Land acquisitions to expand Western Australia’s softwood estate are progressing well according to the State Government, despite the current highly competitive real estate market in the State’s South-West. Source: Timberbiz
The Government announced a record $350 million investment in September 2021 to expand the State’s softwood plantation timber estate, to ensure a sustainable future supply of timber for the WA construction industry and increase the State’s carbon sequestration.
The Forest Products Amendment Bill 2021 was passed in June this year to allow the Forest Products Commission (FPC) to purchase freehold land and trade in carbon.
Since the Amendment in June 2022, the government says seven properties have been purchased, providing nearly 3000 hectares of additional land for pine plantations.
Several other blocks of land are currently under negotiation, and the FPC will continue discussions with real estate agencies and private landowners to identify and place purchase offers on suitable properties that meet the scope of the 10-year expansion project.
It was revealed in Parliament last month that the Government had only purchased land worth $6.2 million out of the $350 million 10-year program that is projected to bolster the supply of pine and softwood timber.
The Opposition’s Shadow Minister for Forestry Steve Martin says $6.2 million out of $350 million is not good enough.
“The available land is only going to get more expensive in coming years,” Mr Martin said.
Timber harvested from plantations supplies about 70 per cent of the pine products used in the State’s housing and construction market.
As well as supporting direct and indirect jobs in WA’s timber industry, the Government says softwood plantations significantly contribute to the capture and storage of carbon, assisting in the State’s response to climate change.
Alongside the land acquisition process, the FPC nursery workers and silviculture team are planning for the 2023 planting program and ramping up for the increased planting program.
