ABARES Executive Director, Karen Schneider, said that while the harvest of logs and domestic processing of wood products decreased in 2012–13, exports of some wood products, particularly roundwood and woodchips, increased substantially in the September and December quarters of 2013.
“The volume and value of logs harvested in Australia reached their lowest point in 10 years in 2012–2013, with most of the decrease in logs harvested from native forests due to declining market demand for some native forest products,” Ms Schneider said.
Production of wood-based panels decreased by 5.1% in 2012–2013.
“Over the past decade, domestic consumption of panel products has been increasingly met by imports while domestic production and exports have declined,” Ms Schneider said.
“Exports of roundwood and woodchips showed strong growth in the December quarter of 2013, with woodchips exports up 51% year on year and roundwood quarterly exports the highest in two decades,” Ms Schneider said.
The figures were released in Australian forest and wood products statistics, September and December quarters 2013, which provides the latest data for log harvest, production and trade of key forestry commodities, and forestry worker household incomes.
