Australia’s largest hardwood manufacturer has been busy ramping up the supply of Tasmanian Oak, working hard to meet hardwood demand despite the Victorian government’s decision to lock up native forests.
That is according to Vince Hurley, Managing Director of Australian Sustainable Hardwoods, who said ASH has been using state-of-the-art laser scanning technology to turn wood destined for export, pallets, and wood chips into higher-value appearance-grade hardwood used in F17 grade structural timber as well as classic grade cladding and linings.
“Advancements in processing have enabled us to significantly increase our Australian Oak supply by utilising timber that would have been diverted to export wood chips,” Hurley said. “We’re pleased to announce that abundant stock is ready for delivery across various applications, including appearance-grade staircases, windows, and joinery timbers.”
And it’s not just hardwood…with softwood capacity also increasing.
The push to create higher-value hardwood products comes after a recent ABARES report—published in March—revealed that Australia has all the structural (predominantly softwood) timber it needs to meet current and future demand. That is according to the Australian wood volumes analysis published by ABARES – the science and economics research division of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
For Dr Jared Greenville, Executive Director of ABARES, the findings provide much-needed confidence for an industry heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic shortages, showing that demand for much-needed structural timber will increase exponentially over the coming decades.
“Timber is a valuable resource, widely used in Australia’s construction sector,” Dr Greenville said. “Demand for construction-related timber is expected to grow by about 50 per cent by 2050 as the population increases, but the volume will vary depending on our future preferences for housing types, with some houses using more timber than others.”
“On the supply side, the report indicates that Australia’s domestic log availability is projected to increase by approximately 70 per cent through to 2055 with a record availability of 16.8 million cubic metres per year of softwood sawlogs for residential construction in 2050-2054.”
- To learn more about Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), and how it is building hardwood supply in the face of the Victorian government’s decision to close the state’s native hardwood industry, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
