The Victorian Government released the final version of the Timber Industry Strategy on 18th December 2009.
Trees Victoria welcomes the Timber Industry Strategy (TIS) as a blueprint for the development of plantations for farm forestry for the next decade.
In the TIS, the clear recognition and support for the role of plantations and farm forestry on private land as the major supplier to the timber industry is welcome from the perspective of Trees Victoria, an organisation that works to support the development of the industry based on private land resources.
The information in the strategy shows the sawlog supply from native forest on public land is now less than a quarter of that supplied annually from private land, and that trend seems set to continue.
So, the challenge for industry and government coming out of the TIS is to come together to develop and support implementation of the strategy to realise the vision and the strength of the contribution that an expanding industry, based on private land, can make to sustaining rural and regional economies and communities. To begin with, there are key tasks and challenges relating to planning and water use policy issues for government, and to social licence for industry and stakeholders.
Trees Victoria looks forward to working with the government in 2010 on implementation of the TIS.
