Significant progress has been made on an ARC Advance Timber Hub Project which is establishing viable product and market solutions for hardwood plantation,  led by Dr Chandan Kumar from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI), as the research team continues advancing work on developing viable product and market pathways for hardwood plantation thinnings and small-diameter logs.

In recent weeks, the project team received a truckload of logs supplied by Wide Bay Water (WBW) for use in two of the ARC Advance Timber Hub’s Value-Chain Innovation Projects – Establishing Viable Product and Market Solutions for Hardwood Plantation Thinnings and Small Diameter Logs and Adaptive Building Forms for Inventory-Constrained Utilisation of Low Value Fibre. This delivery marks an important milestone and has enabled a concentrated period of hands-on assessment and early-stage processing.

Over the past fortnight, researchers have undertaken an extensive program of work, including log merchandising, cutting sample discs, capturing non-destructive measurements, and conducting the peeling study. These activities are essential for understanding log characteristics, evaluating processing performance, and building a data foundation that will inform future product development opportunities.

WBW staff visited the research facilities this week to observe the peeling operation and gain insight into the assessment and testing underway. Their visit highlights the strong collaboration at the core of this project.

With the logs now on-site, the team has progressed to the next phase of evaluation, including sample preparation for mechanical testing, heartwood–sapwood assessment, and durability analysis. These results will help determine the most promising processing pathways and potential product streams for plantation-grown hardwoods that have historically lacked clear commercial utilisation options.

The Value-Chain Innovation projects continues to build momentum, strengthening industry–research connections and generating valuable data to support the development of future markets for this important resource.