National Forest Industries Plan
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the development of a comprehensive plan to support the growth and sustainability of the Australian timber industry over the coming decades. In presenting the keynote address at the Australian Forest Products Association Gala Dinner at Parliament House, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull committed to a National Forest Industries Plan.
“Tonight I am pleased to announce I am requesting Anne Ruston to help us develop a new Government Plan that will underpin growth in the renewable timber and wood-fibre industry and work with a new government plan to give you the vision and certainty you need. We are committed to developing this industry as a growth engine for regional Australia.’’
Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Ruston said the Australian Government saw a bright future ahead for forest industries.
“The Australian forest industry directly provides tens of thousands of jobs, many of which support rural and regional communities.” Minister Ruston said.
State Forest sold in Tasmania
Tasmanian Resources Minister Guy Barnett has announced that the government is selling the forestry rights to some plantations as a means of putting Sustainable Timber Tasmania – formerly Forestry Tasmania – “back onto a commercial footing”
With the sale of 29,000 hectares of public forestry assets, the state government has announced it will invest $15 million of the $60.7 million windfall into the state’s ailing health system.
Mr Barnett said the sale had followed the government instructing STT’s board to conduct a “competitive national and international sale process” in 2016.
Now, the rights to the plantations have been purchased by Reliance Forest Fibre, whose parent company is the Cayman Islands-incorporated Global Forest Partners LP.
“GFP has a long history of sustainable forestry investments in Australia and this investment represents its first in Tasmania – a further sign of growing confidence in the Tasmanian forest industry,” Mr Barnett said.
Timber Co-operate set up in QLD
Two regional not-for-profit groups have received AU$200,000 from the Commonwealth Government’s Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program, known as Farming Together.
The groups, NSW’s Subtropical Farm Forestry Association, NSW and Queensland’s Specialty Timber Growers Incorporated have united under the brand Quality Timber Traders (QTT) to improve small-scale grower marketing power and find outlets for selling their timber.
Carol Neal, president of the Queensland group said: “Many individual small-scale growers across Queensland and New South Wales established mixed cabinet timber species with a view to harvesting the trees for their high-value timber.
“Many growers are unaware of the challenges they will face finding harvesting contractors, negotiating fair prices for harvest operations, transport, milling and processing their timber. Most growers will also have small volumes of timber. Small sales may be achieved, but their combined volumes should allow them to enter larger markets,” she said.
QTT aims to generate interactive web-based databases for participating growers.
The Farm Co-operative and Collaboration Program is a two-year, AU$13.8m initiative from the Australian Government designed to help agricultural groups value-add, secure premium pricing, scale-up production, attract capital investment, earn new markets or secure lower input costs. For more information on this Program, visit www.farmingtogether.com.au
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the development of a comprehensive plan to support the growth and sustainability of the Australian timber industry over the coming decades. In presenting the keynote address at the Australian Forest Products Association Gala Dinner at Parliament House, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull committed to a National Forest Industries Plan.
“Tonight I am pleased to announce I am requesting Anne Ruston to help us develop a new Government Plan that will underpin growth in the renewable timber and wood-fibre industry and work with a new government plan to give you the vision and certainty you need. We are committed to developing this industry as a growth engine for regional Australia.’’
Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Ruston said the Australian Government saw a bright future ahead for forest industries.
“The Australian forest industry directly provides tens of thousands of jobs, many of which support rural and regional communities.” Minister Ruston said.
State Forest sold in Tasmania
Tasmanian Resources Minister Guy Barnett has announced that the government is selling the forestry rights to some plantations as a means of putting Sustainable Timber Tasmania – formerly Forestry Tasmania – “back onto a commercial footing”
With the sale of 29,000 hectares of public forestry assets, the state government has announced it will invest $15 million of the $60.7 million windfall into the state’s ailing health system.
Mr Barnett said the sale had followed the government instructing STT’s board to conduct a “competitive national and international sale process” in 2016.
Now, the rights to the plantations have been purchased by Reliance Forest Fibre, whose parent company is the Cayman Islands-incorporated Global Forest Partners LP.
“GFP has a long history of sustainable forestry investments in Australia and this investment represents its first in Tasmania – a further sign of growing confidence in the Tasmanian forest industry,” Mr Barnett said.
Timber Co-operate set up in QLD
Two regional not-for-profit groups have received AU$200,000 from the Commonwealth Government’s Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program, known as Farming Together.
The groups, NSW’s Subtropical Farm Forestry Association, NSW and Queensland’s Specialty Timber Growers Incorporated have united under the brand Quality Timber Traders (QTT) to improve small-scale grower marketing power and find outlets for selling their timber.
Carol Neal, president of the Queensland group said: “Many individual small-scale growers across Queensland and New South Wales established mixed cabinet timber species with a view to harvesting the trees for their high-value timber.
“Many growers are unaware of the challenges they will face finding harvesting contractors, negotiating fair prices for harvest operations, transport, milling and processing their timber. Most growers will also have small volumes of timber. Small sales may be achieved, but their combined volumes should allow them to enter larger markets,” she said.
QTT aims to generate interactive web-based databases for participating growers.
The Farm Co-operative and Collaboration Program is a two-year, AU$13.8m initiative from the Australian Government designed to help agricultural groups value-add, secure premium pricing, scale-up production, attract capital investment, earn new markets or secure lower input costs. For more information on this Program, visit www.farmingtogether.com.au
