The Bombala forestry industry has begun salvaging timber from softwood plantations impacted by recent fires, with local production to increase over the next year.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Regional Manager Dean Anderson said the fire-affected timber has the same structural properties as unburnt timber, so it can be harvested and processed into house frames, furniture and other essential renewable wood products.

“This season’s fires have impacted around 30 per cent of the pine plantations in the Bombala Management Area but although these plantations have been affected by fire, they are certainly not lost,” Mr Anderson said.

“The softwood plantations around Bombala are Radiata pine, which is a north American species. Unlike many of our native species that are often fire-tolerant and can resprout after fires, the Radiata pine trees are likely to die.

“However, after a fire, we have up to 12 months to salvage the timber while it is still in good condition before it starts to deteriorate.

“In a lot of the impacted plantations, the wood underneath the burnt bark is still in good condition and has the same structural properties as unburnt timber, so it can be harvested and processed into house frames, furniture and other essential renewable wood products.

“We have already started the enormous task of harvesting timber from the fire-affected plantations around Bombala and we will be working at well over double the normal rate over the next year to harvest these plantations.

“Forestry Corporation has plans well in hand to replant these plantations as soon as possible, with the first replantings occurring either late May or early June this year.

“There is a significant task ahead of us, creating a lot of local work to process this timber and re-establish Bombala’s timber plantations for generations to come.”

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