Plantation programs across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western
Australia will be establishing the new plantations across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia with added $73 million investment on Support Plantation Establishment program. This brings the total amount of grant funding awarded across the program’s “first round” will be more than $10 million.
The 10 new softwood and 2 new hardwood projects, ranging in size from 22.5 to 660 hectares and consisting of both farm forestry and large-scale plantations, will help address the forestry industry’s demand for domestically sourced, sustainable timber.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, said the new projects would continue to support Australia’s forest industries to improve the capacity and capability of the sector.
“Australia’s plantation forest estate has been in decline for over a decade. Through these measures we will be able to increase Australia’s future timber supply and mitigate against future dependence on import timber markets. An over reliance on imported timber only heightens the risk that it will be sourced, intentionally or unintentionally, from illegal logging operations” said Minister Watt.
The Support Plantation Establishment program continues to provide support for private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory forestry bodies to increase the future plantation forest resource, while also contributing to Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets by storing carbon in plantation trees.
