End of Vic Ash timber

The Victorian Government announced an end to native timber harvesting on 1 January 2024 which is 6 years earlier than the 2030 deadline as was originally announced. Where does this leave manufacturers like Paarhammer who use Victorian Ash timber for window frames?

With only a few months transition time, Paarhammer has started to test different hardwoods including imported timbers. We are proud to manufacture in Australia and always prefer to use local supplies to be as sustainable as possible, but for timber this may no longer be feasible. In Australia there are three timber certifications recognised: FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council), Australian Forest Certification Scheme (AFCS), and PEFC (Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification). Paarhammer only uses timber with these certifications, is itself FSC®-Chain-of-Custody certified (SCS-COC-001887) and FSC® certified products are available on request.

Where does imported timber come from, does it come with any certification and is it sustainably harvested? The Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF) see it as tragedy that some manufacturers have already swapped to hardwoods from e. g. the Solomon Islands where environmental controls are not as robust. And a recent article in The Australian mentions ‘conflict timber’ harvested in Russia and Belarus sold here under false country of origin labels. 

In addition, there is the carbon emitted during transport, with shipping already contributing 3% of worldwide greenhouse gases. 

The United Nations write “The aim of sustainable forest management (SFM) is to ensure that forests supply goods and services to meet both present-day and future needs and contribute to the sustainable development of communities. In addition to forest products (comprising both wood and non-wood forest products), sustainably managed forests provide important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and the protection of water resources.”

Wood is Australia's most loved material. Why can we in Victoria not continue to sustainably manage our forests as many countries do, so that manufacturers like Paarhammer can continue to use world-class Australian Vic Ash hardwood? 

Paarhammer’s strategy for reliable and sustainable timber supply includes:

• switching to American Oak from the USA - see Options: Timbers, 
• increase import of Manilkara Bidentata from South America (FSC certified, now mostly used for the Bushfire Safe Range), 
• investigating Scandinavian Fir and/or Accoya (modified wood) with sandwiched Radiata Pine as multilayer window frame material.