This article is a summary of the podcast conversation 33. “Shifting the Culture of Forestry in Australia”. Listen to the full episode on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts, and go here for the relevant links mentioned in the podcast. Read on for the summarised topics from the episode.

Shifting the Culture of Forestry in Australia

Have you ever driven past a clear-felled forest? It’s a pretty gut-wrenching sight. Imagine standing in a place that was once dense bushland – full of birdsong, shade, and life. And then in a flash, it’s gone. What’s lost isn’t just trees, but the wildlife and the land that depended on them.

In this episode, I’d love you to meet James Felton-Taylor and Annabel Kater, who run Australian Sustainable Timbers in Dungog NSW. As native forest managers and timber processors, they’re passionate about showing there’s a better way to work with the bush by rethinking timber production.

This conversation is a great reminder that when you lead with intention, and work with the natural lifecycle of the trees, timber production and environmental care don’t have to be at odds. They can grow together in a way that respects both people and the planet.

Overview of the Conversation

Photo Credit: Australian Sustainable Timbers Instagram

How James and Annabelle’s passion for trees started: “trees are intrinsically vital to us as humans. You know, they process our great problem at the moment, carbon dioxide, and they turn into oxygen, which is essential”.

How continually seeing forests in poor condition due to the mono-growth of one species and the impact on the surrounding ecosystem: “When we’re talking about dense forests, we’re talking about too many trees per hectare…Think of too many animals in one space or too many humans. We get not a great functioning ecosystem”
How to give trees the chance to grow well in the bush
Historical culture of forestry and timber management

If you think there’s a housing crisis, for humans, there’s been a housing crisis for our fauna for the last hundred odd years.

Photo Credit: Australian Sustainable Timbers Instagram

Using the tree thinnings (the trees they remove for healthy forest growth) for timber manufacturing rather than the old growth trees: “big logs come out of big trees and they’re the trees that need to stay in the forest…these big trees are really crucial to the forward functioning of our forests.”

How you can re-think what timber you need for your building needs and how to have a good conversation with a builder about working with “non-standard” sizes.

Forest management or silviculture is an art and a science and there’s no recipe book for managing a forest.

Managing individual landholders native forests on their behalf to restore then to a more functioning ecosystem

Positive regeneration of the bush: “we’re into a rehabilitation phase [of the timber industry] and we really need to put the care and love back into these forests, get them growing again, get them invigorated and do some pretty careful management.”

Photo Credit: Australian Sustainable Timbers Instagram

Positive differences that good forestry management means to soil health and flora and fauna biodiversity
Why the forestry wars? Explaining the difference between the extremes of “lock’em up” and “chop it down” without reasonable middle ground.
- “We need to do some rehabilitation and that has to be active management rather than passive management.”

Why plantation timber forests aren’t the solution

In our conversation, both James and Annabelle share their tips for healthy timber use and production…

✓ Be smart about how we navigate the different crises we find ourselves in

✓ Learn how to manage forests a lot better, engage with the community and bring them with us. Timber will become a gourmet product

✓ Timber that we take for granted now will become a product that will only be available for the more wealthy. So where does that leave the rest of us?

✓ It’s about us as consumers demanding a better quality product through our purchasing power

✓ We’ve got to nurture the tree and create beautiful forests and beautiful timber…. “if we could design a machine that sucked in carbon dioxide and built a beautiful sustainable, renewable, biodegradable product, the tree does it for us and spits out oxygen and houses our animals”.

This episode of The ReNewy Living Podcast was recorded on Worimi country. I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and waters in the Dungog region of New South Wales.

I hope you’re feeling more confident about doing better for our people and planet by taking a start where you live approach to living sustainably. If this episode has spurred you into action, please feel free to share the episode with your friends. It would mean the world to me!

Listen into the stories and voices of this story here at Spotify podcasts and here at Apple Podcasts… And you can also sign up to my regular emails here… I look forward to sharing more stories with you next time.

Apple Podcasts ↓

Shifting the Culture of Forestry in Australia

Spotify Podcasts ↓

You Tube ↓

Shifting the Culture of Forestry in Australia (S5 Ep33)

Links from the Podcast Episode (S5 Ep33)

Australian Sustainable Timbers regenerating forests now and for the future
Dungog Common Recreation Reserve premier cultural and adventure recreation destination for the enjoyment of all
The Forest Stewardship Council (Global) – a non-profit organisation, providing trusted solutions to help safeguard the world’s forests and tackle today’s deforestation, climate and biodiversity challenges.
Landcare Australia protecting and conserving Australia’s land, water, soils, plants, animals and ecosystems
Greening Australia restoring Australia’s diverse landscapes and protecting biodiversity in ways that benefit communities, economies, and nature.