Ontario’s First Modern Timber Bridge Arcs 52 Metres Over the Rideau
Ontario’s first modern timber pedestrian bridge opened today, spanning 52 metres across the Rideau Canal with a single‑lift glulam arch made largely of Alaskan yellow cedar. The structure replaces a decommissioned vehicle bridge, reconnecting Centennial and Veterans’ Memorial Parks and preserving the UNESCO‑listed canal’s historic masonry. Funding came partially from Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction Through Wood program, highlighting a federal push for domestic timber in public infrastructure. The bridge showcases how engineered wood can meet demanding span and durability requirements while delivering a low‑carbon landmark.
Timberlink Builds a New Charging Facility Out of Its Own NeXTimber
Timberlink, Australia’s sole combined CLT and glulam producer, has begun building a purpose‑made battery‑charging facility at its Tarpeena mill, using its own NeXTimber engineered wood. The structure will centralize charging for a new electric forklift fleet that is scheduled to...
German Timber Outlook Darkens as Iran War Drives the Costs Up
The German timber sector’s sentiment steadied in April, with the current‑business index improving to –28 points from –34 in March, while the six‑month outlook slipped to –32.2 points. The composite HDH indicator remains firmly negative at –30.1, indicating the industry...
US Senator Tells Housing Department to Make Mass Timber Mainstream
Senator Cindy Hyde‑Smith pressed HUD Secretary Scott Turner at a THUD appropriations hearing to make mass timber a core material for affordable housing. She called for a coordinated effort involving the U.S. Forest Service, state forest commissions, research universities and...
Just Look Up — Mid-Rise Surge Marks Timber Frame’s Inflection Point
Mid‑rise approvals surged more than 70% in 2025, adding 7,800 units—equivalent to the combined growth of detached houses and townhouses. The sector now accounts for the bulk of Australia’s housing pipeline as the nation chases 225,000 dwellings per year to...
TFTU Slams Sorbent’s Paper Cuts as an ‘Act of Corporate Vandalism’
Sorbent Paper will shut a second paper machine at its Box Hill plant, eliminating about 60 skilled manufacturing jobs. The move, part of a multi‑year contraction since Asia Pulp & Paper acquired the site in 2018, prompted the Timber, Furnishing...
AI Joins Fire and Structural Design on WCTE 2027’s Research Agenda
The World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) 2027 has opened its call for abstracts, with submissions due by 7 August 2026 for the August 15‑19, 2027 event in Edmonton, Canada. Researchers can submit two‑page extended abstracts across seven streams, including structural design, fire performance,...
Mass Timber Alone Won’t Fix Canada’s Housing Crisis, Spoke Warns
Build Canada Homes (BCH) launched with an approximately US$9.6 billion budget, mandating extensive use of mass‑timber and factory‑built modular methods. Toronto entrepreneur Matt Spoke warns that without tackling restrictive land‑use rules, slow permitting, high municipal taxes, code hurdles and limited private...
Jartek Signs Koeki Deal as Japan’s Sawmills Automate Production
Finnish wood‑processing specialist Jartek has appointed Tokyo‑based trading house Koeki Ltd. as its commercial partner for Japan, formalizing the agreement in early 2026. Koeki will provide local engineering, language support and market intelligence, enabling Jartek to deliver automation, sorting lines...
Sweden Is Exporting Its Timber Know-How to the Caspian
Sweden is leveraging its low‑carbon timber construction expertise to deepen cooperation with Azerbaijan, launching the Woodlife Sweden exhibition in Baku ahead of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13). Ambassador Tobias Lorentzson highlighted Sweden’s Wood City project—a 250,000‑square‑metre, timber‑first development slated...
Albanese Faces New Push to Sanction Russia’s Shadow Timber Trade
Timber NSW, the peak body for New South Wales hardwood producers, lodged a submission to a Senate inquiry urging the Albanese government to expand its autonomous sanctions to cover all timber and timber products sourced directly or indirectly from Russia....
US Army Deploys Drones in Hawaii’s Forests to Cut Wildfire Risk
The U.S. Forest Service deployed unmanned aerial ignition drones for the first time at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, burning 1,707 acres of invasive Guinea grass in the annual prescribed‑fire operation. The burn, conducted on May 12, met federal, state and Army...
3 Million Hectares of Unproductive Land Could Fix NZ’s Fuel Instablity
New Zealand possesses up to 3 million hectares of unproductive land, including one million hectares of scrub, that could be converted to short‑rotation forestry for domestic bioenergy production. Bioeconomy Science Institute’s Paul Bennett estimates a feedstock pool of roughly 7 million tonnes of low‑grade...
Timber Framing First in Line as Budget Carves Out Negative Gearing
The 2026‑27 Australian federal budget restricts negative‑gearing tax concessions to newly‑built homes, directing investor capital toward the timber frame and truss sector. Existing investors retain current benefits, while the carve‑out targets roughly $12.3 billion (≈$8.1 bn) in annual tax expenditure. The change...
84-Metre Glulam Roof Tops Anzac Station — Melbourne’s First Train-Tram Hub
Anzac Station in Melbourne now features an 84‑metre glulam‑and‑CLT canopy, the city’s first train‑tram platform‑to‑platform hub. HESS TIMBER supplied more than 350 cubic metres of curved and straight glulam beams, 190 custom CLT panels and the steel‑timber connection system that supports...