Two weeks to the day since the Victorian government finally closed VicForests – the state-owned government authority – Australia’s largest hardwood manufacturer has already adapted to the “new norm” – and is busy creating new and innovative timber products, with plans afoot to use them on some of Australia’s most iconic projects.
That is according to Daniel Wright, National Business Development Director for Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (or ASH), who spoke to the Wood Central Podcast last week.
“Ten years ago, we were 100% supplied by Victorian-based regrowth hardwood; now we are zero,” Mr Wright said, adding that ASH is now “the largest American Oak importer, the largest importer of Plantation Oak, previously destined for (low-value) pulp, now used in high-value architectural products as well as (MASSLAM) mass timber products.”
As it stands, Australian Sustainable Hardwoods is responsible for importing thirty American oak containers every month, with the latest data provided by the US Department of Agriculture showing that Australian imports of American red oak have increased more than 1531%—or 15 times—for the first quarter of 2024. The surge in red oak – which has surpassed white oak for the first time – is largely fuelled by the rise of Glacial oak – ASH’s newest and latest hardwood product.
“We were specific with branding the American oak that we bring in as Glacial oak,” Mr Wright said, adding, “Red oak has different characteristics based on where you purchase it within the United States.”
“ASH targeted the blonde-coloured Red oak, a far superior timber, which we process through our timber mill and manufacturing facilities, which makes it a suitable alternative to the lost fibre in Victorian ash.”
Already, ASH is working with builders, architects, and designers to supply Glacial oak for staircases, windows, doors, furniture, and flooring applications – but they caution users not to confuse supply with any old ‘red oak’. And as part of the pivot away from Victorian hardwoods, it is now producing “Plantation oak,” a new product that builds on decades of research and development to develop high-value engineered products from low-value pulp.
“When the writing was on the wall, and it became clear that the state government was going to close the Victorian-based regrowth hardwood industry, it became evident that a portion of the Plantation oak (in development) did not have a home.”
“So, we developed MASSLAM (a mass timber system), which is a new way that can help builders replace concrete and steel in big office buildings, including a 15-storey building (T3 Collingwood),” Mr Wright said.
“It helps the builders decarbonise, which is better than carbon neutral, but it also finds a greater higher-value application for a resource that is otherwise destined for pulp and woodchip.”
“We have been playing with it for years, and the key is finding a home for absolutely everything. 100% of the log that we get needs to be sold for its highest value for long-term use,” Mr Wright said.
“Mass timber really gives us that opportunity.”
Don’t Miss Out: TimberConstruct early bird bookings close tomorrow!
ASH will be one of the keynote presenters at TimberConstruct. According to Andrew Dunn, conference organiser, “Nathan Benbow, ASH’s Engineering Design Manager, will be involved in panel discussions, including the role of timber-led solutions in tackling the Housing Crisis and the mid-to-high rise challenges for mass timber – including CIT Woven, a six-storey building that is breaking ground in Canberra.”
Built by Lendlease, the new 22,500-square-metre building—Canberra’s first education building to use smart building technology—uses a MASSLAM 45 post-and-beam frame. “In total, more than 900 MASSLAM 45 (glue-laminated timber) columns and beams were provided for the project.”
Mr Dunn said TimberConstruct, Australia’s largest timber construction conference and exhibition, will be held in Melbourne on August 12th and 13th, 2024, and “is focused on materials and design, prefabrication, and building techniques.”
- For more information, listen to Wood Central’s latest podcast.
