A report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has found the total size of WA’s timber plantations in WA diminished by nearly 2% in one year. Source: ABC News
ABARES plantation statistics publication found WA was the only state where the total area of plantations declined between 2011 and 2012, falling 1.8 % to 405,000 hectares.
The report warns between 15% and 30% of the nation’s hardwood plantations could be converted to other land use in coming years as they are deemed commercially unviable.
Just 8000 hectares of new plantation area was created in WA in the past two years, down from 65,000 in the year 2000 alone.
