Forestry

This recently completed 3 year project involved multiple project partners and funding agencies including;

• Cooperative Research Centre for Northern Australia (CRCNA)
• Tiwi Plantations Corporation
• Plantation Management Partners
• Port Melville Pty Ltd
• Forest and Wood Products Australia
• The University of Melbourne
• Charles Darwin University and
• Northern Territory Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The project aimed to support the expansion of tropical hardwood plantations in northern Australia. This was done by applying cutting-edge genomics, molecular marker and plant breeding technologies across selected Eucalyptus species to improve productivity, and combining with community-based enterprise development approaches, a model will be developed for the establishment and growth of tropical forestry plantations across the north. The model will provide new options for economic development and employment on Aboriginal owned lands.

The project delivered a comprehensive research program comprising 3 major components/objectives outlined below:

1. Northern Forestry Industry Growth Model

   To identify key forestry industry challenges and devise high-level industry development strategies. Identification of employment pathways to support long-term Aboriginal participation in forestry and support the expansion of hardwood plantations in northern Australia.

2. Tropical Hardwood Plantation Productivity

   To increase northern forestry plantation productivity by up to 60% from current production rates through superior Eucalypt plant breeding programs within the Tiwi forestry enterprise.

3. Higher Value Products and Future Plantings

   To determine the potential to substantially increase the future worth of the northern plantation industry by producing higher value products including plywood, sawn timber and carbon.

For more information on the Tiwi Islands forestry project, go to the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia website.

The recently completed Indigenous Commercial Forestry Opportunities project was a 3.5-year multi-party research for development project (2020-2023) investigating the potential for Indigenous-led commercial forestry in the East Arnhem region of the Northern Territory. Funded jointly by industry and the Australian Government, the project is part of Forest & Wood Products Australia’s (FWPA’s) voluntary matched funding program. The project was  delivered by the University of the Sunshine Coast in collaboration with the Northern Territory Government, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Private Forestry Services QLD, and other partners led by Developing East Arnhem Limited including Gumatj Corporation, National Indigenous Australians Agency, Northern Land Council, and Arnhem Land Progress Association.

The project supported East Arnhem’s Traditional Owner communities in facilitating the development of sustainable forest-based livelihoods by providing insights to underpin the long-term commercial viability of small-scale, selective harvest native forestry in the region. The project delivered on 3 key objectives:

• understanding the interests and capacities of Traditional Owners to participate in the forestry industry, and supporting their capacity to operate viable commercial forestry businesses
• understanding the East Arnhem forest resource, including commercial forest distribution, forest productivity, the timber (and non-timber) product mix, and what products have the best commercial potential, and
• developing value-added timber products from locally sourced native hardwood logs to better understand product characteristics, specifications, processing protocols, and potential markets.

To read the final report, go to the Forest and Woods Products Australia website.

Media

• Indigenous Commercial Forestry Opportunities video - use QR code
  
• Project’s WoodChat podcast Episode 33 - Working With Traditional Owners to build capacity In native forestry (2023)
• Project’s WoodChat podcast Episode 18 - Supporting Indigenous communities in the NT to create a sustainable forestry industry (2021)

This 2 year project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the Business Biosecurity Grant, and led by Plant Health Australia, brought together forestry researchers from Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and employees from the Indigenous-led Tiwi Islands and Gumatj forestry industries to build capacity in forest health surveillance, detection and reporting of pest and disease risks to these forestry industries. The project developed novel survey techniques, culturally appropriate training methods and partnerships to embed biosecurity best practice as business-as-usual (BAU) activities for these Indigenous enterprises.

Importantly, the project identified a high level of interest amongst Indigenous communities and businesses to learn about biosecurity and better understand how they can protect their forests. The project has increased capacity for Indigenous stakeholders to understand the fundamental principles of biosecurity, raised awareness of the risks and given workers and community members on the front-line tools to report suspected biosecurity incursions. Notably, to help establish biosecurity into business-as-usual practices, the project has developed a draft surveillance plan for the Tiwi Island plantations and is currently working on developing a phase 2 proposal for ongoing research activities.

The outcomes of this project align with the objectives of the Northern Australia Biosecurity Strategy 2030 (NABS 2030), namely:

1. Strengthen collaborative partnership between all system participants and build enhance coordination of biosecurity actions across Northern Australia.
2. Implement proactive and forward-looking approaches to surveillance and prevention activities in Northern Australia.
3. Leverage and invest in Australia’s system-wide capability, for the benefit of Northern Australia biosecurity.

The outcomes, and the partnerships developed through this project are able to be expanded and the learnings transferred to other forest businesses and indigenous communities potentially including areas in northern Western Australia and north Queensland.

The CRCNA northern forestry and forest products industry situational analysis report provides a high-level synopsis on the northern Australian industry. It describes the current challenges and opportunities for further policy development, research or investment.

A key aim of the project was to raise the visibility of the forestry and forest products industry in northern Australia and identify growth opportunities with policymakers, industry, regulators and stakeholders, and to contribute to the establishment of an Industry Developmental Alliance.

The information provided in the report is intended to be used to develop a roadmap for the future development of the forestry and forest products industry in northern Australia.

To read the northern forestry and forest products situational analysis report on the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia website.

African Mahogany Australia and Northern Tropical Timbers in partnership with Forest and Wood Products Australia and McGrath Forestry Services initiated a project in 2016 to understand the primary limitations to the productivity of African mahogany plantations in northern Australia.

Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the University of Queensland, and the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries partnered with the project. The objective was to provide guidance on the impact of silvicultural management (fertilization, thinning and pruning) on plantation productivity and processing options for the timber from the plantations in northern Australia.

A market scoping study was added in the final year of the project as it was recognised that the knowledge gained from the silvicultural and processing studies provided the opportunity to explore the market options for Australian plantation grown African mahogany.

To read the silvicultural systems to optimise value from northern Australia mahogany plantations report, on the Forest and Wood Products Australia website.