The largest plantation owner in South Australia’s south-east, One Forty One Plantations, says it wants to harvest more pine trees, but can not due to a lack of manpower. Source: ABC Rural
The company’s desire to increase its pine harvest is in stark contrast to recent issues raised by construction union, the CFMEU, on the sustainability of the forestry resource.
Chief operating officer of One Forty One Plantations, Owen Trumper said the company was not concerned with over-harvesting.
“No question; we’re operating at about 2 million cubic meters — that’s a sustainable yield of our estate,” Mr Trumper said. “In many ways, we’re actually undercutting.”
Three years ago, the company paid the South Australian Government $675 million for the harvesting rights to 80,000 hectares of state-owned plantations.
Mr Trumper indicated during the early 2000s that the forest was being under-harvested, which created a surplus of trees.
The company would now like to capitalise on strong market conditions, but a range of factors are inhibiting their expansion.
“Getting capacity, getting harvesting and transport crews into the green triangle — it’s proving more and more difficult,” Mr Trumper said.
A recent Federal Government report indicated housing starts were up by 17%, which Mr Trumper said was driving up the demand for forestry products.
“The business, as with most growers now, is going very well,” he said. “The demand for our products is strong.”
Mr Trumper said more housing construction was just one of three factors influencing forestry’s positive growth.
The diversification of wood products and the opening up of export markets had both had a favourable affect on forestry.
“We’re happy with the investment’ would be what I’d say,” he said.
