Joint story from TPA and TIMA - The many positive economic and social benefits associated with the investment in timber plantations.
Contrary to the accusations of rural decline and depopulation levelled at the Australian plantation sector, there are many positive economic and social benefits associated with the investment in timber plantations.

“The recent report released by the Bureau of Rural Sciences provides a clear account of the positive returns to the community that are a direct result of the regional growth in plantation forestry,” said Phil Townsend, CEO of Tree Plantations Australia (TPA).
“It is a continuing phenomenon that the number of farmers is in long-term decline. Over the last 20 years alone, the number of farming families has fallen by 25%.
“Major drivers of this depopulation have been a requirement for farms to get bigger to remain commercially viable and the growing changes in landuse from grazing to cropping.
“A key finding from the Bureau of Rural Sciences report is that as the plantation area increases there is either an increase in the rural populations or a reversal of rural decline,” he said.
Alan Cummine, CEO of Treefarm Investment Managers Australia (TIMA), said the new investment in plantations supports an increasing number of small businesses in rural areas.
“The direct, and indirect, regional employment benefits increase as the plantations start being harvested and processed,” said Mr Cummine.
“Importantly, the additional sources of income and employment associated with plantation forestry help protect the communities against the impacts of drought or declines in the agricultural product markets”, he said
The Bureau of Rural Sciences report concluded that farmers increasingly depend on new industries such as plantation forestry to provide off-farm sources of income.
“Where the plantation resources are used to supply downstream processing and value adding, every $1m spent on timber growing or processing creates up to 17 jobs,” said Mr Townsend.
“A very high proportion of the wages earned by the plantation and timber processing companies are paid to people who live in the plantation regions. As a consequence, every direct job in the forestry sector produces between 0.65 and 1.3 indirect jobs for those regions.
“In addition to the improved employment opportunities, every $1 spent by the plantation companies is raising regional and economic output by $1.63 to $1.83.
“By any measure, Australia’s plantation forestry sector is generating positive economic and social outcomes for regional communities,” said Mr Townsend.