There are 11 Regional Forestry Hubs across Australia, which were established under the National Forestry Industry Plan 2018.
The Australian Government’s A Better Plan for Forestry and Forest Products 2022-23 Budget measure has committed to an additional $8.6 million over three years from 2024-25 to extend and expand the role of the 11 Hubs.
The Regional Forestry Hub regions were chosen to represent existing concentrations of wood supply resources, combined with significant existing processing and/or manufacturing operations, established domestic and/or international transport links, and strong potential for growth.
Each Regional Forestry Hub has a steering committee of industry stakeholders. The committees determine the priorities for their region. The Hubs work with industry, state and local governments, and other key stakeholders to prepare and provide the Government with strategic planning, technical assessments and analyses that aim to support growth in the forest industries in their region. In addition to continuing this work the role of the Hubs is being expanded to include extension services. This will enable the Hubs to inform local industries and landholders of the outcomes of the research and innovation work, in particular from the Australia-wide NIFPI. The Hubs will not provide individual business advice.
The Regional Forestry Hubs are:
North East New South Wales
The North East NSW Hub commenced operations in April 2019, and is administered by the North East NSW Forestry Hub Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the North East NSW Forestry Hub include:
- climate change and adaptive stewardship of forests across the landscape
- new timber supply
- development of future workforce.
Key projects undertaken by the North East NSW hub include:
- Farm Forestry Extension Evaluation
- Smart Development of Future Workforce
- Residues Utilisation and Stewardship Strategy
Visit the North East NSW Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the North East NSW Regional Forestry Hub.
Central West New South Wales
The Central West NSW Hub commenced operations in May 2020, and is administered by the Central West NSW Forestry Hub Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the Central West NSW Hub include:
- development of a landholder information tool to investigate the feasibility of additional plantations
- development of a carbon profile to be overlayered on the above information tool to determine ‘carbon yield’ under a given silviculture regime
- investigating the feasibility of reopening the Oberon-Tarana rail line
- completing a carbon footprint analysis for the hub region.
Key projects undertaken by the Central West NSW hub include:
- Plantation spatial database
- Plantation productivity, utilisation, and recovery of harvested wood products
- Plantation capability mapping
- Skills, employment, and training
- Carbon footprint report
Visit the Central West NSW Regional Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the Central West NSW Regional Forestry Hub.
South East New South Wales
The South East NSW Hub commenced operations in December 2021, and is administered by the South East Forestry Hub Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the South East NSW Hub include:
- consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to review and analyse the constraints affecting productivity and efficiency of the forestry sector
- mapping current forest resources to improve knowledge, management objectives and potential production
- investigating future forest investment to identify opportunities in forest resource development
- developing investment business cases for new infrastructure to support forestry
- determining the potential for future plantation expansion (softwood and hardwood).
South East NSW South Hub Website to be developed.
View a map of the South East New South Wales Regional Forestry Hub.
Murray Region
The Murray Region Hub (formerly the SW Slopes) commenced operations in September 2019, and is administered by the Softwoods Working Group Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the Murray Region Hub include:
- community engagement
- people and skills
- adequate infrastructure
- resource security.
Key projects undertaken by the Murray Region hub include:
- Socio-Economic Impacts Study for Entire Hub Region
- Climate Forecast Models
- Options for Plantation Expansion
Visit the Murray Region Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the Murray Region Forestry Hub.
Gippsland
The Gippsland Forestry Hub commenced operations in May 2020, and is administered by the Gippsland Forestry Hub Incorporated.
- The priorities identified by the Gippsland Hub include:
- facilitating a stakeholder forum on growing the future of the industry
- exploring value adding opportunities
- defining the boundaries of the region
- exploring opportunities for expanding wood supply, including from farm, private native, and Indigenous forestry
- developing a skills needs framework and conducting a skills audit
- facilitating innovation and regional research
- building stakeholder communications.
Key projects undertaken by the Gippsland hub include:
- Gippsland AgroForestry Network
- Gippsland Community Survey and Analysis of the Gippsland Forestry Industry
- Training, Education, and Skills Development within the Forestry Industry in Gippsland
- Gippsland Forestry Hub – Skills Employment and Education Report
- Innovation and Infrastructure
- Gippsland Forestry Hub – 30 Year Strategy
- Investing in Gippsland’s Sustainable Forestry Future
Visit the Gippsland Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the Gippsland Regional Forestry Hub .
Green Triangle
The Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub commenced operations in April 2019, and is administered by the Green Triangle Forestry Industry Hub Association Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the Green Triangle Hub include:
- researching the sustainable use of water in forestry management
- investigating domestic processing opportunities
- finding opportunities for plantation expansion
- exploring opportunities for carbon emission reduction
- guiding the industry towards a sustainable future
- examining how to better attract and retain staff
- building a sustainable positive industry profile.
Key projects undertaken by the Green Triangle hub include:
Visit the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub website.
View a map of the Green Triangle Regional Forestry Hub.
North Queensland
The North Queensland Hub commenced operations in April 2020, and is administered by Timber Queensland.
The priorities identified by the North QLD Hub include:
- skills and workforce development
- plantation investment models
- manufacturing competitiveness
- indigenous forestry and native forest management
- bioenergy and carbon
- supply chains and infrastructure.
Key projects undertaken by the North Queensland hub include:
Visit the North Queensland Hub website.
View a map of the North Queensland Regional Forestry Hub.
South and Central Queensland
The South and Central Queensland Hub commenced operations in April 2020, and is administered by Timber Queensland.
The priorities identified by the South and Central QLD Hub include:
- communication
- skills and training
- manufacturing competitiveness
- plantation investment models
- native forest management
- bioenergy and carbon.
Key projects undertaken by the South and Queensland Hub include:
- Planning and approvals requirements for new plantations in Australia
- Evaluate the feasibility of using new harvesting technologies and processes in Queensland’s forest operations
- New technologies and processed in timber and wood products industry
- Adhesive research for softwood and hardwood engineered wood products
- Assessment of volumes of wood biomass residues and their potential uses and markets
- Assessing the net benefits of multiple use native forest management in Queensland.
Visit the South and Central Queensland Hub website.
View a map of the South and Central Queensland Regional Forestry Hub.
South West Western Australia
The South West Timber Hub commenced operations in May 2019, and is administered by the Bunbury Geographe Economic Alliance.
The priorities identified by the South West Timber Hub include:
- undertaking research projects aiming to expand the softwood plantation estate by at least 5,000 hectares a year, with a focus on integrating commercial trees on farmlands
- encouraging full utilisation of the available wood fibre
- ensuring community understanding of the environmental, regional, social and economic benefits from forests and woodlands.
Key projects undertaken by the South West Timber hub include:
- Haulage Value Stream Mapping
- Private Forestry Engagement Strategy, Softwood plantings on private land in the south west of WA
- Advanced Timber Manufacturing Hub.
Visit the South West Timber Hub website.
View a map of the South West Western Australia Regional Forestry Hub.
Tasmania
The Tasmania Hub commenced operations in 2021, and is administered by the Tasmanian Forests and Forest Products Network.
The priorities identified by the Tasmania Hub include:
- driving positive climate outcomes
- developing a fit for purpose workforce
- growing and maintain farm forestry
- supporting industry growth through infrastructure planning.
Key projects undertaken by the Tasmania Forestry hub include:
- Access and Land Use Policy for Plantation Forest Investment Assessment Report
- Supply Chain and Infrastructure Assessment Report
- Climate Change and Carbon Policy Assessment Report
- Culture, Training and Skills Assessment Report
- Hub Consultation Report
- Hub Outcomes Report
- Forest Infrastructure Opportunities in Southern Tasmania
- Demand Outlook for Tasmanian Wood Products
Visit the Tasmania Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the Tasmania Regional Forestry Hub.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub commenced operations in August 2021, and is administered by the Forestry Industry Association Northern Territory Incorporated.
The priorities identified by the Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub include:
- export infrastructure and supply chain analysis
- developing Indigenous Forestry Projects
- manufacturing and value adding
- understanding land access and tenure
- native forest resource assessment
- education and engagement
- carbon market opportunities.
Visit the Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub website.
View a map of the Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub.
Download
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Regional Forestry Hubs by state/territory map PDF
NSW
NSW/Victoria
Victoria
Victoria/South Australia
Queensland
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
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A spatial dataset comprising the boundaries created by each of the eleven Regional Forestry Hubs is available at: Regional Forestry Hubs boundaries (2022)
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