North East Forests Industry Package

• The North East forest Agreement will create long term certainty of timber resources needed for the ongoing development of a sustainable value-adding timber industry on the North coast. It will generate direct jobs growth of up to 160 new forest sector positions and create opportunities for further timber industry development.
• The Agreement secures 20 years of wood supply at a minimum of 129,000 m³ per annum and 140,000 m³ per annum of high quality large sawlogs from the Upper and Lower North East regions respectively. Timber volumes will be reduced to the agreed levels in two stages from January 1, 2000.

• 61 jobs in thinning of hardwood plantations and regrowth forests. This thinning will lead to a fresh injection of economic activity into north coast economies;
• 25 jobs to establish and maintain a $30 million expansion of eucalypt plantations by 2000 hectares per annum on the north coast during the next five years;
• 10 new positions to undertake detailed resource inventory operations;
• the potential for at least 42 jobs in a 16mW biomass energy plant a Walcha based on pine plantation thinnings, and sawmill and silvicultural wastes. The Government is providing $2 million for development of the project. A feasibility study is due to be completed in 1999.

• A Timber Industry employment Taskforce, headed up by an independent chair with a suitable industry background, will be appointed to oversee implementation of the industry package. This Taskforce will include union and industry nominees. It will oversee and advise the Minister for Forestry on:
• suitable timbered land and timber rights to supplement resource supply;
• managing the transition of current forest workers to new employment opportunities; and
• new industry development opportunities.

• Including the jobs initiatives, the industry package is worth more than $53 million in the next five years and also includes:
• $18 million over the next five years for the purchase of timber from private property to assist the timber industry in this transition; and
• $5 million over the next five years to assist timber mills with any potential additional haulage costs.

• Upper North East NSW Forest Agreement Display Sites
• Lower North East NSW Forest Agreement Display Sites
• The Hardwood Plantations Program
• North East Forests Industry Package
• Timber Industry Development Assistance
• Upper North East NSW Forest Agreement
• Upper North East maps
• Lower North East NSW Forest Agreement
• Lower North East maps

• Upper North East Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (plus ammendments)
• Lower North East Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (plus ammendments)

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Resource and Conservation Assessment Council (RACAC)
June 1995 - Dec 2003

RACAC presided over the NSW Forest Agreements program
from June 1995 to December 2003.

For continuity this site remains under the name RACAC.
However, project management and monitoring of the
NSW Forest Agreements are now provided by the Resource
and Conservation Unit of the NSW Department of Environment
and Climate Change.