Round 3 grant applications are now open – Batch 3 closes 8 May
You can submit an application and access grant materials for the program on GrantConnect. The grant materials include the program's Grant Opportunity Guidelines, Question and Answer documents, and other important guidance information.
The Australian Government is providing $73.76 million (GST exclusive) in grant funding over four years from 2023–24 to 2026–27.
To date, $28.52 million (GST exclusive) has been awarded to 46 projects. Funding of $45.24 million (GST exclusive) remains available for Round 3.
The funding supports the establishment of new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests in Australia and assists the sector in responding to the projected growth in demand for domestically sourced timber resources.
The objectives of the program are to:
- increase future plantation forest resources available for processing, as well as for plantation forest management, harvesting and haulage employment
- support private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory government forestry bodies to expand the Australian plantation forest estate
- contribute to meeting Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets, including under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention.
Funding of $2,000 (GST exclusive) per hectare of new long-rotation plantation forest established will be provided to successful grantees.
- The minimum grant amount is $40,000 (GST exclusive).
- There is no maximum grant amount, provided grant funding is available.
The grants require applicants to provide a co-contribution at least equal to the grant amount and are open to private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory government forestry bodies.
Further details about the Support Plantation Establishment program are outlined in the Round 3 Grant Opportunity Guidelines, available on GrantConnect.
Case studies
The stories of the grantees and their projects that will deliver Australia’s future forest products.
Watch
See how the program is supporting grantees to establish new plantations across Australia.
Plantation Pine Products Support Plantation Establishment Program case study
(Duration 1 mins 46 secs)
Introduction
This is the transcript of a video case study produced by the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry as part of the Support Plantation Establishment Program. It was filmed with Plantation Pine Products on-site in Oberon, NSW in 2024.
Transcript
Video begins [0:00]
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The Support Plantation Establishment Program is a $73.76 million Australian Government Grant Program
The funding supports the establishment of new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests across Australia
[0:11]
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Plantation Pine Products were awarded $7.04 million in funding to support the establishment of 3,520 hectares of new plantation forests
Angus Spreckley: This plantation was planted in August this year with Pinus Radiata at 1,600 stems a hectare.
It will be 30 meter tall trees, probably about 600 stems a hectare. This will be thinned twice, down to about 600 stems a hectare during the rotation.
Areas around Oberon have 800mm of rainfall, so the cooler temperatures in summer, plenty of rainfall in winter, so it’s good growing conditions for pine trees.
The high up-front costs of forestry plantations is a challenge. Reducing that up-front cost which is what the grant does makes it significantly more palatable to plant trees.
If you own the land and your only cost is establishment and you can get that just for minor costs, it reduces all of the hurdles for a farmer to plant a bad paddock into pines.
So you’ll have structural grade lumber for your framing of your house, you’ll have MDF, or medium density fibreboard and particleboard used for kitchen cupboards, kitchen benches.
Here with the sawmills only taking Radiata, we’re pretty keen to enter partnerships with farmers. We’ll establish the trees with you, we’ll manage and harvest on your behalf and take the wood to market. We need lots of logs.
[1:35]
Music plays
Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry logo appears on screen
Text appears on screen:
Applications are open for grant round three of the Support Plantation Establishment program.
Find out more and apply at GrantConnect.
[1:46]
Video ends
Applications
Caretaker period
Please note that the government is now in caretaker period associated with the 2025 federal election.
Applications for Round 3 can continue to be submitted; however, any decision on these applications will not be made until the conclusion of the caretaker period.
Grant applications for Round 3 opened on 11 October 2024 and will close on 5 November 2025. Round 3 is made up of 6 batches.
- Batch 1 will be open from 11 October 2024 to 13 November 2024.
- Batch 2 will be open from 13 November 2024 to 11 February 2025.
- Batch 3 will be open from 11 February 2025 to 8 May 2025.
- Batch 4 will be open from 8 May 2025 to 17 July 2025.
- Batch 5 will be open from 17 July 2025 to 24 September 2025.
- Batch 6 will be open from 24 September 2025 to 5 November 2025.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the program ran from 21 June 2023 to 24 January 2024 and 9 February 2024 to 27 June 2024 respectively.
Successful applicants to date
To date, $28.52 million (GST exclusive) has been awarded to 46 projects. Funding of $45.24 million (GST exclusive) remains available for Round 3.
Grant applications for Round 1 opened on 21 June 2023 and closed on 24 January 2024.
| Round Funded | Funding Recipient | Project details | Funding (GST Exclusive) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Plantation Pine Products Australia Pty Ltd | Softwood 308 hectares | $616,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Tamplin Family Trust | Hardwood 86 hectares | $172,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Tasmanian Carbon Afforestation Sub-Trust | Hardwood 60 hectares | $120,000.00 | TAS |
| Round 1 | Napier Family Trust | Softwood 84 hectares | $168,000.00 | TAS |
| Round 1 | Plantation Pine Products Australia Pty Ltd | Softwood 935 hectares | $1,870,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | A.C Fisher & S.J Fisher | Softwood 86 hectares | $172,000.00 | TAS |
| Round 1 | A Biskaps & S.J Biskaps | Hardwood 46 hectares | $92,000.00 | QLD |
| Round 1 | F Hildebrand & L.M Holt | Hardwood 22.5 hectares | $44,820.00 | VIC |
| Round 1 | Plantation Pine Products Australia Pty Ltd | Softwood 606 hectares | $1,212,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | J & S Thompson | Softwood 402 hectares | $804,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Wespine Industries Pty Ltd | Softwood 31.9 hectares | $63,800.00 | WA |
| Round 1 | H.H Mackinnon & H.H Mackinnon & R.A Mackinnon | Softwood 72.8 hectares | $145,600.00 | VIC |
| Round 1 | Sapphire Forests Pty Ltd | Hardwood 61.8 hectares | $123,600.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Salmon Marketing Trust | Softwood 401 hectares | $802,000.00 | TAS |
| Round 1 | Stephen Creese Family Trust No.2 | Softwood 50 hectares | $94,850.00 | TAS |
| Round 1 | Morgan Sawmill Jamestown Pty Ltd | Softwood 455.87 hectares | $911,740.00 | SA |
| Round 1 | Forestry Corporation of New South Wales | Softwood 465 hectares | $930,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Forestry Corporation of New South Wales | Softwood 660 hectares | $1,320,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 1 | Miles, Robert William | Softwood 204 hectares | $408,000.00 | NSW |
Grant applications for Round 2 opened on 9 February 2024 and closed on 27 June 2024.
| Round Funded | Funding Recipient | Project details | Funding (GST Exclusive) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 | Forestry Investment Trust | Softwood 214.1 hectares | $66,371.00 | WA |
| Round 2 | Tasmanian Carbon Afforestation Sub-Trust | Softwood 154 hectares | $211,765.00 | TAS |
| Round 2 | G 5 Forestry Pty Ltd | Softwood 650 hectares | $1,300,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 2 | Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania Pty. Ltd. | Softwood 260.5 hectares | $258,698.58 | WA |
| Round 2 | SFA Nature Based Solutions Unit Trust | Softwood 89 hectares | $178,000.00 | VIC |
| Round 2 | Plantation Pine Products Australia Pty Ltd | Softwood 1671 hectares | $3,342,000.00 | NSW, VIC |
| Round 2 | Forestry Corporation of New South Wales | Softwood 116 hectares | $208,800.00 | NSW |
| Round 2 | Forestry Corporation of New South Wales | Softwood 40.38 hectares | $81,160.00 | NSW |
Grant applications for Round 3 opened on 11 October 2024 and will close on 5 November 2025.
| Round Funded | Funding Recipient | Project details | Funding (GST Exclusive) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 3 | JMS Colless Investments Pty Ltd | Softwood 40 hectares | $80,000.00 | VIC |
| Round 3 | Forestry Tasmania | Softwood 475 hectares | $950,000.00 | TAS |
| Round 3 | Chelimi Pty Ltd | Hardwood 21 hectares | $42,000.00 | VIC |
| Round 3 | H.A Bebb & E.G Hewitt & J Hewitt & A.J Stevens & V.R Stevens &The Trustee For Gr Gibson Discretionary Trust & The Trustee For The Liffey Trust & The Trustee For West Elk Trust | Softwood 188.49 hectares | $375,275.68 | TAS |
| Round 3 | Associated Kiln Driers Pty Ltd | Softwood 54.3 hectares | $108,600.00 | NSW |
| Round 3 | The Trust Company (Australia) Ltd | Softwood 424.6 hectares | $382,729.17 | VIC |
| Round 3 | The Trust Company (Australia) Ltd | Softwood 147.2 hectares | $192,596.00 | WA |
| Round 3 | The Trust Company (Australia) Ltd | Softwood 62 hectares | $123,752.00 | TAS |
| Round 3 | Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania Pty Ltd | Softwood 958 hectares | $1,915,760.50 | WA |
| Round 3 | Morgan Sawmill Jamestown Pty Ltd | Softwood 165.97 hectares | $331,940.00 | SA |
| Round 3 | Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd | Hardwood 259.9 hectares | $519,749.91 | WA |
| Round 3 | Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd | Softwood 679 hectares | $1,358,000.00 | WA |
| Round 3 | Milne Farming Pty Ltd | Hardwood 123 hectares | $246,000.00 | VIC |
| Round 3 | Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd | Hardwood 1928 hectares | $3,856,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 3 | Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania Pty. Ltd. | Softwood 216.1 hectares | $432,200.00 | WA |
| Round 3 | Fairthorne Timber Trading Pty Ltd | Softwood 56.1 hectares | $112,200.00 | VIC |
| Round 3 | The Trustee for Maxwell Family Trust & J.D Thompson & S.J Thompson | Softwood 670 hectares | $1,340,000.00 | NSW |
| Round 3 | The Trust Company (Australia) Limited | Softwood 196 hectares | $300,860.00 | TAS |
| Round 3 | The Trust Company (Australia) Limited | Hardwood 91.4 hectares | $131,035.20 | TAS |