A Queensland timber lobby group says it is not surprised by a report that shows a rapid decline in the number of sawmills. The report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences shows log processing mills have declined 70 per cent over the past decade to just 332. Source: ABC News
Timber Queensland CEO Rod McInnes says the decline is due to a move towards larger mills producing more timber but he says the locking-up of stands has also played a part.
“Barakula forest near Chinchilla is a prime example, that’s one of the biggest state forests in Australia and it was suddenly identified by the green groups as being so valuable and so biodiverse that you couldn’t go in and selectively log it under any circumstances,” he said.
Mr McInnes says small mills in country towns can still survive if they innovate.
“The smaller sawmillers if they’re going to have any chance they’ve got to make sure that they’re cutting product which is not mainstream, they’ve got to be in niche products that would be sold in the furniture industry or a particular area of industry that’s not been beaten up by framing timber that’s come in from overseas,” he said.
