03 September 2025
Queensland Department of Primary Industries
275 George St
BRISBANE QLD 4000
To Whom It May Concern,
RE: AgForce Queensland Submission on the Draft Queensland Future Timber Plan 2050
AgForce Queensland Farmers Limited (AgForce) is a peak organisation representing Queensland’s cane, cattle, grain and sheep, wool & goat producers. The cane, beef, broadacre cropping and sheep, wool & goat industries in Queensland generated around $11.2 billion in on-farm value of production in 2022-23. AgForce’s purpose is to advance sustainable agribusiness and strives to ensure the long-term growth, viability, competitiveness and profitability of these industries. Over 6,000 farmers, individuals and businesses provide support to AgForce through membership. Our members own and manage around 55 million hectares, or a third of the state’s land area. Queensland producers provide high-quality food and fibre to Australian and overseas consumers, contribute significantly to the social fabric of regional, rural and remote communities, as well as deliver stewardship of the state’s natural environment.
AgForce Queensland Farmers welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Queensland Government’s Draft Queensland Future Timber Plan 2050 (the Plan). The forestry and timber industry is vital to Queensland’s regional economies, landowners, and the state’s broader environmental and housing objectives.
This submission responds to the draft Plan with considerations and specific recommendations (refer Appendix) that AgForce believes should be incorporated to deliver certainty, investment confidence, and long-term sustainability for the sector. It is also recognised that the Plan will be followed by the development of a five (5) year Action Plan, where much of the content of this submission could also be incorporated into the Action Plan.
Long-Term Certainty for Landowners
The draft Plan recognises the importance of native forestry but must provide greater certainty for landowners who manage private native forests.
AgForce strongly recommends:
- Establishing long-term regulatory certainty of at least 30 years, ideally extending to 100 years and longer, to give landowners confidence to invest in sustainable timber management.
- Inclusion of a Private Native Forestry Reserve (Category F) within the Forestry Act 1959, recognition under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 as a specific self-assessable code, and as an exemption under the Nature Conservation Act 1994 to enshrine recognition of native forest management as a legitimate and ongoing land use. (refer DRAFT Plan page 16 (accessible version))
- Ensuring regulatory frameworks provide certainty and transparency, avoiding duplication and conflicting requirements across State, Federal, and Local Governments.
Sustainable Forest Management and Silvicultural Practices
AgForce emphasises the need to adopt accepted silvicultural practices to ensure ongoing productivity, biodiversity outcomes, and high-value timber products. This includes:
- Supporting landowners to use evidence-based silvicultural practices that improve regeneration, productivity, and timber quality.
- Clear extension services to provide landholders with tools and knowledge to manage forests effectively, and provide channels for improved engagement with science, policy and industry.
- Recognition of services such as AgCarE’s Native Forest Management Module, which provides support for whole-of-enterprise natural capital management and sustainability assessment against national and international standards.
- Broaden income streams through supporting the development of carbon methods recognized by the Clean Energy Regulator for farm forestry management and increasing the capacity of the biomass industry to generate value from production chain efficiencies and re-purposing waste.
Supply and Market Certainty
Queensland faces a growing housing and infrastructure demand. To ensure the forestry industry can contribute to these needs, the Plan must:
- Guarantee sustainable supply for native forestry across all tenures.
- Expand plantations and support farm forestry initiatives, with targets for new plantations delivered in the next 25 years.
- Recognise and support private landholders as critical suppliers of timber alongside State forests, showcasing sustainably sourced hardwood and softwood in Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics.
- Ensure imports are sustainably and ethically sourced, while reducing Queensland’s reliance on international supply.
Regulation and Governance
The Plan must streamline regulatory arrangements to reduce red tape and increase investment certainty.
AgForce recommends:
- Recognition of Category F within State, Federal and Local regulatory frameworks as a key mechanism to secure private native forestry. (as above refer DRAFT Plan page 16 (accessible version))
- Preventing the imposition of additional or duplicative regulatory burdens from Federal and Local Government, i.e. Protected Plant requirements under the Nature Conservation Act 1994.
- Ensuring regulatory approaches are outcomes-based, evidence-driven ‘guardrails’ that help landowners deliver both industry and environmental benefits in a world class forestry industry.
First Nations Engagement (refer DRAFT Plan Page 15 Supply chain and market (accessible version))
The draft Plan highlights the importance of First Nations partnerships, but must include a clear strategy for how Indigenous communities can be meaningfully engaged.
AgForce recommends:
- Co-designing engagement frameworks with Indigenous alongside forestry industry and landowner representatives.
- Supporting opportunities for Indigenous-led forestry enterprises and partnerships.
- Integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into contemporary silvicultural and forestry practices, with inclusions of First Nations values in AgCarE’s Native Forest Management Module.
Workforce and Regional Economies
A fit-for-purpose workforce underpins the success of the Plan.
AgForce highlights the need to:
- Invest in training, apprenticeships, and modern qualification programs across the supply chain.
- Encourage long-term succession planning within family-owned and regional businesses.
- Recognise forestry as a legitimate, multi-use enterprise alongside grazing, biodiversity, and other natural capital markets for support of regional economies and communities.
Research, Development and Innovation
AgForce supports the Plan’s focus on research and innovation but stresses the importance of practical application for landowners and their involvement in scientific inquiry, policy and market initiatives.
AgForce recommends:
- Investment in silvicultural science, genetic improvements, and adaptive forest management.
- Clear extension pathways for landowners and producers to develop, continuously improve and implement best practices.
- Supporting innovation in engineered wood products and supply chain efficiencies.
Integration of natural capital markets (carbon, biodiversity, offsets) alongside forestry to provide diversified income streams for landholders aiding business resilience and sustainability.
AgForce commends the Queensland Government for recognising forestry’s central role in housing, infrastructure, carbon management, and regional development. To succeed, the Queensland Future Timber Plan 2050 must deliver certainty for landowners, embrace silvicultural best practice, secure long-term timber supply, and streamline regulation. Importantly, it must position private landholders as partners in delivering a sustainable timber future for Queensland.
Sincerely,
Shane McCarthy
A/CEO-General President
AgForce Queensland Farmers Ltd
Appendix
Page 3
Guiding principles
Inclusion of commentary similar to “Maximise the value derived from multiple uses of forests by different stakeholders, including nature conservation, biodiversity, primary industries (hardwood, softwood, oils), secondary industries (carbon, woodchip, biodiversity, environmental offsets), cultural connection and tourism.”
Page 6
Addressing key drivers
2nd para, 1st sentence (insert) – ….require clear direction on where and how forestry activities can occur,…
Housing demand
1st para; 2nd sentence (amend) – An increase of new housing construction,…
Page 11
Selective harvesting
2nd para; 2nd sentence (insert) – Specially trained staff use accepted Silvicultural practices to carefully choose trees for harvesting,…
Engineered wood products
1st sentence (insert) – Advanced manufacturing options will deliver…
Page 12
Additional income streams
(insert) – Growing opportunities exist for on-farm diversification…
Workforce
(insert) – Modern training and qualification programs, which include advances in silvicultural practices and technologies, could be used….
Page 13
Our shared vision for forestry and timber
Last sentence in the Vision (insert) – Forests and timber products are economic generators that underpins construction of our homes,….
Page 17
What will success look like
1st dot point (insert) – State forests and private holdings (minus tourism and recreation) are retained….
Page 18
Opportunities to explore through consultation
1st dot point (insert) – …develop a pipeline of capable and skilled staff and landowners to meet current…
Research, development and extension
5th para; 1st sentence (insert) – …., helping them improve their knowledge and practices,….
5th para; 2nd sentence (insert) – ….and incentivise agroforestry approaches which provides certainty for landowners that they are implementing effective silvicultural practices.
What outcome will be achieved
Inclusion of commentary similar to “Informed primary producers that understand the timber industry and native forest production process, and have the ability to manage sustainable harvest and maximise quality and value of timber product.”
Page 19
What will success look like
1st dot point (insert) – … and product development of timber, timber products and natural capital (environmental offsets, carbon, biodiversity)
3rd dot point (insert) – ….. guide future forest management decisions by all stakeholders within the timber industry value-chain.
4th dot point (insert) – On-farm diversification, including grazing, timber and natural capital (environmental offsets, carbon, biodiversity) markets, and agroforestry, …..