Overview
The National Plantation Inventory (NPI) has been collecting data and reporting on plantations established primarily for timber production in Australia since 1993. Australian plantations statistics update is published every year between the five yearly comprehensive spatial reports. Annual updates assist strategic forest industry planning and decision-making by presenting information on total plantation area, new planting and ownership.
In this report, plantation areas are presented for softwood and hardwood plantation types, species by NPI regions, and by state and territory.
Key Issues
• Australia's total plantation estate was around 1 999 700 hectares in 2013-14, a net decrease of 12 800 hectares (0.6 per cent) from 2012-13. This is the first period that the plantation area has been below 2 million hectares since 2007-08. Most of this decrease was from the removal of hardwood plantations managed for pulplogs.
• In 2013-14 the total area of softwood plantations was 1 024 200 hectares, relatively unchanged from the previous year. The softwood plantation estate is dominated by radiata pine (75.4 per cent) and southern pines (14.8 per cent), both of which are managed for sawlog production.
• In 2013-14 the total area of hardwood plantations decreased by 13 200 hectares (1.4 per cent) to 963 200 hectares. The hardwood plantation estate is dominated by southern blue gum (54.1 per cent) and shining gum (24.5 per cent), both of which are managed primarily for pulplog production. In 2013-14 hardwood plantations accounted for 48 per cent of all plantations, a 1 percentage point reduction from 2012-13.
• The 'other' category (mixed plantations and unknown species) remained unchanged at 12 300 hectares.
• About 1 750 hectares of new plantation areas were reported to have been established in 2013-14. This increase was more than offset by removal of existing plantation areas of around 14 600 hectares, which growers either deemed commercially unviable or did not replant at the end of their lease agreement. This resulted in a net decrease in plantation area of around 12 800 hectares in 2013-14. Most of the decrease was in Western Australia and New South Wales.
• Sandalwood plantations in Australia are not currently included in the NPI statistics. The NPI will commence surveying plantation sandalwood growers in Australia from 2015-16. It will report on new plantations established and the total area of Indian and Australian sandalwood planted in Australia.
• Sandalwood and its oil are in great demand, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Given the high value of sandalwood, sandalwood plantations are an component of Australia's plantation estate.