Research and development Archives

Fort Cox: Where forestry and agriculture training meet

Who is Inathi Kwezi?

The effect of Mycorrhizal Fungi inoculation on the growth rate of Eucalyptus Grandis seedlings at SA Fine-Tuned nursery in Stutterheim

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18th March 2026

Call for abstracts for 5th International Fire Congress

The 5th International Congress on Fire in the Earth System: Humans and Nature (fEs2026) will be held 4 – 6 November 2026 at Skukuza in the Kruger National Park. Dr Tiaan Poole, Head of the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) says that the 2025 congress, which was held in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, decided this year’s event will be different.

17th March 2026

Focus on Forestry 2026: The Value of Forestry in a Greening Economy

Against this backdrop, CMO, Nelson Mandela University and Forestry South Africa will host Focus on Forestry 2026 under the theme: The Value of Forestry in a Greening Economy.

17th March 2026

My first experience of the Wood Conference

Hosted in the beautiful mother city of Cape Town, timber specialists from around the world convened at the CTICC for the 15th Annual Wood Conference. The word of the day was sustainability, and how innovation has driven a noticeable change in the green building industry.

11th February 2026

Five women driving the future of forestry through science

To celebrate the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Forestry South Africa (FSA) has launched two complementary campaigns to amplify women’s voices, inspire more women to pursue STEM careers in the field, and challenge outdated perceptions of the forestry sector.

11th February 2026

Meet six young women who are turning science into sustainability solutions

South Africa’s pulp and paper sector has been opening doors for a growing cohort of young women who apply science and engineering to making the circular bioeconomy a reality.

09th February 2026

WoodEX for Africa 2026 Opens Visitor Registration

Johannesburg, South Africa – Visitor registration is now officially open for WoodEX for Africa 2026, taking place from 9–11 June 2026 at the Gallagher Convention Centre,

25th November 2025

SAFCA celebrates its 36th AGM

The South African Forestry Contractors Association (SAFCA) celebrated its 36th annual general meeting in November at the Sappi Skills Training Centre in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal.

12th November 2025

A wake-up call for Southern Africa's pine plantation owners

Recent high-resolution climate modelling research has revealed that the suitability of key pine species for plantation forestry will shift dramatically by 2060. The lead author, Dr Jaco-Pierre van der Merwe of York Timbers, says these findings are crucial for everyone invested in the future of forests to enable pre-emptive tree breeding and the introduction of new forest species to mitigate climate change.

30th October 2025

Mondi - Expression of Interest (EOI)

The purpose of this expression of interest (EOI) is to engage company profiles from interested parties who wish to participate

13th October 2025

New study confirms FSC certification contributes to maintaining and increasing forest cover

A new study in The Journal of Cleaner Production confirms that Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification contributes to maintaining and increasing forest cover, especially in lower-middle-income countries.

05th September 2025

Minister George plants trees at Sappi Shaw in Arbour Week

In a fitting tribute to Arbour Week, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, visited Sappi’s forestry operations in KwaZulu-Natal, together with industry representatives, and ceremonially planted six indigenous trees at the Sappi Shaw Research Centre.

15th May 2025

Hybrid Clone Consortium's Eucalyptus trials bear fruit

NCT has developed a strong Eucalyptus hybrid clone programme, focusing on hybridising Eucalyptus grandis with other species, such as Eucalyptus smithii, to produce fast-growing trees that meet the requirements of international wood chip markets and are tolerant to various pests and diseases. Wattle and E. smithii command premium prices in international wood chip markets due to their wood properties, and NCT Tree Farming prioritises these species on suitable sites.

17th March 2025

14th Annual Wood Conference inspired local built environment professionals

The Kuratle Group's 14th annual Wood Conference, held on 25 February 2025 at the CTICC in Cape Town, convened a

11th November 2024

The SA forestry and forest products sector marks 15 years of transformation

The Forest Sector Charter Council (FSCC) marks a decade and a half of overseeing and reporting the forestry and forest products sector's progress in achieving its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) codes of good practice targets.

20th October 2024

Scovia Akello wins the She Is Forestry Postgrad Award

Stellenbosch University's Department of Forestry and Wood Science's Scovia Akello, a PhD student supervised by Prof Brand Wessels since 2021, won the 2024 She is Forestry Postgraduate Award.

15th July 2024

The IUFRO Stockholm Congress Statement

On 28 June 2024, the XXVI International Union Of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress issued the Stockholm Congress Statement calling for resolute and equitable actions and the best use of the knowledge provided by the global science community for informed and far-sighted decisions to move Forests and Society Towards 2050.

30th May 2024

HOT NEWS BYTES: Innovations and inventions for next level forestry

Sappi Southern Africa has concluded a milestone 175GWh per annum renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement with Enpower Trading, a NERSA-licensed

16th May 2024

Search for biocontrol of invasive American bramble intensifies

Invasive American bramble is a thorn in the side of foresters, farmers and land managers across large swaths of South

27th March 2024

Time to build with timber

How engineered wood can decarbonise the South African built environment …by Roy Southey, Executive Director, Sawmilling South Africa Our planet

23rd February 2024

Navigating the minefield of pesticide use in forestry

A ground-breaking study undertaken in the KZN midlands shows that pesticides commonly used in South African plantation forests pose low

03rd July 2023

Climate change & forestry sustainability on research radar

Professor Mary Scholes is heading up a research initiative on climate change and plantation sustainability at Wits University, supported by

24th April 2023

Cypress canker threatens exotic & native trees in SA

Cypress canker is killing exotic cypress trees in South Africa and poses a serious threat to native cedars, setting alarm

21st April 2023

In search of a biocontrol for the Shot Hole Borer

Since it was discovered in KwaZulu-Natal in 2017, the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) (Euwallacea fornicates) has spread rapidly into

27th June 2022

FSA secures R18 m funding for forest protection

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) concluded between Forestry South Africa and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)