❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding the Forest Management Plan, timber contracts, ecological thinning, and sales to specific businesses like Simcoa and Wesbeam. The response provides data on timber volumes, contract details, and financial information related to ecological thinning.
AnsweredQoN 873Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 October 2025
Member
Portfolio
Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Forestry; Small Business; Mid West
QuestionView source ↗
(1) As the Forest Management Plan (FMP) has been operating for more than 18 months, and the government has not published any data on the production of timber under the FMP like all governments since 1918 can the Minister advise? (2) How many contracts for native forest timber have been issued under the new FMP? (3) By log grade how much native forest timber has been committed under contract for the 2025/26 year? (4) How many contracts and what quantity of timber has been committed under private treaty contracts? (5) Is it true that the large forestry businesses (Simcoa and Wesbeam) have been able to negotiate private treaty contracts whereas small businesses have had to compete to gain access to logs: (a) Why has this approach been taken? (6) Is the government confident that it is achieving the best commercial price for timber sold under private treaty contracts: (a) Was any independent analysis done to ensure that value for money was achieved? (7) What proportion of the wood (excluding residues) produced from mine site clearing is sold to Simcoa: (a) What proportion is sold to domestic firewood customers; and (b) Has Simcoa received preferential access to this wood ahead of small family businesses? (8) How much timber from ecological thinning has been produced from within 150 km of Perth in 2024/25: (a) How much of this timber has been sold to firewood customers? (9) Will the Minister for Forestry ask the Minister for Environment to increase the thinning of the northern forests (where the climate risk is greatest) to assist in maintaining reasonable costs of haulage (and use less fossil fuels)? (10) What quantity of veneer logs have been sold from ecological thinning over the 2024/25 financial year: (a) Why was Wesbeam able to access this timber on a private treaty basis? (11) What quantity of logs was produced in 2024/25 from ecological thinning? (12) How much was spent on thinning and producing logs from ecological thinning in the 2024/25 Financial Year? (13) How much was spent on carting and storing logs from ecological thinning in the 2024/25 Financial Year? (14) What was the quantity of logs stockpiled from ecological thinning on 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025? What is the book value of the logs stockpiled on those dates: (a) If the quantity is increasing what measures are in place to ensure the sale of this wood? (15) Are the stockpiled logs insured against damage? (16) What was the quantity of timber and value of sales from ecological thinning over the last financial year?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Forestry; Small Business; Mid West
Response time
9 days
(1-4) There are 49 contracts.
The following quantities are currently committed under contract for the 2025/26 financial year:
Green firewood: Up to 62,000 tonnes
High value recovery logs: Up to 10,500 tonnes
Mulch: Up to 60,000 tonnes
Recovery log: Up to 28,000 tonnes
LVL log: Approximately 20,000 tonnes
Simcoa char block/log: Up to 140,000 tonnes
Volumes committed are dependent on whether extension options are implemented.
(5) (5a) All businesses have been offered private treaty contracts or given the opportunity to continue to purchase native forest logs through restricted tender processes.
(6) Yes.
(a) No.
(7) 79% during 2024/25.
(a) 7% during 2024/25.
(b) No.
(8) Nil.
(a) Not applicable.
(9) No, operational plans for ecological thinning are prepared by the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions and are based on improved forest health outcomes
(10) 24,800 tonnes in the 2024/25 financial year.
(a) Refer to answer 5-5(a)
(11) 113,000 tonnes.
(12-13) $32.7 million including harvesting, haulage, roading, management of log reserves.
(14) Timber reserves from ecological thinning were:
30 June 2024: 20,000 tonnes
30 June 2025: 62,000 tonnes
(a) Ecological thinning is undertaken for forest health outcomes.
(15) No.
(16) 71,000 tonnes was sold for $6.7 million which was returned to Treasury.
The following quantities are currently committed under contract for the 2025/26 financial year:
Green firewood: Up to 62,000 tonnes
High value recovery logs: Up to 10,500 tonnes
Mulch: Up to 60,000 tonnes
Recovery log: Up to 28,000 tonnes
LVL log: Approximately 20,000 tonnes
Simcoa char block/log: Up to 140,000 tonnes
Volumes committed are dependent on whether extension options are implemented.
(5) (5a) All businesses have been offered private treaty contracts or given the opportunity to continue to purchase native forest logs through restricted tender processes.
(6) Yes.
(a) No.
(7) 79% during 2024/25.
(a) 7% during 2024/25.
(b) No.
(8) Nil.
(a) Not applicable.
(9) No, operational plans for ecological thinning are prepared by the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions and are based on improved forest health outcomes
(10) 24,800 tonnes in the 2024/25 financial year.
(a) Refer to answer 5-5(a)
(11) 113,000 tonnes.
(12-13) $32.7 million including harvesting, haulage, roading, management of log reserves.
(14) Timber reserves from ecological thinning were:
30 June 2024: 20,000 tonnes
30 June 2025: 62,000 tonnes
(a) Ecological thinning is undertaken for forest health outcomes.
(15) No.
(16) 71,000 tonnes was sold for $6.7 million which was returned to Treasury.
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