Big investment in the region’s pine industry

The future of pine plantations in the South West was boosted last week with $21 million worth of funding announced for the industry.

Forestry Minister Mia Davies launched the Softwood Industry Strategy that will invest in pine plantation establishment over the next five years with plans to expand the softwood estate and establish manufacturing and processing hubs in the region.

“The strategy will double the annual investment in planting on State Government and private land around manufacturing and processing hubs in regional WA, which will strengthen industry development and improve productivity,” she said.

“Up to 10,000 hectares of softwood will be planted by the Forest Products Commission to expand our softwood estate over the next five years, the equivalent of two trees for every one harvested, or 2.7 million pine seedlings annually.”

The strategy is expected to provide ongoing job security, supply continuity and improve the sustainability of forest estates.

Forest Industries Federation WA executive director Melissa Haslam said the announcement was a step in the right direction, confirming most of the funding would be spent in the Collie-Wellington catchment.

“The foundation of our whole industry is trees,” Ms Haslam said.

“Without plantations, local pine processors would not be able to operate, so maintaining the resource base is the first essential step in maintaining the industry.”

"Reinvestment in the state owned pine plantations is something FIFWA has been seeking for several years and (the) announcement is a fantastic step in the right direction for our industry.”

The strategy will focus on six key areas, with actions including a renewed focus on attaining higher levels of certification, development of new training and employment pathways, improving community engagement and increasing efforts to protect plantations from fire.