A partnership between Forestry Corporation of NSW, Pentarch Forestry and Humula Public School has seen donated timber enhance the student experience for Humula students.

The Community Timber Partnerships program saw a truckload of donated timber used to build a screen structure, help students learn about machining and even grow more trees, said Forestry Corporation Production and Stewardship Coordinator, Hayley Brightmore.

“This program was formed to salvage around 1,000 cubic metres of flooring and decking products impacted by the Murwillumbah floods in 2017,” Ms Brightmore said.

“We’re pleased to donate two packs of timber to Humula Public School to enhance a range of local projects; this work highlights the value of timber in community facilities.”

The school was initially looking for wood to make instruments as part of their music program, however soon expanded when they learnt of the salvaged timber available, said Humula Public School Principal, Andrew McCabe

“The donation was mainly used for the timber screening, however we also found a few innovative ways to make use of the leftovers cuts and timber residue.

“Older students used the timber offcuts for CNC machining lessons, while the younger kids had fun with building blocks and playground roads.

“The sawdust and wood shavings from the screening project were also used as seed propagation material for the school’s fundraising program, which will help grow around 1,500 lemon scented gums.

“The donation is fantastic and great to see so many benefits flow from it.

“Thanks also to our school community for their support in this project, including Greg Soding who helped with transport and Craig Thomas for the telehandler.”

The Community Timber Partnership is supporting a wide range of community projects across NSW.

“When we heard about such a large volume of timber being written off, in some cases for damage as minor as water staining, we were determined to salvage it for local community projects,” Ms Brightmore said.

“We’re working with a range of community groups to give the timber a new lease of life and create renewable, durable, beautiful timber facilities for many more local communities to enjoy.

“Thanks also to Bergins Logging for their help in storing the timber and supporting this project.”

The Community Timber Partnerships Project is endorsed by Planet Ark, under their Make it Wood program.

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