About

Private Forests Tasmania (PFT) was established in 1994 as a statutory authority under the Private Forests Act (1994).

Private Forests Tasmania has a Board consisting of Directors who are appointed for their practical knowledge, industry, commercial and technical expertise in forestry and reports to the Minister for Energy and Resources.

The Board oversees strategic direction, and a staff of permanent and fixed-term officers undertakes the functions of the authority.

Staff are located in Burnie, Hobart and Launceston.

Our campaign supporters share our beliefs that the right trees in the right place:

Farmers who plant trees are growing the future.

Planting trees in the right place on farms with the intention of harvesting and replanting is a win-win for the environment, society and landowners.

Trees can deliver increased primary production productivity while simultaneously growing high value timber products, delivering biofuel, improving water quality and efficiency, and improving the carbon balance.

Trees also protect the land for future generations while growing high value products. Trees and farmers will grow the future.

Read the article: There has never been a better time to plant trees.

Private Forests Tasmania is a government authority with a legislated role to facilitate and expand the development of our private forest resource in a manner which is consistent with sound forest and land management practices.

Private Forest Tasmania is the only government-funded authority established in Australia to specifically promote, foster and assist the private forestry sector on forestry matters.

We do this mainly through providing information and advice to private growers and their markets, through research, innovation and planning tools, and by providing practical policy advice to our Tasmanian and Australian governments that represents the interests of private forest growers.

Find out more about who we are.

The Ministerial Charter is a requirement under the Private Forests Act 1994, S19A and sets out the Minister’s broad policy expectations for PFT.

The Board of Directors must ensure that the business and affairs of Private Forest Tasmania are conducted in a manner that is consistent with the Ministerial Charter.

Our Corporate Plan sets out our strategic direction, including our purpose, our goals and priorities for the next three years.

Private Forest Tasmania's purpose is to support sustainable growth and development of Tasmania’s private forest resource.

Private Forest Tasmania's goals include to:

• Work creatively with stakeholders to expand private forestry on a commercial basis.
• Continuously improve management and business systems to ensure our staff and contractors work in a safe, productive and healthy environment
• Work with Government policy makers and regulators at local, state and national levels to improve regulatory efficiency and practical policy settings for private forestry.
• Effectively communicate the benefits of wood and the benefits of private forestry in the primary production landscape.

The functions of Private Forests Tasmania are partially supported through a Levy paid by private forest growers based on the net area of a forest operation permitted pursuant to the certification of a forest practices plan by the Forest Practices Authority.

Private Forests Tasmania supports private forest owners by responding to their enquiries, organising field days and market forums, development of planning tools and information services, and behind the scenes, through forest practices advice, practical policy input to the Tasmanian and Australian Governments, and supporting research and innovation.

For more information please see Private Forest Tasmania's information sheet  What do I get for my Levy payment

Private forests are native forests and plantations on privately owned land.

There are industrial and non-industrial private forest owners:

• Industrial owners are companies that own native forests and/or plantations and arrange for the processing of their own timber.
• Non-industrial owners are farmers, individuals, and family and investment companies who own native forests and plantations and usually sell their wood for processing by other parties.

The extent of private forests:

Tasmania’s forests cover about 50% of the total area of the State, with private forests making up about 33% of the forest area – the highest proportion of any state in Australia. In total Tasmania’s private forests cover more than 1.1 million hectares, approximately 16% of the state’s landmass.

Over 850,000 hectares of forest on private land is native forest.

There are over 250,000 hectares of privately owned or managed plantations in Tasmania.  Tasmania has 16% of Australia’s plantation forest cover yet only 1% of its landmass.

A significant portion of Tasmania’s private forests are protected, either through voluntary conservation covenants or because they are in riparian areas or contain rare, threatened or vulnerable species and communities.

In addition, Tasmania has a Permanent Native Forest Estate Policy, which prohibits broad scale clearing and conversion of native forest, other than in limited prescribed circumstances.

The importance of private forests:

Forests on private land provide a range of benefits, from supplying wood products (sawlogs, veneer logs, wood fibre and fuel wood), assisting farm productivity (reduced wind, animal shelter, protection of soil and water), providing habitat for native species, and improving aesthetics.

Private forestry is a significant contributor to Tasmania’s economy and a large employer.

• Private forests contributed 72% of Tasmania’s forest production by wood volume in 2019-20.
• Plantations accounted for 93% of the total Tasmanian private forest harvest in 2019-20.

As private forests grow they remove carbon from the atmosphere and when harvested they provide a renewable resource associated with low carbon emissions.  For example, emissions are reduced in construction when wood is used in place of metals, concrete or plastics.

For more details please see Private Forests Tasmania Annual Reports.