Support Plantation Establishment 2023–24 - Round 1

The Support Plantation Establishment Program will run over 4 years from 2023–24 to 2026–27. The funding will support the establishment of new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests and assist the sector to respond to the projected growth in demand for domestically sourced timber resources. Through focusing on long-rotation plantation forests , the program’s key intended outcomes are to increase domestic timber supply, particularly construction and manufacturing timber resources, and to contribute to Australia’s carbon emissions reduction commitments.

The objectives of the program are to:

• increase future plantation forest resources available for processing, as well as for plantation forest management, harvesting and haulage employment
• support private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory forestry bodies to expand the Australian plantation forest estate
• contribute to meeting Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets, including under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention.

The intended outcomes of the program are to:

• increase domestic timber supply, particularly construction and manufacturing timber resources, to contribute to the demands of the Australian market
• support private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters and state and territory forestry bodies to reduce their carbon footprint by storing carbon in plantation trees and contribute to Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets
• support the retention or creation of regional jobs and support for regional communities.

Funding will be available across multiple rounds from 2023–24 to 2026–27 for this grant opportunity.
The first round opens on 21 June 2023 and closes on 24 January 2024. The first round is comprised of 3 funding opportunities, called batches:

• The first batch opens on 21 June 2023 and closes on 15 August 2023.
• The second batch opens on 16 August 2023 and closes on 25 October 2023.
• The third batch opens on 26 October 2023 and closes on 24 January 2024.

Details on the dates of future rounds will be made available when possible, however it is anticipated the second round will open on 26 January 2024.

The Australian Government will provide funding of $2,000 (GST exclusive) per 1 hectare of new long-rotation plantation forest established.

• The minimum grant amount is $40,000 (GST exclusive).
• There is no maximum grant amount, provided grant funding is available.

Grantees are required to provide a co-contribution at least equal to the grant amount awarded. See section 2 for further details on how this can be demonstrated.