First Indian sandalwood plantations established in Carnarvon

16/05/06
Forestry Minister Kim Chance today announced the establishment of the first large-scale Indian tropical sandalwood plantation trials in the Carnarvon area, with the aim of giving communities and pastoralists in the Gascoyne access to a valuable new tree species.
Mr Chance told a symposium of Asian sandalwood buyers in Perth today that if the plantations - established by the Forest Products Commission (FPC) - were successful, they would add a new dimension to land crop diversification in the region.
"Indian sandalwood produces significantly more oil and is more valuable than the native Western Australian species we currently supply to overseas markets," he said.
The Minister said there was a shortage of Indian sandalwood worldwide, largely because of unsustainable harvesting over a long period of time in many parts of Asia. As a result, prices offered for the species had increased sharply in recent years.
"Although it is early days, FPC foresters and scientists are confident they can successfully grow Indian sandalwood in the Carnarvon area by employing proper planting regimes and maintenance systems," he said.
"This is based on 20 years of research trials with the species in Kununurra."
WA is the world's leading supplier of sandalwood, a fragrant timber which has long been used as incense in religious ceremonies in India and most other Asian countries, providing about 40 per cent of global sales.
"All our sandalwood supplies currently come from stands of the WA species which grow wild, mainly in the pastoral regions of the State's Goldfields," Mr Chance said.
"Indian sandalwood would add a valuable new string to our bow."
The Minister said the new plantations were located on Crown Land and had been established with the involvement of the Department of Agriculture and Food and neighbouring pastoralists.
FPC would continue its work at the Frank Wise Institute in Kununurra.
"The tropical sandalwood plantings already there are the oldest in Australia and, as a result, they can provide a wide genetic base of trees," Mr Chance said.
"This is needed as insurance - as a fall-back measure in case a disease hits the species.
"It also provides an opportunity to determine what commercial gains can be made through tree breeding and cloning."
The Minister said researchers at Kununurra were carrying out a series of oil assessments on the older trees, with the best oil-producing trees to be cloned for further use by the industry.
"If Indian sandalwood is to survive as a species, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that WA will be crucial to its survival," Mr Chance said.
"The State Government is providing new opportunities for Western Australians."
Minister's office: 9213 6700