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The Regional
Farm Forestry and Plantations Strategy has been prepared to guide
future industry activity in Gippsland.
This Strategy has
been developed in light of the National and Victorian private
forestry strategies, and is intended to complement them. It
provides a realistic projection of the nature and market
orientation of future commercial tree growing activity in the
region. It demonstrates the potential for plantations to
contribute to regional wealth creation on a sustainable basis.
While the Strategy emphasises the scope for expansion of the
plantation resource base of Gippsland, it also addresses the
opportunities for the sustainable management of private native
forests in the region.
GPF has released a Regional
Strategy to guide the private forestry sector in taking full
advantage of the plantation and forest industry development
opportunities that have been identified in Gippsland.
The Strategy provides a realistic projection of
the nature and market orientation of future commercial tree
growing activity in the region. It identifies a series of regional
objectives for the private forest industry that would enhance the
sector’s profitability, and result in a major benefit to
Gippsland’s economy and environment. The Strategy then lists a
suite of actions that GPF intends to undertake or facilitate, with
support from other associated stakeholders, to foster further
industry development.
Some of the objectives and actions relate to
specific market or product opportunities that plantation growers
could target, often building on existing regional strengths and
capacity. These include production of pine sawlogs, eucalypt
sawlogs and pulpwood, and specialty timbers. In addition, measures
to encourage sustainable private native forest management, tree
crops for lower rainfall areas, and recognition of the public
environmental benefits arising from commercial tree growing are
proposed.
Other sections of the Strategy address factors
that will enhance prospects for industry development across the
region. Improvements to the marketing options and arrangements for
smaller growers, fostering an attractive regional investment
climate for wood processing facilities and plantation growing, and
maximising opportunities for participation in greenhouse related
markets are covered. Maintaining positive community attitudes
towards private forestry, and continuation of a forum for industry
interaction and coordination are also seen as important issues.
Gippsland Regional Farm
Forestry and Plantations Strategy
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