call the police, page-5

After reading this I hope investors,take this on board as to why we must keep this going and be the ones if not in total absolute control at the very least a strong substantial chunk at the very least









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Photos courtesy of PLANTALL Forestry Consultants.
Comments and questions to Executive Officer.
Last updated May 16, 2008





Here is another 2020 vision - by Great Southern Private Forestry Development Committee Western Australia








Regional Profile - The Great Southern Region of Western Australia

Infrastructure

What forest industries are there in the Great Southern?

Plantation Areas

What species are suitable for farm forestry in the Great Southern?

How much blue gum private forestry is there and how much woodchip will it produce?



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Infrastructure
The Great Southern Region is well serviced by power, water, road and rail and air. Energy to the region is serviced by Western Power, with a wind farm providing an energy potential of 30MW. Beacons Consulting has a $70M power proposal for Albany which will serve to increase access to energy in the more remote areas of the region.

Water supply to the region is managed by the Water Corporation. Access to a suitable water supply for large users needs to be negotiated with government. There is a potential shortage of water as many catchments provide domestic water to urban locations. Beacons Consulting propose to establish a desalinisation plant as a component of the renewable power generation process.

Roads radiate from Albany servicing the agricultural areas. It is important for the timber industry which deals in a competitive world market, that road access from tree farms to the port is unimpeded. The Timber Industry Road Evaluation Strategy (TIRES) is communicating with State and Local Governments to ensure funding for roads is granted so that the roads are kept in good condition for the safety of all road users.

Rail freight services operate on a narrow gauge line running in a north/south configuration from Perth to Albany.

The Albany port is located in one of the three best land-locked harbours of the Southern Hemisphere. At present there are 4 operating land backed berths ranging from 10.4 metres to 12.2 metres in depth.

A $17 million wharf was constructed in 2001-2 which was a key step in the development of the plantation industry. By 2007, the wharf will support the export of 1.5 million tonnes of woodchips worth around $80 million annually.

The first operational hardwood chip mill is located on the western boundaries of Mirambeena Industrial Park, Down Road, 12 kms from Albany. The chips are railed into the port where they are stored and managed for export to Japan by Albany Bulk Handling. Timbercorp is choosing to mill on site using mobile chippers and transporting the chips by road to the port..

More details on infrastructure are tabled in the Wood Processing Industry Capability Study reviewed 2003, the Great Southern Regional Profile and the City of Albany Regional Strategy.



What forest industries are there in the Great Southern?
Hardwood timber has traditionally supplied logs for the sawmilling industry, with family businesses operating throughout the region. Jarrah for industrial use, Sandalwood for its oil and Mallet for its tannin content were harvested, the products exported to Europe and Asia . There is only a limited amount of sawmilling activity left in the region due to the reduction of resource availability from native forest stands. Pine plantations commenced thinning in 2004 and with Blue Gum plantations increasing the annual harvest as the resource comes on stream, activity in the forest industries has increased significantly. Much of the added activities are in the service industries supporting trucking, processing and handling.

There is a timber preservative treatment plant in Narrikup with small mobile mill operations collecting firewood in the region.

Several industries being investigated;

A Kraft Pulp Mill on an international scale. The current preferred location allied to resource availability is in the Plantagenet region. Such a mill would employ more locals than the export operations. There needs to be a secured annual resource, community support and access to a reliable water and power supply - which are all challenges for an investment of this nature.
A $300M Engineered Strand Lumber Plant will provide building and construction hardwood materials. In full production, this industry will provide 150 FTEs and including the service industries, around 500 jobs in total will support the plant.
A biomass plant utilising residues from the plantations for renewable energy production.
A $9M pelletising plant which will produce energy pellets for the industrial and domestic market in Europe .
Export log billets both pine and Blue Gum.
Small businesses manufacture craft timber products of the highest quality.


Plantation areas
Pine
Post 2002 planting season there was around 7,714ha pine - 3,714ha Pinus radiata and 4,100ha Pinus pinaster or maritime pine. Pinus pinaster establishment is planned for 500ha/yr. The Forest Products Commission plans to commence thinning radiata plantations in 2003.
Blue Gum
Plantations commenced establishment on a rotational basis in 1992, with the critical mass commencing in 1995. The plantations will achieve harvestable size for pulpwood at about age 10 - 12 years. This means that there will be a large increase in the volumes of pulpwood available for harvest over the next decade. The annual harvest is expected to be in the order of 2.5 million tonnes annually from 2008 . By then the port of Albany will double its current throughput and Albany will be a bustling timber town.

The primary purpose for growing Blue Gums is to provide woodchips for high quality paper pulp due to its high yield in fibre utilising less pulping chemicals than many alternatives. Most of these plantations are funded by Managed Investment Scheme Companies mainly: Timbercorp , Great Southern Plantations , Integrated Tree Cropping and the Japanese owned company Albany Plantation Forest Company.

There is as estimated 135,000ha Blue Gums, planted in rotations on farms in the shires of the region: Plantagenet, Cranbrook , Kojonup , Denmark , Albany and Jerramungup . The approximate value of the plantation estate is $300 million. Including investment in harvesting, land and export, the estimated figure is $2.5BN.

Sandalwood
Sandalwood plantations in the Great Southern are becoming a popular investment for farmers in providing commercial forestry options for integration on farms in the lower rainfall areas of the region. Currently there are 6,000 hectares sandalwood in WA, 95% in southern WA which includes the Avon region. There is potential to increase the plantation area to a sustainable level by planting 1,000 – 2,500ha annually for 20 years. For further information contact Dr Geoff Woodall at the Department of Agriculture & Food Albany.


What species are suitable for farm forestry in the Great Southern?
There is a wide range of species which is being trialled for commercial production in the Region. Innovative options are being developed rapidly. The choice of species for farm forestry depends on many factors including:

The objectives of the land management such as the balance between commercial forestry and land care benefits and life style;

Integration with other land uses
Climate especially rainfall and soils
Markets and the investors risk profile
Information and assistance available
Distance from the market
Growth potential will depend upon the species chosen, rainfall and soil fertility.
Species which would grow and develop well in the region, some of which are currently being trialled are: She Oak, River Red Gum, Spotted Gum, Sugar Gum, Oil Mallees, Acacias, Tea Trees.



How much Blue Gum private forestry is there and how much woodchip will it produce?
There are approximately 135,000 hectares of Blue Gum private forestry in the Albany supply zone. This is expected to peak at 150,000 hectares. These have been established since the late 1980's with most establishment activity since 1995. The growth of the plantations can be expected to average around 200 tonnes per hectare after 10 to 12 years growth. As the harvested resource will grow from 900,000 tonnes woodchips in 2006 to over 1 million tonnes in 2007, managing for the second rotation will be immediate. Plantations will either be re-planted on the same site or coppiced. Coppice management leaves the trees for around 18 months after harvest then pruned to a single stem.