Welcome to our September newsletter 

We’re excited to bring you this bumper edition of our newsletter. AFWI HQ and the Research Centres have been incredibly busy, and there’s much to share.

This month, we had the pleasure of hosting Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, for her first visit since taking on the portfolio in July.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to the outgoing Minister, Senator Murray Watt, for his support during the early stages of AFWI. We look forward to collaborating with Minister Collins moving forward.

Since our last update, we’ve closed the first round of funding through our National Open Call for research. The quality and number of applications exceeded our expectations, and we’re eager to share more details soon!

We have also appointed a Research Advisory Committee. They have made significant contributions, and you can learn more about them below.

We also provided a first look at our Strategy on a Page. This comprehensive piece of work involved collaboration with the Research Centres, Board, and industry stakeholders, showcasing some excellent engagement and teamwork.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. While the strategy is still being refined, we hope this snapshot provides insight into the direction we’re heading.

Additionally, we’re thrilled to announce that the AFWI team was shortlisted for our first award. This recognition reflects the team's dedication and hard work over the past ten months.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Minister Collins visits AFWI 

We were pleased to welcome Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, to the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) at the University of Tasmania this week. This was her first meeting with the AFWI team.

During the visit, Interim Director Dr Dean Williams outlined AFWI’s forthcoming research agenda and the progress achieved in establishing AFWI since our launch in March.

Board Chair Bob Gordon also highlighted our commitment to industry collaboration and our efforts to drive transformational innovation within the Australian forestry and forest products sectors.

Minister Collins engaged with PhD students and staff from CSAW, who presented their research projects. Her thoughtful questions and genuine interest reflected her recognition of the importance of their work.

We thank Minister Collins for spending the morning with us and for her continued support.

Rod Keenan to chair advisory committee 

AFWI Chair Bob Gordon has announced the formation of the new Research Advisory Committee, chaired by Professor Rodney Keenan. The Committee will guide AFWI’s research and innovation efforts, ensuring they align with industry needs and drive real-world impact.

"Bringing together experts from across industry and research strengthens AFWI’s ability to ensure our work reflects real-world needs,” Mr Gordon said. 

“The Committee’s insights will be invaluable as we steer our research and innovation to better serve the forestry and wood product sectors."

You can read the full announcement on our website. 

Stakeholders collaborate on strategy 

Our 'Strategy on a Page' offers an overview of our draft Strategic Plan.

Shaped through multiple rounds of stakeholder engagement with industry, research, and government, it's laying the foundation for what AFWI aims to achieve.

As we refine our research priorities and build an innovation ecosystem, the strategy will continue to evolve, all aligned with our mission:

'To drive solutions-based research and innovation that diversifies and improves the resilience of a sustainable and profitable forest and forest products sector.'

Click the link below to view our strategy on a page. 

AFPA Melbourne member's dinner a hit

AFWI Board Chair Bob Gordon, Interim Director Dr Dean Williams, and Communications and Engagement Manager Maeve McKenna attended the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) member's forum, chamber meetings and dinner in Melbourne.

The team attended the Chamber meetings and updated members about our National Open Call, AFWI Research Centres, and the ongoing recruitment for a Director, with plenty of work happening behind the scenes by HQ and the Research Centres. 

A big thank you to AFPA and its members for their warm welcome and engaging discussions.

Following the meetings, industry members gathered for a dinner, during which National Farmers'​ Federation President David Jochinke delivered a compelling talk on the strong relationship between forestry and farming. 

We're excited to continue building our partnership with AFPA members and look forward to the next opportunity to connect.

Industry collaboration and research excellence highlighted at awards

Finalists 🏆

AFWI reached the final round of the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards in the Industry Engagement category!

This recognition celebrates our team’s hard work over the past year, collaborating with industry and stakeholders across Australia.

A special thanks to the University of Tasmania and 
Australian Forest Products Association for their invaluable support in making AFWI’s success possible.  

As part of our award submission, we reached out to industry, AFPA and UTAS. You can read what they said about us below. 👇

Mass timber on display at T3 Collingwood

A huge thank you to the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) for organising a tour of the new T3 building in Collingwood, now home to Forest & Wood Products Australia.

Dean and Maeve joined industry members on a guided tour of this stunning and sustainable building.

Standing 15 storeys tall, T3 is now Melbourne's tallest mass timber office building. It is constructed from a hybrid of materials, featuring mass timber in the two basement levels, five concrete podium levels, and ten levels of exposed glulam post-and-beam structure with CLT panels.

The building showcases an impressive 2,358 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber (CLT) from XLam Australia, along with an additional 874 cubic metres of glue-laminated timber (GLT) sourced from Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH).

ASH noted that the timber used in T3 Collingwood "regrows in the sustainably managed forests every five minutes and stores more than 360,000 kg of CO2e in the timber – even after considering embodied energy."

What an incredible building! We hope the tenants are enjoying the wellness benefits of the beautiful exposed timber.

If you would like to book a tour, contact the FWPA team.