Revenue from timber sales climbed to UAH 30.4 billion ($736 million), up UAH 6.7 billion year-on-year, while tax payments hit a record UAH 16.1 billion ($390 million) — up UAH 6.8 billion on 2024. Industry profitability reached 22.8 per cent, up 12.3 percentage points, with average monthly wages clearing UAH 30,000 — roughly $727 — after rising UAH 6,000 year-on-year.

Post-2020 reforms have driven the turnaround. Before those changes — when resources were greater and conditions far less punishing — the industry earned just UAH 0.2 billion, nearly 35 times less than today’s result. “This is the best proof that the reforms we implemented have proven effective,” Smal said.

Yuriy Bolokhovets, director general of Forests of Ukraine, said less money was disappearing off the books. Moving 97 per cent of procurement onto the Prozorro transparency platform saved more than UAH 700 million alone.

“Before the reforms, profits were lost. Today, financial flows work in the interests of the state and the industry,” Bolokhovets said.

“Increased profits mean record budget contributions, forest fire protection, support for the armed forces, and investment in technical modernisation.”

It comes amid ongoing uncertainty over Ukraine’s timber export position, with European markets closely watching supply flows as the war continues to constrain accessible forestry areas across the country’s east and north.

Boulton raised the prospect that EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese hardwood plywood had redirected volumes toward the UK — and that some of the increase could mask sanctioned Russian product. “We would urge our members and the wider industry to use all caution and take advantage of TDUK due diligence and responsible sourcing policy resources to make sure the timbers they purchase comply with all relevant EU and UK regulations,” he said.

Hardwood plywood imports rose 7.1 per cent. Total plywood volumes climbed 10.1 per cent to 1.32 million cubic metres — driven by stronger shipments from China, Malaysia and Brazil.

The broader picture was much weaker.

Demand has remained subdued for four consecutive years, and softwood — which accounts for around 61 per cent of all UK timber imports — fell four per cent to 5.55 million cubic metres. Sweden, Germany and the Irish Republic all shipped less. Latvia and Finland picked up some of the slack. Average softwood prices still rose, reaching £289 per cubic metre against £256 in 2024.

Hardwood came in at 431,000 cubic metres. Tropical species were down 9.7 per cent. Mixed hardwoods moved the other way, rising ten per cent to 115,000 cubic metres, with Cameroon holding its position as the dominant source of tropical supply. Particleboard had a strong year, climbing 10.1 per cent to 637,000 cubic metres. MDF did not — volumes dropped 23 per cent to 544,000 cubic metres. Engineered wood was similarly split. Laminated veneer lumber and I-beams both grew solidly, while cross-laminated timber fell 23.6 per cent.

Boulton said the headline figure obscured a more complicated picture: “Much of the reduction in overall volume was driven by lower softwood and MDF imports, while several other product categories recorded strong growth during the year.”

The housing and construction sectors remain the key variable. Forecasters expect softwood volumes to recover around 3.7 per cent in 2026 — but that recovery depends on confidence returning to a market that has been flat for the better part of four years.

That is according to Dr Daniel Roberts, the lead of theCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Energy Technologies Research Program, who will speak at this month’s Renewable Fuels Summit.

Liquid fuels account for more than half of all final energy Australians consume and 30 per cent of national emissions: “There are really two drivers,” Roberts said. “One is emissions reduction. The other is fuel security. These have motivated alternative fuels research and energy independence ambitions for a long time.”

And whilst electric vehicles dominate the public conversation, Dr Roberts said the harder problem lies in aviation, international shipping, and diesel engines powering remote mine sites and farms. These are sectors where electrification, as he put it, “is unlikely to be able to do the heavy lifting.”

Why forest residues are now worth their weight in fuel!

That’s why CSIRO is now focused on biogenic fuels — converting biomass and organic waste into liquid fuel — a pathway Dr Roberts believes will deliver commercial results ahead of synthetic alternatives. Forestry residues, plantation waste, agricultural by-products and urban waste streams are all in scope. “It’s about recognising the value in our waste streams,” Dr Roberts said. “We have the opportunity domestically to build on existing technologies and make something really useful out of waste.”

The scale required is not small. Dr Roberts described facilities processing thousands of tonnes of feedstock daily, power-station-sized plants backed by hundreds of megawatts of electrolysers and industrial-grade carbon capture. “The first time you do something, it’s always harder and more expensive. But that’s how you learn and improve,” he said.

CSIRO is already active in the field, having participated in a world-first Australia-India trial that demonstrated, at scale, the partial replacement of coal with agricultural waste in steelmaking. It is also working with the Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre to de-risk biomass gasification pathways and cut natural gas dependence across heavy industry.

And on the commercial side, CSIRO is an active partner in the AFWI Fibre to Fuels project, which will see HAMR partner with a dozen or more partners in the forest value chain to demonstrate that plantation residues in Tasmania, Western Australia and the Green Triangle in Victoria’s timber towns can be turned into low-carbon liquid fuels.

Dr Roberts said the industry’s appetite had shifted markedly over the past five years, with net-zero commitments and geopolitical concerns about fuel supply pushing boardrooms to act. The sticking point remains policy certainty — large-scale infrastructure requires confidence that demand will be there for the life of the asset. “Companies considering 30-year infrastructure investments need certainty that customers will be there,” he said.

It comes as the federal government last year committed $1.1 billion to accelerate Australia’s low-carbon liquid fuels sector — a package the Low Carbon Fuels Alliance of Australia and New Zealand, which represents more than 300 stakeholders from feedstock producers to project developers, described as a turning point for sovereign fuel supply.

• To learn why the global timber trade is now tied up in Iranian conflict, click here for Wood Central’s special feature on the Strait of Hormuz last week.

Wood Central understands the deal is expected to fetch more than $100 million, with Gresham House, the UK asset manager with close to AU$7 billion in forestry and natural capital assets, making a play for the 22,000-hectare beef, dairy and cropping property 140 kilometres north-east of Launceston.

And its plans go far beyond milk and beef, with large-scale pine plantations, carbon projects, biodiversity credits and income from Australia’s Nature Repair Market all in the mix.

However, not everyone in the state’s north-east is welcoming the change.

“You can’t eat pine trees, that’s a big one,” according to St Helens beef farmer and former Liberal MP John Tucker, who spoke to ABC Rural Tasmania over the weekend. “I think it’s got a lot of potential for livestock farming out in that area. A lot more potential in my opinion than trees.”

Meanwhile, Rhys Beattie, the mayor of the Dorset Council, said that whilst the council is not opposed to forest-based industries, it is calling on both federal and state governments to carefully consider the implications of large-scale agricultural land conversions: “The preservation of productive agricultural land is vital to the sustainability and prosperity of our community.”

At the same time, TasFarmers president Ian Sauer has taken the matter to Canberra, meeting Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to clarify what financial assistance, if any, is being directed toward tree planting in the north-east.

Gresham House’s track record.

Wood Central understands that the firm has managed forestry assets for more than 4 decades and is the world’s 7th-largest forestry investment manager. In December, it closed the first tranche of its Sustainable International Forestry Strategy Platform at €250 million — anchored by Worcestershire Pension Fund and Australian superannuation fund NGS Super — the first time an Australian super fund has partnered with the UK forest giant. The strategy targets allocating 40 per cent to Australia and New Zealand, with the balance split between Europe and other afforestation investments.

NGS Super chief investment officer Ben Squires said sustainable forestry aligns with the fund’s objectives to achieve stable, risk-adjusted returns while contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.

It comes as Tasmania’s farmland commands the highest median price per hectare in the country, with investor appetite increasingly driven by carbon, biodiversity and renewable energy income alongside productive agricultural land. Rushy Lagoon is already earmarked for the ACEN Australia-managed North East Wind project — 210 turbines across Rushy Lagoon and Waterhouse — which was declared a project of state significance in 2022.

Sale agent Jarrod Ryan of RMS Advisory has declined to confirm details, saying only there is “nothing to report at this stage.” Gresham House was contacted for comment on the Rushy Lagoon bid specifically.

• To learn more about Gresham House’s timber strategy, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.

That is according to HOK, the global architecture and engineering firm leading the design for the three-storey, 57,000-square-foot building and an adjacent 350-bed forensic psychiatric hospital, both under construction on a campus being redeveloped as a centre of excellence for behavioural healthcare.

The administration building combines regionally sourced glulam columns and beams with cross-laminated timber decking — a structural approach rarely attempted in healthcare construction, where steel and concrete have long been the default.

Working alongside structural engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers to develop concealed proprietary connections and fasteners, HOK kept the exposed timber interior free of visible hardware…with several columns made from trees felled on-site.

Wood Central understands that the building is targeting LEED Gold certification and net-zero-energy readiness. Rooftop and site-mounted photovoltaic panels will generate on-site renewable energy, while advanced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems — including thermal storage — are designed to reduce peak energy loads. Fritted-glass curtainwalls bring daylight into the building’s core and offer occupants views across the surrounding campus.

The ground floor includes training and gathering spaces open to the wider community — a conscious step away from the closed, institutional character that has defined state psychiatric facilities for generations. It comes as the broader $947 million Western State redevelopment — the largest capital project in Washington state history — pushes toward a 2028 opening. The forensic hospital is scheduled to begin receiving patients later that year.

That is according to Pulse Tasmania, which reports the rig is designed to replicate the planned venue’s fixed-roof structure and will assess whether a treated version of the stadium’s ETFE roof material can eliminate the shadow problem that has dogged the project since early 2025.

Shadows have plagued the design from the beginning.

Last year, Wood Central reported that Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania wrote to the Tasmanian government demanding architects redesign or remove the roof entirely, saying the fixed-dome design made the venue “unlikely to be conducive to hosting Test matches” — and potentially unworkable for one-day and T20 fixtures too.

At the time, Anne Beach, the CEO of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation, told a parliamentary inquiry that the transparent covering created contrast on clear days — and that the timber and steel beams, engineered as small as possible, would still cast shadows.

However, in November, a Gold Coast company identified a potential fix: Cricket Tasmania CEO Dom Baker proposed a matte treatment that, when applied to one side of the ETFE material, would disperse light rather than pass straight through —  killing the sharp contrasts on the pitch.

Until this week, it had never been physically tested. Now, the rig will run assessments on shadow intensity, ball visibility, and playing conditions. It will also capture data on how roof treatments affect turf growth beneath — a secondary concern for groundskeepers at an indoor venue.

It comes after both houses of the Tasmanian Parliament approved the $1.13 billion project in December — the Upper House voting 9–5 after two days of debate. The 23,000-seat venue will be the permanent home of the Tasmania Devils AFL team. Its fixed dome, framed in Tasmanian-sourced glulam, would be the largest timber roof on any stadium in the world.

What the roof actually looks like

Late last year, Wood Central reported that the current design documents detail a hybrid timber roof lined with Tasmanian-sourced glulam, paired with metal deck cladding, steel rod bracing, and translucent ETFE pillows. The clearspan structure carries an internal clearance of 49 metres — enough headroom for Test-level cricket as well as AFL, soccer, and rugby.

The Macquarie Point Summary Report specifies lightweight ETFE pillows, a 20-millimetre timber laminate, a secondary glulam system, and Aramax metal deck cladding, all supported by steel rod bracing. The timber form is designed to reduce perceived bulk from street level and preserve harbour sightlines — a tough ask for a structure sitting on the edge of Hobart’s CBD.

That is according to Steve Walker, Principal of Terrafolia Advisory, who spoke exclusively to Wood Central after visiting a series of LVL manufacturing clusters in Linyi, Suqian and Guigang last week. And the production pivot, he says, is only part of the story. “What stands out most,” Walker said, “is the ability to produce high-quality structural products using young plantation logs.”

Part of that competitive edge is feedstock flexibility.

According to Walker, the mills draw on a wide species mix — domestic pine (Pinus massoniana), planted eucalyptus, New Zealand radiata and European spruce — with end customers specifying wood blends, quality grades and certification requirements before a board is cut. As a result, manufacturers can produce LVL on demand, at scale, to any dimensions worldwide.

It comes after Wood Central revealed that Chinese LVL arriving at Australian ports has surged 63 per cent in the ten months to October 2025, with new ABS data recording more than 205,000 cubic metres traded in that period alone. For Walker, the use of younger fibre, purpose-built infrastructure, and on-spec production means China can land product at costs that locals can only dream of.

For global forest asset managers, Walker says this represents a real opportunity.

The implication, he says, is simple: rotation length, fibre specification and market strategy are now directly linked. “Investors who focus on productivity optimisation and value creation, and who align forest resources with the growing demand for engineered wood, will be well positioned for the next phase of the industry,” Walker said. “The future of forestry will belong to portfolios that understand how fibre, manufacturing and markets are changing together.”

It comes as Walker last month set out the detailed case for how Australia’s plantation estate could be better deployed to meet exactly this kind of demand. His paper, A National Pathway for High-Productivity Forestry and Renewable Carbon Supply, published by the Rozette Institute, argues that Australia could double its plantation output without planting a single additional tree — through smarter rotation management, fibre alignment and productivity optimisation across existing estates.

Three product categories are under examination. Canadian softwood lumber faces review under antidumping order A-122-857 and countervailing duty order C-122-858 for all of calendar year 2025. Chinese certain hardwood plywood products — under antidumping order A-570-051 — and Chinese wooden bedroom furniture under order A-570-890 are included for the same period.

Commerce said it may limit the number of companies examined, selecting respondents through U.S. import data or quantity-and-value questionnaires. The data will be placed on the record within 5 days of the initiation notice, with respondent selection to follow within 35 days. For wooden bedroom furniture, quantity-and-value responses are due within 21 days; separate-rate certifications within 14 days.

The duty burden on Canadian exporters has risen sharply. Combined antidumping and countervailing rates climbed from 14.40 per cent under the fifth administrative review to 35.19 per cent under the sixth, and U.S. producers show no sign of backing off. Andrew Miller, chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, said the duties target practices “designed by Canada to maintain an artificially inflated US market share for Canadian products and force US companies to curtail production, thereby killing US jobs.”

The Chinese furniture picture was equally difficult in 2025. The U.S. remains China’s largest wood furniture export market, absorbing 27 per cent of total shipments — but volumes fell 7.1 per cent to 129.4 million pieces, export value dropped 20 per cent to US$5.6 billion, and average unit prices declined 14 per cent to $43 per piece.

That is according to AFWI Executive Director Dr Joseph Lawrence, who heads the $200 million R&D body — backed by $100 million in federal funding — and said the next round of grants, up to $2.5 million per project, was designed to drive systemic change, not incremental improvement.

It comes as the federal government has committed $54 million to develop modern methods of construction in Australia — part of a broader policy package that has seen prefab and modular housing formally recognised under the National Housing Accord.

And the new call targets the full forest and wood products value chain, with a particular emphasis on modernising industrial timber construction across housing delivery.

Wood Central understands projects must align with at least one of AFWI’s four strategic pillars — Healthier Forests, Maximising Fibre, Climate Solutions, and Housing Innovation — and demonstrate strong co-design with industry partners.

Indicative grants range from $50,000 to $2.5 million. Matching co-contributions of at least 50 per cent of the total project cost are required, with projects able to run for up to four years.

The round follows a two-stage process: an initial expression of interest, followed by an invitation to submit full proposals. AFWI is encouraging researchers and industry proponents to make contact ahead of the opening.

Eligible applicants include universities, CSIRO, industry associations, Indigenous organisations, not-for-profits, state and local governments, and private companies. Projects must be primarily based in Australia and hold a valid ABN. First Nations-led projects, or those incorporating Indigenous perspectives, are specifically welcomed.

• To learn more about the latest AFWI Open Call for Research, click here for more information.

It comes as female membership has climbed 10% over the last five years, a figure Martin says reflects a profession actively working to become more inclusive, more attractive, and more reflective of the communities it serves.

But Martin was quick to acknowledge the work ahead.

“Whilst we celebrate these achievements, we also acknowledge there is still more work to be done to create an environment where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive, and that includes women, people from non-English speaking backgrounds and First Nations People.”

Balancing the Scales

The milestone aligns with this year’s International Women’s Day theme — Balance the Scales — which calls for concrete action to dismantle the structural barriers holding women back from equal opportunity, representation and leadership across every profession.

For Forestry Australia, Martin says that means deliberate investment in mentoring, leadership pathways, and cultures that genuinely welcome diverse perspectives. “For forestry, that means continuing to invest in mentoring, leadership pathways and building organisations where individuals at every career stage feel genuinely welcome. And that means taking deliberate action, empowering supporting allies and creating cultures where diversity and broader perspectives can thrive.”

Martin will chair a panel discussion at the University of the Sunshine Coast Forest Research Institute on Monday, joined by Dr Lyndall Bull, Charlotte Raven, Dr Leanda Garvie and Kelly Stewart.

UniSC Forest Research Institute Director Professor Mark Brown said the occasion was an ideal opportunity to recognise the full contribution women are making to forest science. “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the remarkable contributions women are making across every part of forestry research and practice. When we bring diverse voices, experiences and perspectives to the table, we strengthen not only our research institutions but also the forests and communities we serve,” Professor Brown said.

About International Women’s Day

Observed on March 8, International Women’s Day is a global occasion recognising the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. First celebrated in the early 1900s, it has grown into a worldwide movement calling for gender equality and the acceleration of women’s rights.

Each year, a campaign theme guides the global conversation — in 2026, Balance the Scales urges individuals, organisations and governments to take meaningful, structural action to close persistent gender gaps across every industry and sector.