Support Plantation Establishment program

To date, $28.52 million (GST exclusive) has been awarded to 46 projects. Funding of $45.24 million (GST exclusive) remains available for Round 3.

The funding supports the establishment of new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests in Australia and assists the sector in responding to the projected growth in demand for domestically sourced timber resources.

The objectives of the program are to:

• increase future plantation forest resources available for processing, as well as for plantation forest management, harvesting and haulage employment
• support private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory government forestry bodies to expand the Australian plantation forest estate
• contribute to meeting Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets, including under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention.

Funding of $2,000 (GST exclusive) per hectare of new long-rotation plantation forest established will be provided to successful grantees.

• The minimum grant amount is $40,000 (GST exclusive).
• There is no maximum grant amount, provided grant funding is available.

The grants require applicants to provide a co-contribution at least equal to the grant amount and are open to private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory government forestry bodies.

Further details about the Support Plantation Establishment program are outlined in the Round 3 Grant Opportunity Guidelines, available on GrantConnect.