New South Wales, Australia, Announces $13 Million Forestry Funding Package

On Thursday, the government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, announced a $13 million (AUD) forestry funding package to provide much needed protection of critical timber supplies in the Murray region in the lead up to the next bushfire season.

This package will build a better resilience into this important regional industry, the announcement said. The measures will deliver fire prevention, detection, and response works that have been developed following consultation with forestry industry groups and government agencies.

NSW has a plan for developing regional NSW and a plan for delivering more housing. Protecting softwood forests and production is critical to delivering on both of those plans.

According to NSW, the funding puts the region in a much better position to focus on these preparedness measures. During the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, it is estimated up to 65,000 hectares of softwood plantation were affected across NSW, representing around a quarter of the softwood resource state-wide.