Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative

This is a proposal to create a commercial, farm-forestry-based cooperative to grow quality blackwood timber in plantations in Tasmania.

With the Tasmanian forest industry currently in a state of transition, now is the perfect time to think outside the square and grow blackwood, Australia's premier timber species, in plantations as part of normal farming practice, income diversification and good land management.

To be successful this proposal relies upon gaining support from industry, farmers, landowners, and the community in order to gain support from the Federal Government under the TFIA Regional Development Funding. While the Blackwood Cooperative will be self funding once timber harvesting commences in 35 years time, startup funding is required to get the Coop established. 

So if you are interested in being part of a new forestry venture in Tasmania then please read on.

My name is Gordon Bradbury. I'm a forester with 25 years experience in the forest industry with extensive experience in blackwood silviculture and research. In 2010 I completed a PhD at the University of Tasmania researching blackwood genetics and wood quality. 

I am passionate about the future of blackwood as a profitable, high quality, sustainable plantation-grown resource in Tasmania. Currently most blackwood timber comes from the harvesting of public native forest in Tasmania. As such the future of the blackwood industry is in doubt as pressure to halt the logging of public native forest continues. The Forestry Peace Agreement currently being negotiated between the forest industry and conservation groups provides a great opportunity to establish a sustainable, commercial blackwood plantation industry here in Tasmania.

Blackwood has been recognised for over 200 years as a premium appearance grade timber. It is a Tasmanian icon. Recent evidence suggests that demand for blackwood timber is increasing, driven partly by the international demand from the musical instrument industry for quality tonewood.

Blackwood is being grown successfully in plantations overseas. The New Zealand Farm Forestry Association (www.nzffa.com.nz) has a dedicated blackwood growers group (AMIGO). They have even written a growers handbook. Also in Chile farmers are growing blackwood to supply high-value timber markets.

Good site selection and proper, focused management are critical to successfully growing blackwood in commercial plantations. Small-scale, intensively-managed plantations provide the best silvicultural model for growing blackwood, hence the interest by the farm forestry communities in New Zealand and Chile. I believe the same approach can work here in Tasmania.

If you are a landowner/farmer, someone who works in the forest industry, a sawmiller, a wood worker, or someone who thinks this is a great idea, then I'd love to hear from you.