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Private Forestry North Queensland will be hosting a two-day event for its members, combining field-trips, a meeting, dinner and workshop on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd of June 2002. We will depart from Cairns on the morning of Friday 21st and visit Cardwell, Ingham and Townsville. Field trips will be to the State Forestry Pine resource at Kennedy, and to see Khaya senegalensis (African Mahogany) growing near Townsville. The workshop is entitled "Private Forestry North Queensland: the way forward", and is aimed at giving the cluster the skills it needs to move from Government funding to Industry-funded Project Management. Anyone interested in attending should contact us as soon as possible to make arrangements for travel and accommodation. Phone - (07) 40 918 733 - Field Trip Itinerary

The Australian Greenhouse Office has recently published a set of field measurement procedures for carbon accounting that may be of some interest. These are freely available electronically.

Major New Research Centre Kicks off in Queensland - CRC Wood Innovations, a new Cooperative Research Centre set to revolutionise the manufacture of timber products, will hold its first gathering in Brisbane from October 15-18. The meeting will be hosted by the Department of Primary Industries - its science and innovation arm, the Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences, is a key participant in this exciting new $60 million research centre.

The Joint Venture Agroforestry Program (JVAP) has published a new book, Trees, water and salt: an Australian guide to using trees for healthy catchments and productive farms, which provides advice on the placement of trees to maximise their impact on dryland salinity and also the economic productivity of tree plantings. Written by a team of hydrologists and foresters and drawing on new research, the book shows how to use trees successfully to halt rising watertables - and therefore combat salinity - while also providing farmers with income. The publication is available from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) ph (02) 6272 4819 or visit the website www.rirdc.gov.au

Don't be left out on a limb. There is good quality information available for farm foresters, forest owners, advisers and supporters of farm forestry. Agroforestry News is now owned by an incorporated community group with representation from Agroforestry and Farm Forestry Networks. Agroforestry News complements the high quality colour journal of the Australian Forest Growers www.mtg.unimelb.edu.au

Plantation investment management companies and small-scale private forest growers are rejoicing following passage of two tax law amendments in Federal Parliament today. The amendments correct two negative outcomes of the Government's 1999 business tax reforms that have had serious unintended consequences for plantation investments and private forestry. The first amendment, in particular, will help restore stability and predictability to the plantation investment management sector. It is fitting that these amendments, as well as the Regional Forest Agreements Bill, both passed through Parliament on World Forestry Day, and they are evidence of the commitment the Government and, for the most part, the Opposition have shown to the forest industry and the regions and communities that depend on it. Click here for press release