Planting new forests

Forests NSW manages a large planted forest estate spread across New South Wales.

Some 210,000 hectares of softwood pine forests are managed to provide a peak commercial return supported by the highest levels of environmental management, while a new hardwood plantation estate has been expanding at some 5000 hectares per year. Our total planted forest area is 254,310 hectares (00/01).

In partnership with landholders and investors, Forests NSW is managing the largest plantation expansion program of its kind in Australia. We are focused on the promotion and development of new planted forests that recognise and generate financial returns from environmental services that can be achieved through the reforestation of agricultural land.

New planted forests absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, provide food and shelter for native animals and maintain water quality. It's also known that strategic planting of new forests can assist in the reduction of dryland salinity by lowering watertables and preventing destructive long-held soil salts from coming to the surface.

With more than 80 years of experience in managing planted forests, Forests NSW have developed highly sophisticated protection systems. As a result, over the last twenty years, on average only 0.17% a year of our plantation estate has been affected by fire.

Forests NSW is working to diversify forest resources in New South Wales, establishing new plantations of native eucalypts to provide jobs and create wealth, improve our environment and meet future demand for forest products.