Overview
Australia's plantation log supply 2015-2059 report presents forecasts of sawlog and pulplog volumes available from softwood and hardwood plantations. Changes in log availability have important implications for Australia's rural economies; the size, type and geographical location of wood and paper product manufacturing industries; the national supply of wood products; Australia's trade balance; and Australia's export income.
This report has been prepared by ABARES under the auspices of the National Plantation Inventory--a program that has collected data and reported on plantations established primarily for wood production in Australia since 1993. Comprehensive plantation log availability forecast reports are published every five years and Australia's plantation log supply 2015-2059 is the fifth log supply report.
In this report, forecasts are presented for softwood and hardwood sawlog and pulplog volumes by National Plantation Inventory region, based on the combination of forecasts supplied by plantation owners and managers through a survey and ABARES modelled forecasts. For the modelled forecasts, ABARES did not account for any future changes in social, economic or environmental parameters.
Key Points
• The potential log availability from Australia's commercial plantation estate is forecast to increase to an annual average of 29.7 million cubic metres in the 2015-19 period, followed by a decline to an annual average of 27.0 million cubic metres a year for the 2020-24 period. The 2015 to 2059 average total plantation log availability forecast is 10 per cent lower in this report, compared with the 2012 log supply report; the average hardwood log availability forecast is 21 per cent lower and the average softwood log availability forecast is 2 per cent lower.
• The majority of the decline in total log availability is because the expected yield from hardwood plantations is forecast to decline as plantations of low commerciality are not replanted and some lease agreements with landholders are not renewed.
• ABARES estimates that the total commercial plantation estate may decrease by around 80 000 to 100 000 hectares over the next 10 to 15 years as new plantation establishment will not be sufficient to offset removals of low commerciality plantations unless there are new drivers to expand or maintain the current plantation estate.