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COPYRIGHT 2003 Asia Pulse Pty Ltd
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A PROFILE OF AUSTRALIA'S TIMBER INDUSTRY
PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (UPDATED NOVEMBER 2003)
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OVERVIEW:
Australia has achieved a reputation for managing its forests sustainably with a world-class reserve system, healthy timber plantation industry and a sustainable harvest volume, according to a recent study.
Currently, only 113,000 hectares of 120 million hectares available in the country are harvested for timber. This constitutes only 0.1 per cent of total available forests, according to The 2003 State of the Forests Report, published by the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS).
The report confirms Australia is among the best in the world at protecting its forestry assets, with less than 0.1 per cent of the potential 74 per cent of forests of harvestable quality used for harvesting.
The report said there had been an increase of about 7 million hectares in the nation's estimated forest cover. While this increase in forestry area was attributed to better technology and improved mapping techniques, a major factor in the long-term sustainability of the forests was a reduction in the amount of land clearing and an increase in plantations across the country.
OUTLOOK:
Other highlights in the State of the Forests Report include:
* 164 million hectares, or 21...
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