Australian Rainforest Timbers as a Valuable Resource: Community Perceptions and Purchase Habits of Rainforest Timber Products

Australia has some of the highest quality cabinet timber species in the world, sourced primarily from tropical rainforests, and there has been a long tradition of using these to produce furniture. Cessation of logging of Crown rainforest land has reduced resource supply, but there is now considerable interest in growing rainforest timbers on private land. In order to formulate reforestation policy and industry development, it is desirable to know how the community views these timbers. This study provides the first quantitative description of the public's perceptions and purchases of Australian rainforest cabinet timber (ARCT) products in North Queensland. It provides information that contributes to understanding the factors affecting the demand for products made from rainforest cabinet timbers. The majority of the North Queensland community consider Australian rainforest cabinet timbers to be vastly superior to composite wood products. Eucalypt species are also considered superior to exotic conifers which are the main species grown by Australian state forest services. Reasons for reluctance to purchase products made from RFTs include high cost but also desire to protect the rainforests and 'stage of life'. The main purchasing group are clustered in the 25-54 year age category. These findings have implications for government initiatives to promote afforestation with rainforest species. © 2001 Economic Society of Australia (Queensland) Inc