Introduction
Hardwood and softwood plantations are a significant feature in Tasmania’s landscape, and have been for almost half a century. Plantations are established for a variety of reasons and deliver a range of products and benefits including:
· Sawn timber production
· Wood fibre and other wood based products
· Shelterbelts for animals and crops
· The provision of multiple environmental benefits through addressing land degradation, salinity and soil erosion
· Generation of biomass
· Storage of carbon
While there are various definitions of plantation used, perhaps the most widely accepted definition is that given in the National Forestry Inventory Australia’s State of the Forest Report 2003:
Plantation – Intensively managed stands of trees of either native or exotic species created by the regular placement of seedlings or seeds.
The Tasmanian Forest Practices Code 2000 on p.99 defines plantation as follows:
Plantation – A forest stand established by the planting of seedlings or cuttings of trees selected for their wood producing properties and managed intensively for the purpose of future timber harvesting.
Extent of Plantation Cover in Tasmania
Tasmania’s plantation forest estate of 254,207 hectares can be classified into the following broad categories:
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Table 2 – Tasmania’s Plantation Forest Estate |
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| Forest Category | Total area (hectares) | % of total plantation area | % of total forest cover | % of total landmass |
| Plantations on state forest | 102,000 | 40.1 | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| Plantations on other public land | 1,800 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Hardwood plantations on private land | 129,853 | 51.1 | 3.8 | 1.9 |
| Softwood plantations on private land | 20,554 | 8.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Total | 254,207 | 100.0 | 7.5 | 3.7 |
Tasmania’s private plantation estate is 150,407 hectares and covers 2.2% of Tasmania’s landmass.
Plantations on private property
The table below indicates the area of plantations established in Tasmania on privately owned land over each of the past five years and cumulatively pre-December 31, 2001.
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Private Plantation Estate By Establishment Year |
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| Pre 31 Dec 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | Unknown Age | Total | |
| Hardwood plantations | 69,640 | 7,732 | 8,832 | 9,757 | 10,263 | 21,075 | 1,880 | 129,178 |
| Softwood plantations | 16,976 | 273 | 79 | 152 | 282 | 2,442 | 351 | 20,555 |
| Plantation species unknown | 6 | 668 | 674 | |||||
| Plantation sub-total | 86,622 | 8,004 | 8,910 | 9,909 | 10,545 | 23,517 | 2,899 | 150,407 |
The table following indicates the establishment of plantations in Tasmania on privately owned land over each of the past five years and cumulatively pre-December 31, 2001 as a proportion of the total private plantation estate of 150,407 hectares.
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Private Plantation Estate by Establishment Year as Percentage of Total Private Plantation Estate |
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| Pre 31 Dec 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | TOTAL | |
| Hardwood plantations | 48.0 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 14.0 | 86.3 |
| Softwood plantations | 11.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 13.7 |
| Total | 59.5 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 15.6 | 100 |
