.png)
.png)
Facts & Resources
Growing timber
Forest growing
Queensland boasts around 200,000 hectares of high quality plantations that are grown for essential building materials such as sawn timber framing and engineered wood products for both structural and appearance grade markets and other products including pallets and landscaping materials. Around 85-90% of houses rely on timber framing in their construction which is largely sourced from local plantations and sawmilling operations.
HQPlantations manage the largest area of plantations in the state with a softwood estate comprising 44,300 hectares of australian araucaria™ and 148,000 hectares of Southern Pine. This softwood resource plays a critical role in the timber sawmilling and engineered wood product supply chain for the state. The state’s diverse forests provide a unique range of species and products, sourced from high-quality plantation grown softwoods including southern pines and australian araucaria, and from well-managed native hardwood and cypress forests. Queensland represents the largest forested area in Australia, with 51 million hectares of native forest representing 30 per cent of total land in the state.
Queensland’s native hardwood and cypress industries make a significant contribution to the state’s economy by providing durable and renewable timber products essential for housing and building construction. These products are used for decking, flooring, cladding, joists and structural beams and posts, as well as for furniture and cabinetry. Hardwood poles are also used for electricity poles to keep the power on across the Queensland network. The hardwood industry supports 6000 jobs across the state and contributes $700 million to the Queensland economy.
The native timber industry’s footprint is minimal, with selective harvesting on crown forest land representing less than 1/10th of one per cent of the total forest area (i.e. 38,000 hectares) and an approximate equal area accessed on private land. Timber production on crown land and on private forest land is undertaken in accordance with environmental regulation and codes of forest practice.
Common and readily available commercial native hardwood species in Queensland include:
-
Spotted gum (the most commonly commercially harvested hardwood timber)
A useful fact sheet on cypress forests and their timber properties can be viewed online: Cypress: A Natural for Your Building Needs
In terms of total harvest, around 280,000 m3 of native hardwood and 120,000 m3 of native cypress is sustainably harvested each year, together with between 1.5 - 2 million m3 of plantation softwood each year.
Plantation growing
The latest statistical data on Queensland's plantation estate can be found in Queensland Plantation Forestry Estate Report 2021.
Most of Queensland’s timber plantations are located in the coastal strip between Brisbane and Maryborough, parts of Central Queensland and in North Queensland from Ingham to Cooktown.
Plantation operations code of practice
The Timber Plantation Operations Code of Practice for Queensland (the Code) was developed under a project funded by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The purpose of the Code is to provide guidance to operational activities associated with commercial timber plantations in Queensland, in order to comply with all laws and with accepted principles for sound plantation management.
This Code defines the voluntary standards developed for use by all parties with an interest in commercial timber plantations in Queensland, including the landowner, the plantation owner, the plantation manager, the harvest manager and any employees and contractors employed to work in a plantation (plantation operators).
Adoption of this Code should assist plantation operators with meeting legislative and other requirements applicable to the establishment and management of existing plantation areas and new plantation areas. Being ‘tenure blind’, the Code can be voluntarily applied by plantation operators over any land tenure in Queensland.
Download the Timber Plantation Operations Code of Practice for Queensland - July 2015
Plantation planning assessments
New timber plantations that constitute a material change of land use are subject to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and local government planning requirements.
The ‘statutory’ Queensland Planning Provisions (QPPs) introduced by the Queensland Government in 2013 contain Statewide ‘forestry for wood production’ planning assessment codes that address those aspects of new plantations that could be considered to be ‘different’ from other traditional cropping activities. This includes the need for setbacks from adjoining premises and infrastructure, maintaining water quality and soils, and fire protection measures.
It is up to local governments to determine what level of assessment is required for new plantation developments in their area. Plantation operators should directly consult the planning scheme applicable to a proposed new timber plantation to determine what assessment requirements may exist in a given local government area.
Plantations in cyclonic areas
Severe tropical cyclones, Larry, Ului and Yasi have had devastating impacts on timber plantations and plantation trial plots in the tropical Queensland regions.
With climate change projections indicating an increasing frequency of severe cyclones in this region, plantation growers should follow best practice guidelines - particularly in relation to species selection, management practices and target products - to help minimise the adverse risks from cyclones.
View online resources:
-
Best Practice Guide for Timber Plantations in Tropical Cyclonic Areas of Queensland - Summary
-
Best Practice Guide for Timber Plantations in Tropical Cyclonic Areas of Queensland
Forest Certification
In Queensland, state native forests grown for timber production are certified under the Responsible Wood Sustainable Forest Management Standard as being legally and sustainably managed.
Most plantations in Queensland (including the largest plantation owner HQPlantations) have certification through either the Responsible Wood or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification schemes.
A small number of privately owned native forests also have certification and industry is working with certification providers on systems to better deliver cost-effective certification for small forest owners.