Australian plantation statistics update

Overview

Australian plantation statistics is published every year. It supports strategic forest industry planning and decision-making by presenting information on total plantation area, new planting and ownership.

The plantation areas are presented by jurisdiction and National Plantation Inventory regions for softwood and hardwood plantation types, and species, based on data collected from private growers and grower representatives and public state and territory agencies.

In this report, 2021-22 data are compared with data from the 2004-05, 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2019-20 5 yearly spatial plantation reports (5 and 1 year intervals).

Infographic with 3 headline statistics for the plantation area, area change and new plantations on the left hand side. Then 5 graphs showing the data and trends over time.

A high resolution version of the Australian Plantation statistics 2023 - Infographic is available in the download section below

Figure 1: Australia’s total plantation area continues to decline and is currently at its smallest area since 2003-04, due to ongoing conversion of hardwood plantations to other land uses. The softwood plantation estate has been stable for more than 20 years.

Total hardwood and softwood plantation area. The total plantation area declined in 2021-22 due mainly to a decline in hardwood plantations.

Figure 2: In 2021-22 New South Wales had the largest share of national softwood plantations, Tasmania had the largest share of national hardwood plantations.

Total hardwood and softwood plantations by jurisdiction. Victoria has the largest share of total plantation area followed by New South Wales.

Figure 3: New plantation establishment increased slightly in 2021-22 but remains low.

New hardwood and softwood plantations. New hardwood and softwood plantations have remained low since 2010-11.

Figure 4: Softwood plantations are predominately radiata pine in southern Australia, while southern pines are planted in northern New South Wales and Queensland, hoop pine are planted in Queensland and maritime pine is planted in drier parts of Western Australia.

Softwood plantation area by National Plantation inventory region and major species. The Murray Valley region has the largest share of softwood plantations followed by the Green Triangle region.

Figure 5: The majority of Tasmanian blue gum and shining gum hardwood plantations are managed for pulplog production, North Coast and Tasmania are the regions with most hardwood plantations managed for sawlog production.

Hardwood plantation area by National Plantation inventory region and major species. Tasmania has the largest share of hardwood plantations followed by Western Australia.

Figure 6: New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are the only jurisdictions where publicly owned plantations are the majority.

Total plantation area by ownership and jurisdiction. Victoria has the largest share of private plantations followed by Tasmania.

Figure 7: 60% of the plantation estate is owned by institutional investors while MIS plantations have declined to less than 0.4% of the plantation estate in 2021-22

Total Plantation ownership by year. There has been minimal change in ownership since 2019-20.