The Experts
Real Voices. Real Impact.
Tasmania’s forests are among the most carefully managed in the world — but don’t take our word for it. We spoke directly with the architects, designers, researchers, and forest professionals who live and breathe sustainable timber. These are the voices shaping policy, practice, and design in Tasmania and beyond.
Their insights bring clarity to complex issues, share lived experience, and offer confidence to anyone who values traceable, ethical timber. Whether you’re an architect, builder, or informed consumer, these conversations reveal what sustainable forestry looks like — on the ground, in the studio, and across the supply chain.
Original Thinkers Podcast: Fiona Dunin
Using local Tasmanian timber strengthens the regional economy by supporting jobs and businesses throughout the supply chain. While reduced transportation emissions are valuable, the true advantage lies in transparency – users can verify exactly where their materials come from and how they were harvested. With overseas timber, this chain of custody is often impossible, making sustainability claims difficult to authenticate and leaving users uncertain about the true origin of their materials.
Original Thinkers Podcast: David White
Tasmania’s forestry practices prioritise ethical stewardship, creating high-quality timber products while maintaining ecological balance. The regeneration process after harvesting ensures forests remain viable for future generations, contradicting misconceptions about deforestation and demonstrating the industry’s commitment to sustainable land management.
Article: ‘Forestry is not rocket science. It’s ten times more complicated.’
Original Thinkers Podcast: Louise Wallis
Scientific research confirms the sustainability of Tasmania’s forestry practices. With only a small percentage of Tasmania’s diverse forest types used for timber production, careful management ensures these resources remain viable. The State of the Forest Report provides data-driven evidence that counters misconceptions about the industry’s environmental impact.
Original Thinkers Podcast: Anne Chuter
Tasmania’s forest practices system involves comprehensive planning that extends far beyond timber considerations. Professional foresters evaluate and protect natural and cultural values within harvesting areas, maintaining strict environmental protections that have earned international recognition for their thoroughness and effectiveness.
More: The Forest Practices System
Original Thinkers Podcast: Al & Imo
Modern timber innovations allow designers to maximise efficiency while minimising resource use. Solutions like Touchwood demonstrate how clever engineering and design can create stunning architectural features with minimal environmental footprint, proving that sustainability and aesthetic excellence can work hand in hand.
Original Thinkers Podcast: David White
Australia’s $2 billion timber trade deficit represents a missed opportunity for sustainable self-sufficiency. Utilising Tasmania’s responsibly managed forest resources could reduce reliance on overseas imports, creating local jobs while ensuring better environmental outcomes compared to importing timber from regions with less rigorous sustainability practices.
Original Thinkers Podcast: David White
Forest management builds on natural ecological processes that have evolved over millennia. The forestry techniques used in Tasmania work with these natural cycles, understanding that eucalypt forests naturally regenerate after fire events. This science-based approach ensures biodiversity returns and forests regrow after harvesting, maintaining healthy forest ecosystems.
Article: Tasmania’s managed forests make a strong case for world class sustainability
