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Department of Agriculture

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  • Research topics
    • About my region: regional profiles
    • Agricultural outlook
      • Agricultural overview
      • Australian crop report
        • National overview
        • New South Wales
        • Queensland
        • South Australia
        • Victoria
        • Western Australia
      • Beef & veal
      • Coarse grains
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      • Economic overview
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      • Wheat
      • Wine and wine grapes
      • Australian rice markets in 2020
      • Water market outlook
      • Commodities and trade data
      • Historical agricultural forecast database
      • Definitions
      • Previous reports
    • Biosecurity
      • Biosecurity economics
        • A benefit-cost framework for responding to Varroa
        • Benefits of increased access to minor use chemicals
        • Biosecurity control strategies for red imported fire ants
        • Biosecurity response options for black-striped mussel
        • Consequences of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
        • Economic consequences of a scrapie outbreak in Australia
        • Economic impacts of Xylella fastidiosa on the Australian wine grape and wine-making industries
        • Estimating the value of Australian biosecurity arrangements for equine influenza since the 2007 outbreak
        • Farm gate value of biosecurity
        • Potential impact of the wheat steam rust strain Ug99 in Australia
        • The impacts of Xylella fastidiosa on Australian horticulture and the environment
      • Biosecurity sciences
        • Treated ballast water and its impact on port water quality
      • Biosecurity engagement
    • Climate and drought
      • Agricultural Data Integration Project
      • Farm performance and climate
      • Measuring drought risk
    • Fisheries
      • Fishery status reports 2021
      • Fisheries and aquaculture statistics 2020
        • Australian fisheries and aquaculture production
        • Australia’s trade in fisheries and aquaculture products
          • Market access improvements: A case study of stone fruit exports to China
        • Seafood consumption in Australia
        • Employment in Australian fisheries and aquaculture 2019–20
        • About this report
        • Other useful information
        • Economic concepts in Australian fisheries and aquaculture statistics
      • Fisheries data
      • Fisheries economics
        • Australian fisheries and aquaculture outlook
        • Australian fisheries economic indicators
      • Fisheries research
        • Allocating fish stocks between commercial and recreational fishers: examples from Australia and overseas
        • Shark assessment report 2018
    • Food demand in Australia
      • Trends and issues 2018
      • Trends and food security issues 2017
    • Forests
      • Forest economics
        • Australian forest and wood products statistics
          • Socio-economic indicators—trends to 2018
        • Forest economic research
          • A framework for developing medium term projections of traded wood products
          • Economic potential for new plantation establishment in Australia
          • Future opportunities for using forest and sawmill residues in Australia
          • Illegal logging regulation: analysis of regulated importers by business size
          • Productivity and efficiency of the Australian sawmilling industry
          • Responsiveness of demand for structural pine to changes in timber and steel prices
          • Short-term forecasts of selected wood product sales volume: Method and assumptions
          • Upscaling the Australian softwood sawmill industry
        • Plantation and log supply
        • National wood processing survey
      • Forest sciences
      • Forest data
      • Forests overview
    • Invasive species
      • Distribution and impacts of established pest animals and weeds
      • Exotic invasive species with environmental impacts
      • Prioritising targets for biological control of weeds
      • The National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases dataset
      • The state of weeds data collection in Australia
      • Wild dog research
    • Labour
      • Australian agricultural workforce: Stocktake of data sources
      • Previous research
      • Trends in the Australian Agricultural Workforce
    • Land Use
      • Catchment scale land use of Australia - Commodities - Update December 2020
      • Catchment scale land use profiles
    • Agricultural productivity
      • Agricultural productivity estimates
      • International comparisons
      • Measuring productivity
      • Pathways to sustainable and productive agriculture
      • Productivity data
      • Productivity drivers
        • Seasonal workers and working holiday makers comparison report
      • Productivity introduction
      • Productivity publications
      • Related research
        • Labour force survey
        • Rural research, development and extension investment in Australia
    • Social sciences
      • Australian marine pest network analysis
      • Biosecurity research
      • Climate research
      • Community engagement
      • Community involvement in plant biosecurity
      • Human dimensions research
      • Making general surveillance work
        • General surveillance case study overviews
        • Guidelines for general surveillance programs
        • Literature review: Understanding general surveillance as a system
        • Research report: Making general surveillance programs work
        • Stocktake of general surveillance initiatives
      • Natural resource management
      • Pest animals and weed management survey
      • Recreational boat operators’ self-management of biofouling in Australia
      • Social aspects of weed management
      • Social impact assessment
    • Farm surveys and analysis
      • Farm performance
      • Farm survey data
      • Disaggregating farm performance statistics by size
      • Previous research
    • Trade
      • Australian wine in China: Impact of China’s anti-dumping duties
      • Case study of Australian citrus exports
      • Case study of cattle exports to ASEAN countries
      • Agricultural export price and volume indicators
      • Analysis of government support for Australian agricultural producers
      • Australia's biosecurity market access and agricultural exports
      • Impacts of COVID-19 on Australian agriculture, forestry and fisheries trade
      • Non tariff measures affecting Australian agriculture
      • Overview of recent ABARES China research
      • Research on agriculture, trade and COVID-19
      • South America: an emerging competitor for Australia's beef industry
      • South American wine industry
      • The future of Chinese agricultural policy
      • Understanding how China's tariff on Australian barley exports will affect the agricultural sector
    • Water
      • A model of water trade and irrigation activity in the southern Murray-Darling Basin
      • Future scenarios for the southern Murray-Darling Basin: Report to the Independent Assessment of Social and Economic Conditions in the Basin
      • Measuring water market prices
      • Murray-Darling Basin water markets: trends and drivers 2002-03 to 2018-19
      • Murray-Darling-Basin water market dataset
      • Trends in water entitlement holdings and trade: Analysis of ABARES survey data
      • Water Market Outlook – August 2021
    • Agricultural forecasting
      • Changes to reporting of marketing year data
      • Farm share and price spread
      • Farmers' terms of trade: Update to farm costs and prices paid
      • Forecasting national grain stocks in times of drought
      • Seasonal climate scenarios for medium-term forecasts
      • Summary of ABARES agricultural forecasting
      • The future of public sector forecasting in Australian agriculture
    • Working papers
      • Discount rates and risk in economic analysis
      • A micro-simulation model of irrigation farms in the southern Murray-Darling Basin
      • A model of spatial and inter-temporal water trade in the southern Murray-Darling Basin
      • Defining drought from the perspective of Australian farmers
      • Introducing ABARES farmpredict
      • Non-tariff measures: A methodology
      • Simulating the effects of climate change on the profitability of Australian farms

Forests

ABARES research and analysis in forest economics and sciences provides professionally independent, world-class advice to inform government and private sector decision-makers on significant issues affecting forests and the forestry sector.

  • Forests overview
  • Australia’s State of the Forests Report
  • Forest sciences
  • Forest economics
  • Forest data
  • Fast forest facts
  • Forest industry
  • Forest and wood products statistics

 

Latest releases

Forest inventory for private native forestry, farm forestry and Indigenous forestry: Farm forestry sector report

This report presents information describing the extent and distribution of planted farm forestry in Australia based on available inventory information.  It provides an understanding of the potential for planted farm forestry to complement the well-characterised public production native forests and existing commercial plantations.

Published: 6 April 2022

Australian forest and wood products statistics, March and June quarters 2021 released

This biannual report presents 2020-21 data for key domestic indicators of forestry sector activity such as new housing commencements and the trade of wood products.

Published: 26 November 2021

Global Outlook for Wood Markets to 2030

This report presents an outlook on the availability of and demand for raw wood fibres by geographic region and country. The analysis looks into potential changes in global trade flows, and regional and country level trade balances that could affect Australia’s forestry sector.

Published: 23 November 2021

Australian plantation statistics and log availability report 2021

In this report, plantation areas and forecast log availability are presented nationally and by National Plantation Inventory (NPI) regions for softwood and hardwood plantation types. This is based on data collected from private growers and grower representatives and public state and territory agencies. This data is published every 5 years and supports strategic forest industry planning and decision–making.

Published: 25 October 2021

Australian forest and wood products statistics, September and December quarters 2020 released

This series publication provides the latest data on domestic forestry sector activity, including gross value of production, sales and service income, industry value added and trade.

Published: 22 June 2021

Regional Forest Agreements – Reservation and resource availability outcomes

Australia’s ten Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are long-term agreements for the sustainable management and conservation of Australia’s forests. This report presents a complete compilation of the data relating to the formal outcomes from the RFAs.

Published: 18 December 2020

Australia’s Indigenous land and forest estate: separate reporting of Indigenous ownership, management and other special rights report

This report provides estimates of the Indigenous land and forest estate over which Indigenous peoples and communities have ownership, management or co management, or other special rights.

Published: 3 December 2020

Australia’s Indigenous forest estate (2020) dataset

This dataset estimates the Indigenous land and forest estate is 438 million hectares of land (including 70 million hectares of forest).

Published: 3 December 2020

Australian forest and wood products statistics: March and June quarters 2020

This report highlights a contraction in the value of forestry exports, which began in September 2019 and peaked in January 2020.

Published: 26 November 2020

A framework for developing medium term projections of traded wood products

Forest and Wood Products Australia commissioned ABARES to develop a quantitative framework for projecting future exports and imports of selected wood.

Published: 4 August 2020

Productivity and efficiency of the Australian sawmilling industry

This study, commissioned by Forest and Wood Products Australia, is the first comprehensive productivity and efficiency analysis of the Australian sawmilling industry at the mill level.

Published: 10 July 2020

Australian forest and wood products statistics: September and December quarters 2019

This report is now being released as a data visualisation, based on a comprehensive dataset that can be used to inform policy makers and industry representatives on the current state of the industry. It shows that Australia’s forest harvesting sector showed strong signs in 2018−19, while wood processing output and housing activity remained weaker.

Published: 2 July 2020

Bushfires and pandemic spell tough road ahead for forestry and wood processing sectors

Major challenges for forestry and wood processors loom in the wake of summer’s bushfires and COVID-19, according to analysis in our latest ABARES Insights report.

Published: 30 June 2020

Australian plantation statistics 2020 update released

This update presents information on Australia’s commercial timber plantations, reporting on total plantation area, new plantings and ownership. These statistics support policy development and forest industry planning and decision-making.

Published: 23 June 2020

Australia’s forests and forestry glossary now available

This glossary is a comprehensive and authoritative reference for the interpretation and use of forest and forestry terms at the national level in Australia.

Published: 19 June 2020

Where and how often fire occurred in Australia’s forests between 2011 and 2016

The latest ABARES Insights, ‘Stocktake of Fire in Australia’s forests, 2011 to 2016,’ covers where and how often fire occurred, what land and forest types were burnt, and whether fire was planned or unplanned.

Published: 27 May 2020

Australia’s forestry sector strong in export markets

The Australian forest and wood products statistics, March and June quarters 2019 report records the fifth consecutive year of growth for the forestry sector, with higher export demand offsetting weaker domestic demand.

Published: 26 November 2019

Forest industry’s key contribution to Australia’s economy detailed in new ABARES Insight

This Insights snapshot looks at the key aspects of Australia’s forest and sawmilling industries: forest area, log harvest, production, consumption, trade and industry structure.

Published: 18 November 2019

Forests At A Glance booklet released

This is a compendium of data and information about Australia’s native forests and commercial plantations. Much of the data is current to 2017–18 and has been published in detailed reports.

Published: 18 November 2019

Profiles of our forests now available

Australian forest profiles 2019 is an updated series comprising the seven main native forest types, and commercial plantations.

Published: 2 October 2019

Development of a national tenure dataset for reporting the tenure of Australia’s forests

This technical report describes the approach used for assembling the Tenure of Australia’s forests (2018) dataset and reporting in Australia’s State of the Forests Report 2018.

Published: 27 August 2019

Value of commercial plantation harvests at record high

Conditions in Australia’s forestry sector remain favourable, according to the Australian forest and wood products statistics: September and December quarters 2018 report.

Published: 20 June 2019

National wood processing survey 2016-17

Between October 2017 and March 2019, ABARES surveyed Australian wood processors to obtain up-to-date mill-specific data, including mill inputs, production and employment. This survey updates the ABARES 2012–13 survey.

Published: 13 June 2019

Australia plantation statistics 2019 update

This report is the latest update in the Australian plantation statistics report series that supports strategic forest industry planning and decision-making by presenting information on total plantation area, new planting and ownership.

Published: 3 May 2019

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018  is the fifth and latest in the series of comprehensive five-yearly national reports on Australia's forests. It presents the best available data and information for reporting the status of Australia's forests.

Published: 21 February 2019

Upscaling the Australian softwood sawmill industry: Feasibility and implications for future plantation investment

This report was jointly commissioned by Forest and Wood Products Australia and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) to estimate the area of new softwood plantations required to support a world-scale softwood sawmill in selected National Plantation Inventory (NPI) regions.

Published: 26 February 2019

Economic potential for new plantation establishment in Australia: Outlook to 2050 report

This report explores the economic potential of establishing new commercial timber plantations in Australia, between 2020 and 2050, under current and alternative market conditions. The findings of the report are intended to assist industry and policymakers anticipate and adapt to expected changes in the industry.

Published: 26 February 2019

Future opportunities for using forest and sawmill residues in Australia

This report presents estimates of the potential production and use of harvest and sawmill residues in Australia in 2050. It provides insights into what the production and use of wood residues may look like in decades to come, once any required investment in infrastructure has taken place.

Published: 6 November 2018.

Compendium of five ABARES briefing notes relevant to Leadbeater’s possum

This compendium brings together for publication five briefing notes written by ABARES over the period 2013 to 2017. The briefing notes are critical analyses of the justification that was given for relisting of Leadbeater’s possum as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act, of the conservation management requirements of the species, of the draft Recovery Plan for the species, and of the related issue of fire and forest harvesting.
Leadbeater’s possum is a threatened species essentially restricted to ash and snowgum forests in the Central Highlands of Victoria that are also used for wood production. It has specific habitat requirements that include both large, hollow-bearing trees and a dense mid-storey layer in the forest, so has a complex relationship with the forest fire regime and forest management.

Published: 14 June 2018.

Australia's plantation log supply 2015-2059

This report presents forecasts of sawlog and pulplog volumes available from softwood and hardwood plantations. Changes in log availability have important implications for Australia's rural economies; the size, type and geographical location of wood and paper product manufacturing industries; the national supply of wood products; Australia's trade balance; and Australia's export income.
Forecasts are presented for softwood and hardwood sawlog and pulplog volumes by National Plantation Inventory region, based on the combination of forecasts supplied by plantation owners and managers through a survey, and ABARES modelled forecasts. For the modelled forecasts, ABARES did not account for any future changes in social, economic or environmental parameters.

Published: 15 December 2016.

Climatic suitability of Australia's production forests for myrtle rust

Myrtle rust disease has caused defoliation and death of trees of rainforest species in New South Wales and Queensland, and has also been responsible for significant damage to eucalypt plantations in South America. This report combines climatic suitability modelling for myrtle rust across Australia with spatial data on Australia's production forests and forecast wood availability.

The results show that 9.1 per cent of Australia's forecast available volume of plantation eucalypt logs, and 22 per cent of Australia's forecast available volume of public native forest eucalypt logs, derive from areas predicted to be highly suitable climatically for myrtle rust. The report also discusses the differences between an area being highly suitable climatically for myrtle rust, and a potential impact on wood production.

Published: 10 August 2016.

ABARES forest research capabilities

ABARES capabilities cover spatial analysis of forest data; economic surveys, analyses, modelling and forecasting; forest ecology, silvicultural systems, and sustainable yield; and national and international reporting based on criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. ABARES also contributes data, performs analysis and provides advice on Regional Forest Agreements, threatened species, illegal logging, and national, regional and state-based forest issues.

ABARES manages Australia’s National Forest Inventory (NFI), which was established in 1988 to enable the calculation of nationally consistent and comprehensive attributes describing Australia’s forests. The NFI is the key repository for a range of data about Australia’s forests, with data supplied by state, territory and Australian government agencies integrated into national classifications by ABARES. Data in the NFI is used for publicly communicating information about Australia's forests, including in the Australia’s State of the Forests Report series.

ABARES also manages the National Plantation Inventory (NPI), a component of the NFI which has been collecting data on plantations established primarily for wood production in Australia since 1993. NPI data on Australia’s plantations are collected by ABARES through an annual survey of growers, grower representatives and state and territory agencies.

Forests Australia

The Forests Australia website, hosted by ABARES, provides up-to-date information on Australia's forests in collaboration with Australia’s state and territory governments.

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Last updated: 06 April 2022

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.