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This week 90 scientists from around Australia will meet in Shepparton to discuss a technology for new Australian hardwood plantation industry that will help preserve the environment, assist farmers with an extra crop and promote regional development.
"If we can get one million hectares of new plantations on farms across Australia over the next 25 years, there is a potential to create 25,000 jobs in processing the timber from these plantations," said Bill Rawlins, Board member of 'Trees for Profit' organisers of the Shepparton conference.
Mr Rawlins envisages ten centres of 100,000 hectares with a haulage circle of 70 km for new forest products industries to develop.
New plantation centres could be established in the Murray Darling Basin, while other centres could be established around existing plantations.
Short rotation eucalypt plantations of five to 20 hectares planted on farms could yield high quality timber, wood composites and paper pulp.
"An estimate of the value of forest products from one million hectares is $10 billion per year. In addition there will be environmental benefits through land and water care and the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - all good news for the Australian plantation forest industry," Mr Rawlins said.
Shepparton is leading the way with over six major world class hardwood plantation trials on farming properties.
"What we are trying to do in the Shepparton area is choose the best trees genetically, plant them in the most appropriate location, and use the best tree management techniques to produce fine timber for Australian exporters."
The heightened interest in recent years in using recycled water for plantation trees comes from pioneering work started about 20 years ago by the fore-runner to the Victorian Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
These original plantings are now allowing us to show that the wood quality is very good.
For further information and interviews please contact:
John Scottor
Bill Rawlins
Tel: 019 960 783
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