Victoria faces timber deficit of over 76,000 house frames in 15 years, urgent national plan needed to grow timber plantation estate
Victoria faces a major sovereign capability gap in the production of timber house frames by 2035 – further signalling how crucial it is for the federal and state governments to deliver policies to urgently drive new production tree plantings.
A landmark new report by Master Builders Australia (MBA) and the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) shows Australia is headed towards a major cliff in timber framing production, concluding Victoria will be 76,602 house frames short by 2035. Victoria will be hardest hit by the supply shortage, compared with Queensland (56,175) and New South Wales (51,068).
CEO of the Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA) Deb Kerr said, “We are calling on the state and federal forestry ministers, who are meeting today, to commit to a national plan that delivers an increase in our plantation estate.
“To tackle this substantial shortage, dramatic action is needed. Australia-wide, this requires the planting of 400,000 new hectares of plantations by 2030. Not only will this create certainty in the supply for new homes and buildings, but it will increase the supply of a sustainable building material that stores carbon and fights climate change,” Ms Kerr concluded.
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About
The Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA) represents all elements of the value chain from both sustainable harvesting of plantations and multiple-use natural forest resources. VFPA is a policy development and advocacy group which represents the interests of Victoria’s sustainable forest industries. We collaborate strongly with other industry bodies to ensure the best outcomes for the industry generally and our members more specifically. Our charter provides autonomy to manage State issues. We cooperate with the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) on any issues that transcend State borders and have National implications.