Timber Queensland welcomes release of draft Queensland Future Timber Plan

• The State Government has released a consultation draft of the Queensland Future Timber Plan to expand sustainable timber supply to meet the state’s future housing, construction and infrastructure needs.

• Industry says the new plan and related actions should help unlock decade long barriers to the future growth and revitalisation of the wood products sector.

The peak state body for the forest and timber industry in Queensland has welcomed the release of the draft Queensland Future Timber Plan which has received preliminary input from the Timber Supply Chain Ministerial Roundtable comprising industry, First Nation, forest science and building sector representatives.

Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said “This draft plan provides clear recognition of the vital contribution this industry makes to the state economy as well as the social and environmental benefits from sustainably managed forests. For too long this sector has been neglected at the expense of rural and regional jobs, green building outcomes and housing affordability.”

“The Government listened to our call at the last election for a comprehensive plan to remove productivity barriers and has put the forest and timber industry back at the forefront of strategic economic development. We support the plan’s key focus areas of securing future supply, delivering an internationally competitive supply chain, better regulation, workforce development and greater innovation and extension.”

“These focus areas will help deliver the additional resources, processing capacity and skilled jobs to meet the rising demand for timber building materials,” Mr Stephens said.

“An important next step will be to identify and implement key actions to support the 25-year plan. A number of areas we are focusing on for key priority actions in the first 5 year period include:

• a targeted planting program of additional plantations to complement existing resources and downstream processing;

• putting in place long term crown resource contracts for the native hardwood industry (noting most existing contracts expire at the end of 2026);

• a world class industry led private forest grower and landholder forestry extension service, including partnerships with indigenous communities;

• lifting the international competitiveness of local growing and processing supply chains through investment in infrastructure, resource recovery and value added technologies;

• smoothing cyclical market fluctuations through long-term public procurement and leveraging major projects such as the Brisbane Olympics;

• removing sovereign risk through a long-term right to harvest in sustainably managed private native forests; and

• removing policy and financial barriers to investment in plantations and farm forestry such as existing impediments in the Land Restoration Fund.

“We look forward to working with the Government on the co-designed strategy and actions to ensure a thriving and sustainable forest and timber industry into the future,” Mr Stephens said.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Clarissa Brandt, Strategic Relations & Communications Manager, 0416 350 328, clarissa@timberqueensland.com.au