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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 491 asked in the Legislative Council on 1 November 2017 by Hon Diane Evers

Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Forestry
Parliament: 40 Session: 1


Question

(1) I refer to the Forest Product Commission (FPC) annual report and ask, has the FPC sold any logs sourced from native forests, including those listed under "other bole volume", to companies that would use them as feed stock for energy generation?

(2) If yes to (1), will the Minister please list, by item, the names of the companies and the volume, in cubic metres, and weight, in tonnes, sold to each of them?
(3) If yes to (1), what species of wood were sold, by volume?
(4) With reference to the comment on page 117 of the FPC 2016-17 annual report, "expansion of native forest markets", will the Minister please explain what specific expansion there has been, including all new uses for native forest-sourced timber, the names of any new companies buying native forest-based products, and, if the expansion relates to increased demand for an existing product, the type of native forest product and the reason for increased demand for it?
(5) Does the Government intend to sell any native forest timber products, including any residue products, for use in bioenergy generation in the foreseeable future?
(6) If yes to (5), will the Minister please provide details including which product and species, the quantity by volume, and the intended customer(s)?
Answered on 6 December 2017

(1) No.

(2) - (3) Not applicable.

(4) Comments in the Forest Products Commission (FPC) 2016-17 Annual Report relating to the “expansion of native forest markets” refer to the increased demand for jarrah other bole volume products. The primary products contributing to this expansion are jarrah residue used for silicon production, and jarrah green firewood from existing customers.

New native forest sales were restricted to two new customers, each of which purchased only small volumes (less than 250 tonnes) of jarrah products.
The new customers and product sales were:
Gilchrist R: 205 tonnes of large bole sawlog
Rod’s wood n posts: 120 tonnes of dead firewood

The increased sales were due to changes in harvesting processes (such as the removal of bark) that increased the recovery of jarrah other bole volume products.

(5) Yes.

(6) The FPC has two current contracts that are expected to result in the use of native forest timber for energy production:

• Contract of Sale (COS) 18-022 to supply up to 10,000 tonnes of jarrah and marri other bole volume to Bio Growth Partners. The wood is salvaged from mine site clearing and the FPC understands that the customer is marketing some of the wood to energy generators.

• COS 7006 to supply 28,500 tonnes of karri other bole volume to WA Chip and Pulp. The wood is salvaged from the Northcliffe fire area and the FPC understands that the customer is marketing the wood to energy generators.