THE second round of grants for the $74 million Support Plantation Establishment Program is now open for applications.
Farm foresters, First Nations businesses and the forestry industry are among those who will benefit from funding to support more new plantation forests in Australia.
Acting Deputy Secretary of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Group, Dr Jared Greenville, said the grants aimed to increase domestic timber supply, particularly construction and manufacturing timber.
“Australia’s plantation forest estate has been in decline for over a decade,” Dr Greenville said.
“Estimates from 2019 predict a shortfall in domestic production of softwood logs of 3.4 million m3 by 2050 based on 2015/16 production levels.“
The federal government is providing funding of $2000 (GST exclusive) per hectare of new long-rotation plantation forest established.
“It can take some tree species 20 to 30 years of growing before they are suitable for harvest and can be processed into structural timber. This growing time is even longer for some hardwood species,” DR Greenville said.
Projects can run for one, two or three years and must be concluded no later than June 30, 2027.
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