Phase 6 (2007 to present

Phase 5 involved moving north with new species and the embryonic start of new industries. New species were established for sawn timber production: endemic species such as E. pellita (Red mahogany), E. dunnii (Dunn’s white gum) and Corymbia species were planted in northern Australia, along with exotic species such as Tectona grandis (teak) and Khaya senegalensis (African mahogany). Biomass species such as E. polybractea (blue mallee) and E. kochii subsp plenissima (oil mallee) were developed in dryer areas. Santalum spicatum (Australian sandalwood) and S. album (Indian sandalwood) were new species managed for aromatic oil production, in the southwest and far north of WA, respectively. During this period planting rates fluctuated greatly (e.g., in some cases due to change to the taxation system).

Phase 6 (2007 to present)

Phase 6 has been a period of reckoning for many projects where poor species performance compared to expectations has resulted in exit and establishment of pasture, compounded by the collapse of the main MIS companies. The actual loss of hardwood plantation area from 2009/10 to 2015/16 is under-stated when simply looking at the gross area change, because new planting areas mask the impact of areas that were not replanted after harvest. Over the period from 2005/06 to 2015/16, 100,620 ha (10.2% of the peak estate) were not re-planted after harvest and over the same period the softwood estate expanded by a modest 35,648 ha, with limited new plantings over the most recent two financial years. Analysis of change in the area of plantations highlights events that had significant impact on the plantation estate: for example, the 2003 Canberra wildfires reduced the area of Radiata pine estate recorded in 2004/05 (Figure 3) and write-off of MIS hardwood projects in southern Queensland reduced the area of hardwoods in 2009/10.

New plantation investment in Australia has effectively ‘stalled’ for long-rotation plantations.

Jenkin39 (2018) described some projects which have included a very large number of species e.g. the Community Rainforest Reforestation Project (CRRP) was a Government-landowner projects operating in the wet tropics areas of north Queensland which commenced in 1992/9364 and included over 100 species: the main species based on numbers planted were Red mahogany, Hoop pine, E cloeziana (Gympie messmate) and Flindersia brayleyana (Queensland maple) and by number of blocks planted, Queensland maple, Elaeocarpus angustifolius (Quandong), Agathis robusta (Kauri pine) and Red mahogany.

Gould40 (2011) described Queensland research in the 1950’s commenced on under-planting logged (and sometimes silviculturally treated) rainforest. A variety of species were tried but Qld Maple (Flindersia brayleyana) emerged as the main species of promise, and it was used extensively in subsequent routine operations. There were substantial areas of rainforest underplanted with Maple during 1950 – 1970.

39 Jenkin B (2018) Next Generation Plantation Investment Research Project Benchmarking analysis: Part 1 Australia’s history of plantation development, policy, and incentives. Faculty of Science School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences Next Generation Plantation Investment Research Project: Benchmarking Report 1 MU NT Final Report. 40 Keith Gould personal communication 27th Dec 2021.