- 12,000 tonnes of structural pine to be delivered by Forest Products Commission
- Wespine to manage distribution, both to existing customers and open market
- Necessitated by global shortage limiting imports from Eastern states and overseas
The Western Australian Government has announced 12,000 tonnes of local timber will be supplied in a significant boost to the building industry.
The announcement came from Forestry Minister Dave Kelly, who confirmed that the structural pine will be made available to the building and construction sector over the next three months.
Pine shortage sweeps globe
The news comes after a hard year for the timber and building industries, as a global timber shortage held the importation of pine into WA in a tight grip.
“The global shortage of structural pine reinforces how important it is for Western Australia to have a sustainable, long-term and local supply of this critical resource.”
Dave Kelly, Forestry Minister
Historically, the Western Australian softwood processing industry was responsible for supplying around 65% of pine products to that state’s construction market.
Importation of pine from the Eastern States or internationally filled the rest of the gaps.
However this gap is widening with limitations to pine importation volumes, increasing the pressure on locally grown pine products.
Master Builders WA has advocated for the necessity of increased softwood supply, and worked alongside the State Government and Wespine to achieve this outcome.
“The West Australian building and construction industry is booming and it’s fantastic that we can support them with locally grown pine,” said Mr Kelly.
12,000 tonne boost to WA industries
To fulfill the State Government’s latest commitment, the Forest Products Commission (FPC) will supply the additional 12,000 tonnes of locally grown softwood to help the timber industry meet demand.
The softwood logs will be supplied to Wespine in the coming months by the FPC from its south-western radiata pine plantations.
Additional pine deliveries are expected to reach Wespine within a few weeks, where Wespine will be responsible for distribution to the market.
The deliveries will be used to backfill order for Wespine’s customers, in addition to appearing on their current price list, ensuring fair distribution.
News follows $350M plantation expansion plans
Improving the local supple of pine has been a high priority of late for the State Government.
The 12,000 tonne timber boost follows news of the State Government’s $350M investment into expanding WA’s softwood timber plantation footprint by another 33,000 hectares.
The increased plantation area will assist the pine industry in more easily meeting construction demands into the future.
“The McGowan Government’s record $350 million expansion of WA’s pine plantations will secure long-term supply and ensure we have a sustainable timber industry for the future.”
Dave Kelly, Forestry Minister
