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Industry profile
The Queensland forestry and wood products industry plays a vital role in Queensland's economic, social and environmental wellbeing, especially in rural and regional communities.
It consists of a number of sectors all linked via the supply of raw material (log timber) or via timber and wood product markets.
Sales of Queensland's forestry growing and timber industry goods and services are estimated to have contributed around $3.8 billion worth of activity to the State's economy in 2006-07 (ABS 2006). Queensland's timber and wood product processing and manufacturing segment of the industry, which includes the production of plywood, veneer, panel boards, laminated timber products, doors, structural frames, roof trusses, wooden containers, pallets and packing cases, accounted for about one-third of overall industry sales. The log sawmilling segment (including woodchip production) accounted for a further 20 per cent of total sales.
The pulp, paper and converted paper manufacturing segment is also a significant component of the overall industry value chain in Queensland; however, the segment is not integrally linked to the State's forest resources because of its reliance on recycled and imported inputs.
The industry is estimated to employ almost 19,000 people across the full industry value chain and this is highlighted in Table 1.
| Sector | Employment (FTE) |
|---|---|
| Forestry and logging | 1 700 |
| Log sawmilling and timber dressing | 1 900 |
| Wood product manufacturing | 5 300 |
| Pulp, paper and converted paper product manufacturing | 1 800 |
| Wooden furniture manufacturing | 7 980* |
| Total | 18,680 |
Source: ABS 2012
*Employment data for ANZSIC code = 2511 (Wooden Furniture and Upholstered Seat Manufacturing) are not available and therefore the department has estimated the employment attributed to this segment based on past trends.
Table 1: Queensland forest and timber industry employment (2011-12)
The industry also indirectly impacts on many parts of the Queensland economy. The former Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries estimated that for every dollar of value-adding generated in the industry, an additional $1.80 of value-adding is generated in the Queensland economy. For every additional full-time equivalent (FTE) job in the industry, an estimated 1.3 FTEs are created in the Queensland economy.
Further information
Industry organisations
- Australian Forest Growers - private forestry and commercial tree growing interests.
- Australian Forest Products Association is the national peak body for forest and wood products industry.
- Australian Timber Flooring Association
- Australian Timber Importers Federation - timber importer and wholesaler sectors of the national timber industry.
- Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia - engineered wood products industry of Australasia.
- Forest and Wood Products Australia - investing in research and development and delivering research outcomes to the forest and wood products industry in Australia.
- Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland - nursery industry including production and retail nurseries, garden centres, allied traders and service providers.
- Timber Communities Australia - an organisation of people associated with or supportive of forest-based industries.
- Timber Preservers Association of Australia
- Timber Queensland is the peak timber industry body in Queensland.
