Pining for jobs growth
JOBS, jobs and more fully sustainable jobs is what Forest NSW is creating in the Hume region around Tumbarumba and Batlow, by planting the first of some four million pine seedlings.
A total of approximately nine million seedlings will be planted across 7500ha around the state, creating some 1700 full time or equivalent jobs across the whole planting.
Forest NSW manages about 235,000ha of state-owned planted forests across NSW, of which 92,000ha lies within the Hume region.
Forests NSW regional manager Bob Germantse said the Hume region supplied more than 1.5 million tonnes of timber to NSW processors each year, used for structural timber for houses, plywood and for pulp and paper manufacturing.
Its neighbour, the Macquarie region, supplies more than one million tonnes of timber to the towns of Bathurst, Oberon and Tumut each year, which equates to approximately $800 million being invested each year in the region.
The Monaro region is another big winner from the sustainable industry with some 820ha planted in 2012 and a whopping 1800ha in 2013. This region also supplies some 700,000 tonnes of log products to its processors in the south east of NSW.
The NSW government is committed to the ongoing needs of our regions, supporting communities, jobs and a fully sustainable timber industry.
One can only say that wood's a winner.
