The damage bill from a fire that engulfed a timber and building supplies warehouse at Cairns Hardware could rise to more than $1 million and the fire could affect the building trade in Cairns. Source: Local Cairns News

NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons thanked volunteers and their employers across the state’s north, after one of the busiest starts to the bushfire season in the region in recent years. Source: Timberbiz

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) congratulated the Government of Canada for the success of its Can$1Billion Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) and for continued commitment to the ongoing transformation of the forest products sector. Source: Lesprom

According to a 2011 report published by Bank of America (BAC) timberland has produced annual returns that have often matched or outpaced the S&P 500 Index over the long term but with notably less risk. Source: Nasdaq

Massey University Wellington's new College of Creative Arts won the Engineering Excellence Award at the Timber Design Awards with two Wellington buildings receiving top marks. Stuff.co.nz

Kaituna Sawmill head rig and resaw operator Izaac Filipov won a national forestry industry training award. Filipov works at Nelson Forest's Kaituna Sawmill near Blenheim in New Zealand. Source: The Marlborough Express

Crown Research Institute Scion completed a successful first full year under the Crown Research Institute (CRI) Taskforce reforms. Scion chairman Tony Nowell said the reforms have made a positive difference. Source: Timberbiz

Local government candidates running for seats within the Shires of Murrindindi and Yarra Ranges have supported sustainable timber harvesting and denounced illegal forest protests, said Friends of Forestry. Source: Timberbiz