The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has published a new guide to Australia’s forests. Source: Timberbiz, PS News Link
Executive Director of ABARES, Karen Schneider said Australia’s Forests at a Glance 2015 was a compendium of information about Australia’s forests and forest product industries in pocketbook form.
“The pocketbook covers Australia’s forest types, areas and how native forests are conserved and managed,” Ms Schneider said.
“It also includes latest harvesting, production and consumption information.”
She said Australia had 124.7 million hectares of forest: 122.6 million hectares of native forests and about 2 million hectares of industrial plantations.
Ms Schneider said Australia harvested more than 25 million cubic metres of logs in 2013–14, of which about 4 million cubic metres were harvested from native forests.
“In the decade to 2013–14, there have been many changes to Australia’s forestry sector,” she said.
“These include a 60% decline in the harvest of (predominantly hardwood) native forest logs, but a 280% increase in the harvest of (predominantly pulp-logs) hardwood plantation logs.”
Ms Schneider said softwood plantations continued to provide most of Australia’s log supply: 56 per cent of Australia’s total log harvest in 2013–14 was from these forests.
The guide also reveals that domestic hardwood sawn-wood production declined by 44% in the decade to 2013–14, while softwood sawn-wood production increased by about 10%.
Australia’s Forests at a Glance 2015 complements a suite of ABARES publications that provids a comprehensive profile of and outlook for Australia’s forestry and forest products manufacturing sectors.
The guide can be found on the DAFF website.
