SUPPORTING FORESTRY
IN CENTRAL WEST NSW

Forestry In the Central West

The Central West Forestry Hub was established in May 2020 under the “GROWING A BETTER AUSTRALIA, A billion trees for jobs and growth” policy. The Hub is made up of members from the forestry industry in Central West of NSW, with a concentration around the wood processing facilities in the towns of Oberon, Raglan and Burraga. The Hub will provide information that assists industry and government in expending forestry in the region and to achieve this the Hub is undertaking projects to support development, productivity and investment in the industry. These projects will have the overarching aims of supporting the communities in which the Central West forest industry operates, improving overall environmental impacts while minimising risks.

Hub Map

The Central West Forestry Hub is based around the town of Oberon NSW where two major processing facilities are located in proximity to a significant portion of the existing plantation estate. The Hub’s boundary was defined using existing statistical areas and includes land that is within the operational range of the existing facilities.

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INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
SUPPORTING FORESTRY IN
CENTRAL WEST NSW

PURPOSE

The Central West Forestry Hub has received funding under the National Forest Industries Plan which has the overarching objectives of “better returns to business, more investment, more jobs and greater economic prosperity for Australia” and “improve the productivity and efficiency of Australia’s forestry sector, and support each region and its economy.”

The key objectives of the Hub are:

Analysing the constraints that affect the productivity and efficiency of the forestry sector.
Pinpointing opportunities for future investment in infrastructure and technology, and areas for potential expansion by forest industries.
Identifying and support business cases for the investment in new infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, ports, telecommunications and training facilities, thereby assisting forest service industries better plan their futures.
Determining the potential for future plantation expansion within appropriate transport distances and near other existing sources of wood and fibre. This could include mapping potential land availability for plantations and engaging with farmers, indigenous communities and other landowners to establish forestry plantings.

Reports and Resources

Resources

To promote the expansion of the Forestry industry in Central West NSW, more information is needed regarding the current plantation estate’s size and productivity. The capacity to expand the estate will rely on access to additional suitable land that is capable of supporting plantation forestry. In order to achieve this the first actions under the work plan were focused on the existing resources, methods to improve productivity, areas for potential expansion and the provision of meaningful information to landowners.

Infrastructure

A major contributor to the longevity and efficiency of the forest industry in Central West NSW is the availability of appropriate infrastructure to ensure a secure resource and safe, low-cost logistics. The risk of large fire events is expected to increasingly impact on plantation forestry and the Central West may need to adopt additional practices or equipment in order to remain adequately prepared.

A unique advantage of Oberon is that is has existing rail infrastructure that could potentially be utilised by industry to expand the range and which raw materials can be sourced and deliver low cost freight options for manufactured timber products to their major markets.

People

While technologically sophisticated, the forestry industry understands that employees, landowners, end users and the broader community are core to its business.

Understanding the value and the opportunities that the industry brings to the region for people is a priority of the Central West Hub.

SUPPORTING FORESTRY IN CENTRAL WEST NSW