New map on Australia's forest resources

Summary

This notice reports the release of the second edition of the Forest Resources map sheet and its accompanying 24-page illustrated booklet, produced by the Department of National Development for the second series of the Atlas of Australian Resources. The map covers native and planted forests, forest-product production and overseas trade. Minister Fairbairn described it as the first map to show existing native forest stands across the whole continent. It classifies native forests into five broad types and shows major managed forest areas and plantations exceeding 500 acres. Native forests were estimated at 75 million acres, half considered economically exploitable at the time. The booklet explains the growing contribution of pine plantations, which exceeded 750,000 acres and had average growth rates per acre seven to eight times those of native forests. An Australian Forestry Council programme aimed for about 3 million acres of softwood plantations by 2000, with Commonwealth–State agreements financing additional planting costs for the first five years.