio includes circular saws, bandsaws, knives, guides, filing room equipment, consumables, and related products. The organization also partners with ISELI, a global leader in precision machinery and technology for professional filing room operations, and serves as the exclusive ISELI dealer in the United States. Customers will continue to work with the same brands, companies, and teams they know today, with Comact Cutting Solutions bringing together complementary expertise, products, and resources—all backed by Comact’s OEM expertise. For more information about Comact Cutting Solutions, visit ComactCuttingSolutions.com. Source & image credit: Comact The benefits of prescribed burning biodiversity [AU]
Prescribed burning is the controlled application of fire under specific environmental conditions. It remains essential for sustaining Australia’s fire-adapted biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and long-term landscape resilience. For thousands of years, Aboriginal cultural burning shaped these ecosystems. Frequent, mild, patchy fires maintained open, grassy understoreys, stable fuel dynamics, and predictable habitat mosaics that supported native fauna and plant regeneration. The collapse of traditional fire stewardship following European settlement triggered profound ecological shifts. Dense shrub layers replaced grassy groundcovers, leading to continuous fuel accumulation and woody thickening. Paleoecological evidence confirms that today’s severe megafires are unprecedented in the long-term record, as intense landscape-scale fires were historically rare. Without regular mild fire, many ecosystems are crossing critical resilience thresholds. This results in canopy collapse, loss of hollow-bearing trees, altered nutrient cycling, and widespread wildlife declines. Reinstating low-severity prescribed burning interrupts this destructive trajectory. By reducing fuel loads and continuity, mild fire moderates wildfire behavior and protects soil-root physiology. Because Australian flora and fauna co-evolved with fire, low-severity burns generate essential habitat mosaics that promote survival, species richness, and rapid recolonization. While severe summer bushfires devastate ground-dwelling mammals, hollow-dependent species, peat swamp frogs, and long-lived invertebrates, cool prescribed fires allow native species to survive and recover quickly. Furthermore, regular low-intensity fire under good soil moisture prevents dense sapling pulses of wattles and eucalypts from suppressing native grasses and locking forests into high-severity fire states. As climate change intensifies fire risks across Australia, proactive fire management is more critical than ever. Without frequent, mild burning, ecosystems will continue to accumulate heavy fuels and face catastrophic collapse. Reinstating appropriate fire regimes provides the only practical means to restore ecological stability, protect fire-sensitive refugia, and rebuild the natural resilience that characterized Australia’s landscapes for millennia. Read the full report Source & image credit: John O’Donnell Operating at scale: The off-highway advantage [NZ]
Inside Kaingaroa, the heavy lifting happens off the public
highway. A privately managed off-highway road network runs around the
clock, moving logs efficiently from harvest sites to processing or rail.
“The forest’s scale lets us plan and coordinate properly,” says Jake Rogers, RFH’s Off-Highway Truck Manager. “That’s what makes the operation efficient.” The trucks inside the Kaingaroa Forest Estate are unlike any others in New Zealand. Purpose-built stem trucks for full length tree cartage, as well as double and triple units stretching more than 50 metres in length, carrying up to 150 tonnes of logs - and up to 200 tonnes all-up. These vehicles operate on a continuous cycle. Their routes service the Kaingaroa Processing Plant, off-highway domestic customers and the Murupara railhead, which links export volume through to the Port of Tauranga by rail. “Our biggest units can carry around 150 tonnes of logs. You can’t run that anywhere else but inside a forest like this,” Jake explains. “We’re a 24-hour operation most days. That’s what keeps the mill fed and the trains moving.” Because the network is designed specifically for forestry, scale translates directly into efficiency. “Because we’ve got the space and the roading, we can move more wood with fewer trips,” Jake says. “That means less fuel, less wear, and less risk.” Within Kaingaroa, road and rail function as one integrated system. Each train departing Murupara or Kawerau removes dozens of heavy trucks from public highways. Each off-highway haul reduces emissions, improves safety, and limits impacts on surrounding communities - while maintaining the throughput required to support New Zealand’s wood processing sector. “The off-highway network means we don’t need to run heavy units on public roads,” Jake says. “It’s better for the environment, safer for everyone and better for the communities around us.” For Jake and many of the drivers he works alongside, the forest is more than a workplace. “A lot of our drivers are second or third generation,” he says. “Their fathers and grandfathers worked here too.” That sense of continuity brings with it a deep respect for the forest and for one another. “Communication is the key out here,” Jake explains. “We run dedicated radio channels and on-board systems, so everyone knows what’s happening on the roads.” The operation is about more than moving timber. “Our job’s not just about trucking wood,” Jake reflects. “It’s about respecting the forest so it can keep providing for the next generation. If we can do the job safely and get everyone home to their families at the end of a shift, that’s the win. More >> Source & image credit: Kaingaroa Tipu New RPBC orchard planting starts [NZ]
A new radiata pine breeding seed orchard in North Canterbury has
moved from promise to delivery – giving shareholders a clear path
to faster deployment of elite genetics across Australasian production
forests.Earlier in 2026, Radiata Pine Breeding Company Limited (RPBC) invested in 23 additional hectares near Amberley to address the time constraints involved with the industry’s access to improved pollen and scion material. As New Zealand’s only specialist radiata pine breeding company, RPBC sits at a critical point in the forestry value supply chain. Its work supports growers, seed producers and processors through 16 shareholders that collectively own or manage 1.6 million hectares of commercial forestry plantations, across New Zealand and eastern and south-eastern Australia. The new property will transform RPBC’s operating scale. Its breeding and archiving programme used to cover six hectares at Amberley, holding about 9,000 individual trees across 500–600 genotypes. The new orchard (overtime) will lift that capacity to 34,000 trees with the added security of irrigation. In due course, its former six-hectare site will be sold. Scions in the ground The first two hectares at the new property have been planted with 1625 grafted scions which include approximately 250 genotypes. RPBC’s board – together with RPBC’s management team – inspected the site late in August. RPBC Chairman Ross Dickson (Forestry Corporation of NSW) who travelled from Sydney, said the strong establishment of the scions was another important step in RPBC’s bigger picture. He confirmed that the key driver for the investment is to increase the deployment of genetic gain from the breeding programme into production forests at a commercial scale. “We are already seeing early flower and pollen production from the grafts,” Dickson said. “That was expected given Amberley’s environment, soil type and the performance of other seed orchards in the area – but seeing it this early – is a powerful indication that the site is right. “It means for both the shareholders and other stakeholders that RPBC is well on the way to accelerating the production of genetically improved material with the additional scale of this new property. Bearing in mind we only realise the value of superior genetics when they are deployed.” RPBC plans to plant as much as possible, depending on planting availability through 2027. The plantings are being staggered – under the supervision or RPBC’s Breeding Orchard and Field Trials Manager Will Stout – to take advantage of emerging superior genotypes. A mixed-age planting plan also allows for a steady and diverse stream of pollen and cones for industry. More >> Source & image credit: Radiata Pine Breeding Company Limited (RPBC)  Jobs
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And one to end the week on... New Zillint
Can you spare 2 minutes for a coffee and a laugh? This one from Michael McIntyre is sure to make your day brighter. Michaels hilarious take on the New Zealand accent and how certain words are pronounced caused a slight issue while on holiday.  And on that note, enjoy your weekend. Cheers.  Brand PartnersOur Partners & Sponsors Friday Offcuts is made possible through the generous support of the following companies.
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