Private Forests Tasmania has partnered with Greenwood Strategy Solutions to communicate the commercial feasibility of private native forest management in Tasmania. Source: Timberbiz
Hear from former Midway CEO Tony Price and PFT acting CEO Stephen Clarke about opportunities available to Tasmanian farmers and the active management of private native forests right across the state.
The event will be held during Agfest 2023 on Friday 5 May from 3pm at Site No. 610 on Sixth Avenue in the Tasmanian Forests & Forest Products Network exhibit. No registration is required.
Private native forest harvest levels have declined in Tasmania over the past two decades, from about 2.5 million m3 annually in 2000 to an estimated 213,000 m3 in 2021.
One significant cause is likely to be the increase in commodity fibre production (specifically pulpwood) from the hardwood plantation estate which has expanded and matured during that period.
Native forest fibre is less desirable and less valuable than plantation timber for pulpwood markets and more costly to harvest and extract. Combined with the impact of regulatory and other costs, it is possible that many private native forest growers have exited commercial management of their estate because of reduced profitability.
The growing supply/demand imbalance for processed and manufactured solid wood products in Australia, particularly for use in construction, has resulted in an industry-wide focus on opportunities to increase both the area of forest available for timber production and, importantly for this project, production levels from existing commercial forests.
The Commonwealth and Tasmanian governments have focused considerable policy support and resources on addressing this issue and Tasmania is uniquely well-placed to respond.
As new solid wood market opportunities and processing capacity expand, there is an immediate opportunity for the forest and wood products sector to re-engage with Tasmania’s private native forest growers to support an increase in active commercial management of the estimated 322,000 hectares of native forest on private land which has potential for commercial management – 2020 Tasmanian Private Forests Resource Review
PFT has a legislated objective to facilitate and expand the development of our private forest resources.
To further this objective, and to help meet the current nationwide shortage of timber, more of the areas identified in the above review will need to be brought under active and sustainable native forestry regimes.
In a multi-disciplinary approach including technical forestry knowledge, local stakeholder engagement, communications and design, PFT has partnered with Greenwood Strategy
Solutions and other consultants and subcontractors to develop private native forest demonstration sites, field days, case studies and collateral and a detailed final report which demonstrate and communicate commercially feasible private native forest management options to support extension and commercial engagement with private native forest growers in Tasmania. The project aims to inform potential market participants about suitable and profitable forest management strategies and avenues to market for their private native forest holdings.
