https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/forest-products-commission/farm-forestry-assist
This is hilarious and so characteristic of forest industry thinking in Australia.
The Western Australian Forest Products Commission FPC (State forest agency) is offering free/low cost pine seedlings to farmers to establish pine plantations.
Western Australia is shutting down its public native forestry next year (2024), and its small softwood plantation industry is shrinking due to loss of plantation resource (due to a number of factors). The vast majority of Western Australia’s softwood plantations are government owned, and there is only one softwood sawmill called Wespine.
Westpine is 50% owned by Wesfarmers, one of Australia’s biggest companies.
https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/
As far as I’m aware there are no other markets for softwood logs in Western Australia, not even log export.
The Western Australian government wants to grow the softwood plantation industry to help maintain the competitive viability of the existing industry.
But there is the flawed thinking!
The Western Australian government wants farmers to grow Radiata pine to then sell to a monopoly buyer whilst competing against the government who dominant the pine log market!
Now what farmer is going to fall for a scam like that?
The whole focus of government policy is industry support (ie. corporate welfare).
The focus of government policy should be on profitable tree growing not corporate welfare. Even if tree growing were profitable it would still take enormous effort to convince farmers to make the 30+ year investment in tree growing.
My other observation is that Wespine is your typical sawmiller. They take absolutely no responsibility for their own future in terms of log supply and company growth.
Go to the Wespine website and see if there is any engagement with the farming/tree-grower community.
- How much is Wespine willing to pay growers for pine logs?
- What is the condition of current markets?
- What are Wespines plans for the future?
- How is Wespine supporting, encouraging and rewarding tree growers?
Nothing but a deafening silence!!
The Western Australian softwood industry has no future under current government and industry policy and thinking.
It is completely laughable!
So dear readers, tell me your ideas about how Western Australia should grow its softwood plantation industry. Does it have a future?
Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative 
Hi Gordon,
You said it!
You would have thought these guys would have had learnt a thing or two over the last 20 years over which they have conducted all sorts of incentive schemes. One can only assume this was ‘a good idea at the time’ formulated by bureaucrats who have never planted a tree.
A poor uptake is expected by farmers who were already going to plant 20 + ha. Hard to expect any noticeable plantation area increase.
Cheers
Arthur