The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry

Transcription

1 The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry science for sustainable forest landscapes EXTENSION Bid prospectus

2 B The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry

3 Australia is at a defining point for the future of our forestry sector. The world in which we operate is changing, and the need and opportunity for innovation has never been greater. The Australian forest and wood products sector is undergoing significant restructuring, with the collapse of some managed investment schemes, the increasing privatisation and changing ownership of plantations, and ongoing reduction of access to native forests. Australia s growing population is placing increasing demand on supply of wood products particularly for housing and construction yet Australia remains a net importer of wood and wood products. Changing global climate creates both challenges and opportunities for the forest sector. The capacity of planted forests to capture carbon presents a major additional economic opportunity for the planted forests industry in Australia, as does the capacity for forests to produce renewable energy resources. The opportunity to develop sawlogs and other high-value products from the hardwood plantation resource remains largely unrealised. Demand from the sector for innovation, international benchmarking and technology transfer has grown rapidly as new plantations reach maturity, international markets become more competitive, pressure on land and water resources increases and society expects greater accountability for the ecological and social performance of the industry and its products. Realisation of the exciting commercial, social and environmental opportunities available to the forest and wood products sector will rely heavily on the research, development, extension and innovation capacity provided by the CRC for Forestry and our participants. Extension bid prospectus ( ) 1

4 Meeting the challenge through research Australia s forest and wood products sector is a major contributor to the national economy. Australian forest industries currently produce a combined annual turnover of $23 billion and provide direct employment for around people, in some regions making up a large and vital component of local workforces 1. However, the future prosperity and sustainability of forest and wood products industries relies on adaptation, innovation and creative responses to commercial, environmental and social challenges. To meet growing demand for existing and new products, the sector confronts three major challenges growing the production forest resource, improving the competitiveness and profitability of the industry, and ensuring an ongoing social licence. Failure to meet these challenges will limit growth, and could lead to decline in the sector. But we also have the opportunity to innovate in ways never before available to us. Moreover, to keep pace with the changing social and political context, we must make our own opportunities. 1 Australia s forests at a glance data/ assets/pdf_file/0007/ /forests-at-a-glance-2010.pdf 2 The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry

5 Over the past twenty years of forest research and development through successive CRCs, it s been clear that the only way to achieve innovation, adaptation and positive change in the forest industry is through a collaborative mechanism that involves both end users and research providers in a balanced relationship. A CRC is the perfect mechanism to achieve research excellence that translates into results on the ground. Your invitation to participate The CRC for Forestry is in the midst of developing a case for extension funding (as part of Round 14 of the Australian Government s CRC Program) that would support a five-year continuation of our work. The CRC Program provides funding to build critical mass in research ventures between end users and researchers that tackle clearly-articulated, major challenges for end users. The full potential of Australia s forest and wood products sector will only be realised through an innovative partnership between Australia s leading forest researchers and forward thinking forest companies. Participation in our CRC will provide you with immediate access to research results that will help realise the commercial, social and environmental opportunities available to the sector. Your organisation will be able to participate in commercial-scale trials, and engage with and be part of research and development. Participation in the CRC for Forestry will allow you to be part of the next wave of innovation in the forest sector, and to play a role in setting its direction. Extension bid prospectus ( ) 3

6 The right science to sustain industry The CRC for Forestry builds on two decades of success in forest research. We have a track record of innovation and impact, and our focus is on delivering results to end users. Strategic research supported and coordinated by the CRC for Forestry will reduce investment risk through improved predictive capability, wood quality, harvesting and supply chain efficiency, and will expand the options for value recovery from available wood resources. In our new phase, the CRC for Forestry will focus on four research programs, designed to meet these challenges. The challenge Research programs Projects Maintain and grow the production forest resource to meet future regional and national needs Improve the competitiveness of the Australian sector through greater efficiency, utilisation and value-adding to existing and new resources Ensure an ongoing social licence for managing production forest landscapes for multiple purposes, including extraction and nonextractive environmental and social values Adaptive management to maximise returns from plantations New forests in new environments Harvesting and use of the plantation forest resource Social licence through sustainable management of production forest landscapes Realising the productive potential of existing plantations Matching genotypes to sites, silvicultural systems and products Plantation management options to overcome new threats to profitability Growth, sequestration, risk and wood quality in new carbon forests linking function with value Sustainable plantation systems in new environments and regions Optimised sustainable timber supply chain management Novel and adapted processing technologies and products Decision-support systems: integrating and communicating scientific information Maximising engagement and socioeconomic benefit The investment case for forest management Ecological footprint of production forests 4 The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry

7 Extension bid prospectus ( ) 5

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9 The right team to tackle the challenge Leadership The CRC for Forestry has an established and effective governance structure and an independent Board with credentials in research, industry and governance. In our new phase, we will build on the strength of existing partnerships and engage with emerging technologies. Both existing and new partners will join the CRC for Forestry, forging a partnership able to effectively tackle new and emerging challenges facing the industry. The partnership will include major Australian forest research providers, forest growers, forest management companies and a wide range of small-to-medium enterprises. The diverse list of organisations that have agreed in-principle to partner with the CRC for Forestry is steadily growing, and these organisations have endorsed our proposed program of research. Our people WESTERN Australia queensland new south wales Act The CRC will continue our research presence in every state and territory in Australia. Our world-class research expertise includes forest modeling; water-use efficiency; genetics and tree breeding; plantation management; temperate and tropical forestry; forest harvesting, transport and logistics; wood properties and wood processing; socio-economic evaluation; community engagement; forest and plantation management for multiple values including water, carbon and biodiversity; and carbon accounting and sequestration. south australia victoria Tasmania Current CRC for Forestry partners Map: courtesy National Forest Inventory, Bureau of Rural Sciences Forests NSW is a public trading enterprise within NSW Department of Primary Industries. Extension bid prospectus ( ) 7

10 The right approach to deliver results The CRC for Forestry is an Australia-wide joint venture built on a foundation of nearly 20 years of successful collaboration among Australia s leading forest research organisations, companies and government agencies. We work closely with our research and industry partners to ensure that research outcomes are fit for purpose, and can be readily taken up by end users. The outcomes of the new phase of the CRC for Forestry will shape the way the forest and wood products sector evolves over coming decades. Research to results a track record of success The CRC for Forestry currently manages four research themes. As our research program has matured, a significant number of projects have reached a stage at which research delivery and adoption are resulting in demonstrable changes in policy and practice by our industry and government participants. The table below (page 9) presents a small cross-section of results and products to date that are enhancing our knowledge base, producing efficiencies, informing development of value-added products and saving costs. Research undertaken by the CRC for Forestry and our partners will deliver: dramatically improved efficiency of transport and harvesting operations sustained productivity over multiple rotations for major plantation species better GxExM for new environments and new climates, and reduced investment risk for forest species managed for wood, energy and carbon capture a better match between products and purpose, including improved and novel processing technologies integration of profitability and sustainability for wood products supply chains evidence and strategies to address resource competition strategies for community engagement, and for delivering community benefit 8 The Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry

11 Current CRC research program Managing and monitoring for growth and health High-value wood resources Harvesting and operations Trees in the landscape About this research Developing new applications of information and remote-sensing technologies for planning and decision making in forest management Producing genetic and silvicultural methods for growing trees with high yields of wood suitable for fibre, solid wood and engineered products Creating options for improving efficiency, and reducing costs of harvesting operations and transporting wood from forest to mill gate Helping industry better understand interactions between production forests and their biophysical and social environments, encompassing water, biodiversity, communities and landscape design Selected results LiDAR for terrain modeling and forest inventory resulting in up to a tenfold reduction in costs Decision-support tools to reduce investment risk (BPOS & FPOS) Handheld NIR applications leading to a 90% reduction in analysis costs for Kraft pulp yield (KPY) and cellulose content High value products from plantation hardwoods (genetics, silviculture and processing) Decision tools such as ALPACA (generating improvements in machine productivity) and FastTRUCK ($1m one-off saving plus ongoing 10% efficiency gain in one case alone) Strategies and published guidelines for community engagement Evidence base for socioeconomic policy, and input to water policy Evidence base for socioeconomic policy, and input to water policy Incorporation of KPY and wood density genetic control into blue gum breeding programs, leading to potential annual financial gains in the tens of millions of dollars Extension bid prospectus ( ) 9

12 Get involved Our mission is to support a sustainable and adaptive Australian forest industry, and to create greater certainty for forest investment and the future of regional communities. Australia s forest and wood products sector is diverse, and so are its needs. The research activities of the CRC for Forestry are focused on end user needs. We work with you to determine how we can best add value to your enterprise there is no one-size-fits-all research solution. We are committed to ongoing consultation with end users to test the relevance of our research directions, and as we move into this new phase for the CRC, we have an opportunity to review priorities. The CRC for Forestry marries world-class forest research capability with the desire and capacity within industry to drive innovation and implement excellence. We are now calling for expressions of interest from organisations with an interest in creating a sustainable future for Australia s forest sector. Important dates November 2010 April 2011: One-on-one consultations with prospective partners and end users 28 February 2011: CRC Round 14 applications open April 2011: early mid May 2011: June 2011: Consultative workshops with prospective partners In-principle sign-up to the CRC for Forestry extension bid Extension application finalised and formal sign-on to the application by all participants 1 July 2011: Application submitted to the CRC Program September 2011: November 2011: December 2011: Shortlisted applicants advised and project proposals submitted for peer review Shortlisted applicants interviewed Ministerial announcement of successful applications 1 July 2012: Extension period begins Further information The CRC for Forestry is established and supported under the Australian Goverment s Cooperative Research Centres Program. Professor Gordon Duff Chief Executive Officer CRC for Forestry T E: gordon.duff@crcforestry.com.au W: