MOUNT Gambier’s status as a national leader in forestry innovation has been cemented with the launch yesterday of a ground-breaking forestry research hub.
The $4m-plus Mount Gambier institute – hosted at the UniSA campus – is one of two unveiled in Australia to drive research in the industry.
The softwood-focused research hub was a key election commitment from Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin in June 2016.
Considered a landmark development for the regional forestry sector, the hub will see the return of national forestry research in Mount Gambier following the axing of the CSIRO centre some years ago.
Industry partners will contribute money for specific research projects, which has the potential to “revolutionise” they way softwood plantations are used in the region.
In particular, the research could see the regional industry tap into the new industry frontiers such as bio-materials and bio-plastics made from surplus wood fibre.
Launching the research hub at the Bio Gro Wandilo production site yesterday, Mr Pasin said the initiative would drive the sector’s contribution to the regional economy.
He said both the state and federal governments had contributed $4m to get the key project off the ground.
“In South Australia there were 178,800 hectares of plantation forests in 2015/16 with logs produced to a value of $321m,” Mr Pasin said.
“The innovation hub will enable the local industry to advance even further.”
He said an industry-led committee had been established to determine priority research projects for the forest and wood products industry in the Mount Gambier region.
Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator Anne Ruston – who was in Mount Gambier yesterday for the announcement – said the new hub would play an important role in building knowledge on Australia’s plantation forests and revolutionising the way they were used.
“It’s about maximising the value from every cubic metre harvested from our plantations. It’s about moving our wood products up the value chain,” Senator Ruston said.
“The end result is better returns to business, more investment, more jobs and greater economic prosperity and wealth in the South East community.”
The senator said the research undertaken in Mount Gambier would have national implications.
“This research can be applied to other softwood plantation regions across Australia,” the minister said.
“The innovation hub will work closely with industry to maximise the economic returns from every dollar spent.”
Senator Ruston said the hub would also strengthen ties between research institutions and the sector’s strategic needs.
“Forestry is truly a sunrise industry – there is great potential in the new frontiers such as bio-materials and bio-plastics,” she said.
“Australia’s plantation forestry sector is a real success story. Now in its third consecutive year of growth, Australia’s plantation industry increased the volume of logs harvested to a record 26 million cubic metres in 2015/16.”
The committee’s membership will include industry representatives Dr Charlma Phillips, Tammy Auld, Phillip Dohnt, Glen Rivers and David Oliver.
The group will also include Professor Christopher Saint, from the University of South Australia, and representatives of the Australian and South Australian governments.
