University of Oulu and Metsä Group have entered into a partnership agreement in which research and educational cooperation will be deepened in order to develop sustainable forest industry. The aim is to increase interaction and work life contacts between students and the company. The co-operation includes, for example, visiting lectures, company visits, thesis work and internships. / Metsä

Record high lumber prices in the US, stable income for residual chips, and slightly lower costs for sawlogs moved 2Q/20 gross margins for US sawmills to some of the highest levels seen since WRQ started reporting this sector’s profitability back in 2005. Lumber companies in the US Northwest have seen a dramatic shift in their financial health from late 2018 when most sawmills in the region ran at below cash-costs, to the 2Q/20 when gross margins were at their highest levels in at least 15 years. / Wood Resources International

The Tasmanian forest industry’s new peak body has raised concerns that the Bob Brown Foundation’s legal action, if successful, will totally destroy forestry across all tenures (public and private land), including native forests and plantations, in the state. / Timberbiz

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, and ANDRITZ signed a preliminary agreement on wood raw material reception and feed equipment for the Kemi bioproduct mill. The delivery includes two automated overhead cranes, as well as their installation and commissioning. This type of fully autonomous, AI-based equipment is a new solution for the reception, storage and process feeding of wood raw material, even on a global scale. It also enables the minimisation of the area needed at the mill for storing wood raw material. The domestic rate of the delivery is 45% and the project is managed by ANDRITZ Oy Lahti center of excellence in Finland. / Metsä Fibree