12. POTENTIAL MARKETS FOR LOGS AND SAWN TIMBER FROM DARWIN STRINGYBARK FORESTS OF CAPE YORK PENINSULA

On Cape York Peninsula there are about 1.7 Mha of eucalypt forests with commercially attractive timber species on land tenures other than National Park. Potential north Queensland markets for Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta), Cooktown ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys) and Melville Island bloodwood (Corymbia nesophila) are described, and prices and quantities demanded estimated from informal discussions with timber processors and consumers who are familiar with the species are reported. Interviewees are optimistic about market prospects for the former two species, but are pessimistic about Melville Island bloodwood. The structural hardwood market is the largest market for hardwood timbers in north Queensland. Other products from the region with relatively high demand include strip flooring and electricity poles. Darwin stringybark is considered to be highly suitable for the electricity pole, structural timber and strip flooring markets, where prices of about $500/m3 of chemically treated log, $1,400/m3 of chemically treated structural timbers and $2,750/m3 of kiln dried floorboards, respectively, could be achieved. Cooktown ironwood is regarded as a high-quality appearance grade timber, with interviewees indicating a willingness to pay at least $2,000/m3 of dried timber and potentially up to about $5,000/m3. Opportunities exist to sell small volumes of Cooktown ironwood into extremely high-value domestic musical instrument markets. Interviewees asserted that Darwin stringybark and Cooktown ironwood have sound prospects in overseas markets