Send us Fan Mail Australia is the seventh most forested country on earth, yet it imports around $5 billion more timber than it sells, and the gap grows every year. Matt de Jongh, a forester of about 25 years and now with Responsible Wood, the body behind timber certification in Australia and New Zealand, explains how that happened. His blunt version: at home, we have run out of wood. Most of the conversation digs into what "sustainably managed" actually means on the ground. Matt breaks down the difference between certified and uncertified timber, how the "no deforestation" rule works when trees are still being cut, and why independent third-party auditing, not a landholder's word, is what sits behind a Responsible Wood or PEFC label. From there it turns political. Matt argues that ending native forest logging in Victoria and WA has pushed demand onto Tasmania and onto imports from countries with weaker rules, and he uses the Pilliga koala population as his example of what happens after active management stops. The episode also covers mass timber, the carbon locked inside a timber product, and why architects keep coming back to wood. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Why the seventh most forested country still imports about $5 billion more timber than it exportsWhat "no deforestation" actually means: permanent land-use change, not selective harvest and regrowthCertified vs uncertified timber, and how independent auditing backs a Responsible Wood or PEFC labelThe Pilliga koala argument, and what Matt says happened after a managed forest became a national parkMass timber, stored carbon and the case for building in woodCHAPTERS 0:00 - Meet Matt de Jongh, and the science of forestry 4:33 - What "sustainably managed" actually means 5:17 - Plantations, native forests and how thinning works 7:33 - "No deforestation" defined, and who checks it 13:22 - Forest certification, PEFC and Responsible Wood 18:25 - Certified vs uncertified timber, and the illegal logging laws 24:08 - Why timber is the ultimate renewable, and biogenic carbon 26:55 - The forests that aren't certified, and small landholders 30:25 - WA's gum plantations and the scheme that planted in the wrong place 35:05 - The $5 billion question: a forested country that still imports timber 39:12 - A shrinking forest estate and the housing crisis 43:24 - Engineered timber, mass timber and traceability 46:17 - Is there a fix, and why it is political 49:09 - Victoria, Tasmania and the media story 51:19 - The Pilliga, koalas and what happens when management stops 1:05:47 - The silver bullet: procurement and wood encouragement policies 1:11:15 - Quickfire ABOUT THE GUEST Matt de Jongh is a forester with around 25 years in the industry, from operational forestry across New South Wales to policy roles with the Australian government, and he is a director of Forestry Australia. He now works with Responsible Wood, the standards body that runs forest and chain-of-custody certification in Australia and New Zealand and represents PEFC locally. LEARN MORE Responsible Wood: https://www.responsiblewood.org.au Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au BROUGHT TO YOU BY Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
