Forestry

Australian Pine (Softwood) Plantations

Pine trees are not native to Australia.

Australia's first commercial pine plantations were established about 1880. The rate of planting increased rapidly during the 1960's and the total area of softwood plantation (predominantly pine plantations) is more than 1 million hectares. Radiata pine is the dominant species planted.

Pine plantations are an important source of sawn timber for international consumption primarily for construction, packaging and paper.

The timber is widely used for making plywood and other board products such as particleboard and medium density fibreboard (MDF) and for making pulp and paper products including newsprint, cardboard, and wrapping paper.

Supplies of timber from pine plantations have increased over the last decade as plantations mature and are expected to continue to increase. The magnitude of future increases will be dependent on future rates of new planting.

In 1997 the Federal, State and Territory Governments with industry aims to treble Australia's hardwood and softwood plantation forest estate from about 1 million hectares to 3 million hectares by 2020. Some $3 billion would need to be invested in new plantations, mainly by the private sector, to achieve the vision.

While timber from pine plantations is a significant part of the timber market, there are many uses in the building, joinery, furniture and paper industries where the unique properties of Australian pine timber are superior due our climate, this leads to growth rates that offer higher strength wood fibre over other international suppliers in our region.

Pine plantations complement, rather than substitute, for Australia's native forest resource.

      

Lumber Partners with a focus on investment opportunities in forest resource has secured unencumbered harvest rights to more than 17,000 hectares of privately owned plantation softwood (radiata pine) from the Australian State of New South Wales.