7. A FORESTRY INDUSTRY CLUSTER VIEW ON TIMBER MARKETING IN NORTH QUEENSLAND

The listing of north Queensland’s State-owned rainforest as a World Heritage Area and the cessation of timber harvesting in 1988 caused a severe contraction in the north Queensland timber industry. The remaining industry is based on softwood from State Government plantations, which supplies only one sawmill of any appreciable size. A few small fixed mills and several portable mills cut hardwoods from Crown and private land outside the World Heritage Area. After only 15 years, north Queensland’s formerly world famous cabinetwoods are now virtually unmentioned in the country’s timber trade, and marketing these timbers has become a major issue for the small-scale forest growers. The lack of a steady, high quality supply of north Queensland timbers is probably the cause of depressed prices. The irregularity of supply ensures that prices vary widely. Private Forestry North Queensland Association (PFNQ) is the north Queensland forestry industry cluster and Private Forestry Development Committee. A number of other organisations work alongside PFNQ trying to develop the private forestry industry. A timber cooperative has been formed in the region but it has had little success in establishing a business or securing markets. PFNQ has therefore initiated a marketing facilitation project to provide market intelligence while it finds ways t