About this episode

This episode discusses the safe use of timber in bushfire-prone areas, featuring insights from industry experts on recent bushfire events and construction practices.

At WoodChat, we explore a diverse array of forestry and timber-related topics. Some episodes have greater relevance to the Australian industry, while others have global significance. This episode is focused on bushfires. At the time of recording in January 2025, the catastrophic Los Angeles bushfires have been dominating headlines worldwide. Sadly, Australia has plenty of experience managing similar events. Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is a long-standing supporter of the safe use of timber in the construction of resilient buildings in bushfire-prone areas, with much of its research, WoodSolutions program and Codes & Standards activities focusing on this space. We spoke to Boris Iskra, National Manager Codes & Standards at FWPA to get his take on the recent Californian fires, the ever-evolving measures taken in Australia to ensure safe construction with timber in bushfire-prone areas, and some of the latest, positive developments in this area. Additionally, listeners will hear from Kersten Gentle, CEO of the Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia (FTMA) and her thoughts on why timber is the ideal choice for building in such areas, for a whole host of…

People in this episode

Guests: Boris Iskra, Kersten Gentle

Topics covered

• bushfires
• timber construction
• safety
• Australia
• California

Keywords

• FWPA
• Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association
• Codes & Standards
• WoodSolutions

Mentioned in this episode

Products: timber

Places: Australia, California, Los Angeles

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• Episode 41 - Women in Forestry: Professor Tripti Singh · April 19, 2026 · 27 min
• Episode 40 - Biophilia Revisited: Why timber workplaces feel different · March 9, 2026 · 43 min
• Episode 39 - Climate, Collaboration and Capability: an interview with AFWI’s Dr. Joseph Lawrence · November 30, 2025 · 24 min
• Episode 38 - The power of genetics and genomics: a closer look · November 17, 2025 · 52 min
• Episode 37 - The importance of Codes & Standards for industry, economy and environment · May 9, 2025 · 39 min
• Episode 35 - Feeding Trees: Essential Nutrition for Long-Term Forest Productivity · December 8, 2024 · 22 min

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