Tony Arnel

When Lendlease built Forté in Melbourne in 2012 – then the world’s tallest timber apartment building – its cross-laminated panels came from Austria. People thought that was a spelling mistake. Surely, we can grow our own timber in Australia? After nine years on the board of Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), I’ve watched the carbon conversation mature. What was once a moral argument is now a market reality. Yet the material best placed to cut construction carbon emissions – timber – still battles perception problems, supply chain hurdles and short-term thinking. FWPA’s 2025 consumer research shows Australians prefer wood above all other materials. 60 per cent say it’s their first choice when building or renovating, and three-quarters say material choice matters. …Australians love timber, but they don’t want to cut down trees, especially if those trees are koala habitat. At the heart of this social-licence issue is confusion between plantations and native forests.