Annual Timber Harvest

2005 – 2006 Harvest summary from private forests

Each year Private Forests Tasmania compiles Australia’s only authoritative harvest summary from private forests.

The annual data collation of major log products harvested from private forests was expedited with the co-operation of the processors. The information is provided to PFT on the basis that it will be aggregated, and strict confidentiality of the raw data is guaranteed and adhered to.

The private forest harvest in 2006 – 2007 was 2,267,580 tonnes, which accounted for approximately 40% of total timber production in Tasmania during that period, and is consistent with the 2005 – 2006 result.

The private plantation hardwood harvest in 2006 – 2007 was 933,636 tonnes, which accounted for approximately 87% of total  plantation hardwood timber production during the period.

Comments for 2006 – 2007 data

1. Information has been sourced from over 60 processors throughout the State.
2. Data has been aggregated to maintain the confidentiality of individuals’ information.
3. Fuelwood information is not included because of the difficulty of obtaining enough data from the many producers.
4. There was a slight reduction in the total harvest compared to last year, spread across both plantation and native forest categories.
5. Native forest products made up about 44% of private wood harvest.
6. Hardwood plantation products made up about 41% of the private wood harvest.
7. Softwood plantation products made up about 15% of the private wood harvest.
8. Despite the lower total harvest this year, the percentage of sawlog, veneer and ply has incresased to 11%.

The continuing downturn in the international woodchip market has meant a significant decrease in the total private native forest harvest.  Forest harvesting on the private forest estate is largely integrated, with the harvest of sawlog and pulpwood undertaken at the same time.  A decline in the native hardwood pulpwood harvest due to a downturn in international woodchip markets means less area is harvested and less native hardwood sawlog is harvested. 

A fall in native hardwood sawlog, veneer and ply log harvest of some 21,000 tonnes continues the trend of declining native hardwood sawlog and veneer production from the private forest estate evident over the last three years.

There was an increase in the harvest of plantation softwood sawlogs of some 77,000 tonnes, but a decline in harvest of plantation softwood pulpwood, of some 89,000 tonnes.

In 2006-2007 the plantation forest harvest exceeded native forest harvest volume.  The harvest from plantation forests accounted for 55.7% of the total harvest from private forests while the harvest from the hardwood plantation forests accounted for 41.2% of the total harvest from private forests in the same period. 

In 2005-2006 the harvest of plantation hardwood pulpwood exceeded the native forest pulpwood as the major source of woodchips.  This year the harvest of plantation hardwood was marginally less than half of the total hardwood pulpwood harvest.