 This report presents detailed results from ABARE’s 2007 sawmill survey. Between July and October 2007, ABARE undertook a survey of Australian sawmills in order to resolve concerns regarding the reliability of sawnwood production data collected in Australia. In particular, since the cancellation of a number of state-based surveys by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and state government agencies in 2004, there have been no consistent estimates of sawnwood production available for Australia.
The results from this survey provide consistent and reliable estimates of broadleaved and coniferous sawnwood production, using a standardised approach and definitions across each state of Australia. The survey also provides a valuable link in ABARE’s forest sector database, and allows cross-checking with other data collections, such as log harvest estimates.
The compiled sawmill population list used for the survey estimated there are more than 600 sawmills in Australia, more than half of which are small processors of broadleaved sawlogs (processing less than 3000 cubic metres of sawlog each year). In total, it is estimated there are 502 broadleaved and 108 coniferous sawmills in Australia. The number of sawmills in Australia has fallen significantly over the past decade, with the estimated number of broadleaved sawmills falling by 43 per cent and coniferous mills by 58 per cent. The changing structure of the industry reflects changes to government policy regarding the harvesting of native forests, as well as the economics of sawnwood processing.
The results of the survey show that around 3 million cubic metres of broadleaved sawlogs, and more than 8.5 million cubic metres of coniferous sawlogs, were processed in Australian sawmills during 2006-07.
The survey provides estimates of sawnwood production for each quarter of 2006-07, for each state and species. The survey estimated broadleaved sawnwood production in 2006-07 at almost 1.2 million cubic metres and coniferous sawnwood production at around 4 million cubic metres.
The data indicates that almost one-third of broadleaved sawnwood output from Australian sawmills was produced as green structural sawnwood, as well as a large proportion produced as dry appearance grade sawnwood. In contrast, more than half of all coniferous sawnwood output was produced as dry structural timber.
There are significant differences in the structure of Australia’s sawnwood industry in each state. The broadleaved sawmilling industry is characterised by a large number of relatively small mills in New South Wales and Queensland, which have generally higher recovery rates than in states with larger average mill size. The coniferous industry is more uniform across states, although the inclusion of cypress pine sawmills in New South Wales and Queensland contributes to lower average mill size in these states. Compared with other states, both average mill size and sawnwood recovery rates are relatively low in Tasmania.
Although additional work is needed to improve the consistency of sawmill data collected in Australia, this survey is an important step in the ongoing data quality improvement process. To be useful in the long run, ongoing funding commitment is required to produce time series of sawnwood production and recovery rates so as to understand trends in the industry. |
