1303.6 - Tasmanian Statistical Indicators, Oct 1999  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/10/1999   
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  • Continued decrease in Tasmanian woodchip production - ABS (Media Release)

Continued decrease in Tasmanian woodchip production - ABS


Woodchip production in Tasmania decreased in the June quarter of this year compared to the June quarter 1998. Chipped and ground wood production, totalling 1,061,128 tonnes for the quarter, was down by 5.1% on the same quarter of 1998. Annual production of woodchips for 1998–99 was 3.9 million tonnes, 11.5% less than in 1997–98, according to a report released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The ABS reported that the volume of logs delivered to mills for woodchipping in the June quarter 1999 was 925,862 cubic metres, 11.7% less than in the June quarter 1998. The volume of logs delivered to woodchipping establishments for 1998–99 was 3.5 million cubic metres, a drop of 13.5% on 1997–98. Log deliveries to sawmills and plywood mills for the June quarter 1999 totalled 222,334 cubic metres, an increase of 0.8% when compared with the June quarter 1998 figure. The volume of logs delivered to sawmills and plywood mills for 1998–99 was 875,365 cubic metres, down 0.6% on 1997–98.

The overall sawmilling output of 84,477 cubic metres of timber in the June quarter 1999 was 3.1% higher than output for the same quarter last year, while hardwood sawn timber production decreased to 41,304 cubic metres, 3.3% lower than the figure recorded in the June quarter 1998. Softwood timber production (43,173 cubic metres) was up by 10.1% on the same period last year. Production of sawn timber for the year 1998–99 was 334,819 cubic metres, a decrease of 2.7% from the previous year.

The total volume of logs delivered to Tasmanian sawmills and woodchip mills in the June quarter 1999 was 1,148,196 cubic metres. This was a decrease of 9.5% when compared with the figure for June quarter 1998. Logs from crown land comprised 54.7% of the total. Total log deliveries for the year accounted for 4.3 million cubic metres, a decrease of 11.2% from 1997–98.

These statistics are included in an ABS publication containing tables dealing with areas such as population and vital statistics, employment and unemployment, wages and prices, production statistics, building, finance, trade, retail sales, tourism and motor vehicle registrations.

Details are in Tasmanian Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1303.6), available from ABS bookshops.