An Indigenous-led circular economy initiative that reimagines high-value timber waste from flood-affected homes
Project summary
The challenge
The Bundjalung Cultural Timber Project is a groundbreaking, Indigenous-led circular economy initiative that reimagines high-value timber waste from flood-affected homes as a cultural and economic asset. In the aftermath of disasters, rare native rainforest timbers are routinely lost to landfill.
The solution
This project pilots a replicable, Indigenous-governed model for recovery, re-use, and stewardship that connects disaster response, industry innovation, and cultural revitalisation within the context of increasing climate change-related extreme events. Phase One will implement a Rapid Assessment Method (RAM) to identify, grade, and catalogue salvageable timbers from 30 homes in the Lismore Resilient Homes Program on Bundjalung Country. Salvaged materials will be stored in a “Timber Bank”—a civic and cultural infrastructure governed by Bundjalung protocols.
Outcomes
- Scientific testing (DNA, strength, durability) will support verification and market integration, while demonstration projects will showcase real-use in housing, landscape design, and ecological restoration.
- What sets this project apart is its centring of Indigenous knowledge systems in every stage, from salvage through to replanting, embedding cultural knowledge and values into technical protocols and market pathways.
- It leverages the new FWPA Standard G01 for recycled timber while adding place-based layers of cultural and ecological meaning to timber classification.
