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❓ Mr. Blayney asks the Minister about plans to address a projected softwood supply gap in WA, referencing the Forest Products Commission's 2017 Annual Report. The Minister outlines several implemented measures.

AnsweredQoN 2604Legislative Assembly

Asked

13 March 2018

Member

Mr I.C. Blayney

Portfolio

Water; Fisheries; Forestry; Innovation and ICT; Science

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to page 21 of the Forest Products Commission 2017 Annual Report, specifically the Softwood Industry Strategy for Western Australia, and I ask the Minister what plans are in place to address the coming gap in softwood supply in WA?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

8 May 2018

Responded by

Minister for Water; Fisheries; Forestry; Innovation and ICT; Science

Response time

9 days

Several measures have been implemented to address the projected future reduction in availability of softwood timber resources, including: • Investing $21 million in new plantations; • Attracting private investment in plantations; • Promoting and encouraging farm forestry, including the recently announced Farm Forestry Assist Program; • Increased recovery of saw log volume through the use of log optimisation software in harvesting machines; and • Ensuring the plantations are managed to maximise growth through appropriate silvicultural practice.

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