The Forest Products Commission (FPC) owns and manages approximately 74,000 hectares of softwood plantations in the southwest of Western Australia. The softwood species radiata pine (Pinus radiata) and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) have been planted over many years to help reduce Australia’s reliance on imported timbers.
The FPC’s plantation estate (mainly radiata pine) supports a timber industry hub at Dardanup which includes a sawmill and timber processing plant, wood chipping facilities, wood treatment facilities, and a particleboard plant. Additionally, there is an engineered wood processing facility at Neerabup, north of Perth.
FPC resource projections show that without substantial new investment, the plantation estate would diminish significantly over the next 20 years.
In 2021, the WA Government announced a $350 million investment to grow the State’s softwood plantation timber estate to address declining plantation areas and future industry needs.
Over 10 years, the FPC will acquire and establish suitable land in the South West to help secure the future of WA’s softwood industry. Timber from these plantations will supply the softwood processing sector and support the State’s housing and construction industry, while also supporting the State’s response to climate change.
