AUSTIMBER 2021 ‘ALL GO’ REFLECTS
AMAZING RESILIENCE OF FOREST SECTOR

IT’S all go for AUSTimber 2021 in November.

Initially planned for November last year, after being postponed in April, devastating bushfires that swept across the Gippsland region of Victoria forced organisers to carry the event over to 2021.

With the green light shining, AUSTimber 2021 will run from November 10 to 13 at Traralgon in the east of the Latrobe Valley.

Event manager Dionne Olsen reports that everyone involved is getting excited.

“All exhibitors and suppliers who had signed up for April 2020 and then for November that year have recommitted to the event,” she said.

“The biggest, and perhaps only, difference will of course be the level of international participation. Past activities like the forwarder competition and wood chopping will take place along with other events and entertainment.”

Ms Olsen said AUSTimber would now essentially be a national event with New Zealand involved as well.

None of New Zealand exhibitors has pulled out with the trans-Tasman bubble working in both directions for travel.

Dionne Olsen said clearly AUSTimber would be the premier forest industry event for the year, given everything that’s happened.

“Most of us have not had any opportunity for more than a year to meet in person so we are all looking at AUSTimber as the first opportunity come together face to face as an industry,” she said.

“It could have been expected that exhibit numbers would be down but the opposite is the case. Although Covid-19 is still in the minds of organisers … we are fortunate that AUSTimber takes place in an outdoor open space venue so maintaining social distancing will be easy to accomplish.”

Science communicator, author and a science commentator on Australian radio and television Dr Karl Kruszelnicki will be special guest speaker at the AUSTimber welcome dinner scheduled for November 11.

A site visit is planned closer to the date to ensure all exhibitors are up to speed with any health and safety planning issues that now, of course, include Covid-19.

 

“The go-ahead for AUSTimber shows the amazing resilience of our industry,” Dionne Olsen said.