A new work plan will provide forest and wood products industry stakeholders with fast and easy access to relevant, up-to-date data, while simultaneously increasing the reliability of existing information and helping to fill knowledge gaps. Sources: Timberbiz, FWPA
The initiative, which is a collaboration between Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES), will run from 2022 until 2024 and will be informed by far-reaching industry consultation.
The work plan includes projects designed to address priority industry areas that will offer stakeholders access to resource base information, as well as domestic production and trade data, alongside robust analysis of all data published.
This access will help to better inform industry decision-making and support Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry policy development by providing unbiased, evidence-based forest and wood products statistics and analysis.
Importantly, elements of the work plan will address policy challenges, as well as facilitate public understanding of the economic benefits the forest industry brings to Australia.
The industry investment into the work plan will be approximately $500,000, with ABARES to provide an additional $250,000 over the two-year period.
The projects identified as significant through industry and stakeholder consultation to be included as part of this work plan will contribute great value to the sector.
Examples of key projects to be delivered during the next two years include:
Biannual Australian Forest and Wood Products Statistics and monthly trade data
Published by ABARES, this publication is highly regarded by both industry and government and includes information on the value and volume of logs harvested, changes in Australia’s commercial plantation estate, forest sector employment, the performance of the wood product manufacturing sector, data on new housing commencements, and the trade of wood products.
Plantation survey updates
Australia’s annual plantation statistics report informs changes in the wood production resource base. This key publication provides information on softwood and hardwood plantation areas, as well as a baseline of national, state, and regional statistics that can be used to inform forest policy and industry investment.
