ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia

2 | HIGHLIGHTS
2009/10 HIGHLIGHTS
Providing industry with
knowledge and innovation
27 projects were initiated, 45 continued and 33 completed.
An independent R&D Program Evaluation Report calculated
that typical FWPA R&D projects returned a benefi t cost ratio
(BCR) of between 2.5 and 15. Key projects included:
New generation, high-performance wood products
coated or encapsulated in zero-waste powder coating.
Glulam design based on lamination grades and the use
of mill shorts.
An audit of forest biosecurity arrangements
and preparedness in Australia.
The Forest Productivity Optimisation System –
A decision support tool for enhancing the management
of planted forests in southern Australia under
changing climate.
NIR assessment of resin quality for composite
panel production.
Forest industry cooperative pesticide research,
chemical registration, industry and community
education and chemical use and application regulation
advice consortium.
Carbon storage in paper and composite wood products
in landfi lls.
Identifi cation of successful designs featuring timber
trusses that passed the tests outlined by the Australian
Standard for Building in Bushfi re Prone Areas to the
highest rating, BAL-FZ.
National Research, Development
and Extension Strategy (RD&E)
The forest and wood products national RD&E strategy was
endorsed by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council in
April 2010. This strategy was developed over the preceding
12 months and involved a wide range of stakeholders
across the sector. One of the key recommendations of
the strategy is the establishment of a new forum of R&D
investors, providers and users to help establish investment
priorities and improve coordination across the sector.
Consumer Advertising
A new look advertising campaign was launched in March
2010 for the Wood. Naturally Better. program. The new
advertisements sell a more personal message – that you
can tackle climate change because wood stores carbon
for life. The imagery includes people living and working
with wood.
FWPA ANNUAL REPORT 09/10
World Conference on Timber Engineering (left to right)
Michael Boughton, Alan Turner, Alastair Macleod, Sean
Jamieson, Will Owens, Michael Kipreou, Hamidul Islam
and Zhinous Zabihi.
Scholarships and Prizes
FWPA supports the development of industry skills
through a variety of scholarships and prizes. In 2009/10
FWPA awarded the following:
Fully funded place in the Australian Rural Leadership
Foundation’s (ARLF) Trailblazers 2010 program for
Steve Walker – Manager, South West Fibre.
Eight travel scholarships for Australian engineering
students to attend the 11th World Conference on
Timber Engineering (WCTE) in Italy.
FWPA Postgraduate Top-up Scholarship awarded to
Matthew Larcombe who is undertaking post graduate
study in managing gene fl ow from Eucalyptus globolus
plantations at the University of Tasmania.
World Forestry Institute Fellowship awarded to Susan
Baker who is undertaking a project on Variable
Retention Silviculture.
FWPA sponsored DAFF Science and Innovation Award
for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
awarded to Dr Lyndall Bull.
Providing Industry Services
In 2009 FWPA appointed Neil Evan as Codes and
Standards Manager to oversee industry coordination of
building codes and standards. Since his appointment
Mr Evans has carried out extensive industry consultation
to create a strategy for FWPA’s codes and standards
coordination and established a Standards Reference Group.