The Strategic Plan for the Forestry Centre of Excellence was officially launched by the State Government last week.
The strategic plan lays out the vision behind the centre, which is the first of its kind in South Australia and is a $15m 10-year collaborative project.
The centre is being developed to create long-term research and development capability to enhance the Green Triangle’s economic prosperity, which will generate more jobs and investment in the region.
The centre will be established at the existing University of South Australia (UniSA) and TAFE precinct in Mount Gambier and will accommodate various entities such as the National Institute of Forest Products Innovation along with UniSA, the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub, Tree Breeding Australia and the Logging Investigation and Training Association.
The strategic plan was developed with the region’s forest and timber sector and creates a framework to place the Forestry Centre of Excellence as a central hub that focuses on innovation, sustainability and the creation of new market opportunities from Australia and across the globe.
At its core, it seeks to extract maximum resource value from fibre resources, reduce the industry carbon footprint, build greater collaboration between industry and government, and create new and more diverse economic activity.
Additionally, it will advance skills to drive innovation and investment while ensuring science and technology work effectively for business, create incentives for business to invest and leverage value-adding opportunities and deliver a safe, more efficient and productive supply chain.
The centre activities will support the full forestry supply chain including plantation management, harvesting and haulage and timber processing.
It will also aim to cover the technical, safety and training aspects relevant to those sectors, while building greater connections with First Nations people.
Areas identified as forest research priorities include water, fire, breeding, wood products, data analytics, carbon, silviculture and environmental management.
Forest Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the Green Triangle region was the powerhouse of the Australian forest industry with 140 years of innovation and experience in growing and producing world recognised products.
“This significant investment delivers on our election commitment and lays the vision for the future of our forestry sector,” Minister Scriven said.
“The Forestry Centre of Excellence takes advantage of this long-standing wealth of local expertise, skills and knowledge, which in turn increases our workforce capability and employment opportunities.
“I look forward to working alongside industry to see the increase and diversification of market opportunities for wood fibre, addressing barriers to growth and enhancement of global competitiveness.”
UniSA Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said UniSA was delighted to be part of this transformational commitment to forestry in South Australia.
“We are proud to partner with the region, industry, other education providers, and government to shape this exciting phase of forestry research and innovation,” Prof Hughes-Warrington said.
“We know the Forestry Centre of Research will deliver powerful economic and social benefits.
“Our congratulations to the region for articulating a vision for skills and expertise which has the potential to inform growth within and beyond the forestry sector.
“We are proud to be part of that vision and look forward to further strengthening already deep partnerships.”
Building and accommodation requirements are being progressed via a master planning process involving UniSA, TAFE, PIRSA and the Department for Education, delivering on election commitments.
A global search will soon commence for a centre director to lead its research objectives and connect with industry to identify key resource requirements.
Visit pir.sa.gov.au/forestry for further information on the Forestry Centre for Excellence and the Strategic Plan.
