The Albanese Labor Government is continuing to back the future of Australia’s forestry industry with the first grants through the $300 million Forestry Growth Fund opening later this week.
More than $14 million in grant funding will be available through Round 4 of the Support Plantation Establishment Program which will open on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
This funding will help establish long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantations and respond to projected demand for Australian-grown timber for housing, construction and manufacturing – supporting jobs and communities in rural and regional Australia.
This investment is supporting our Government’s national priorities, including a Future Made in Australia and the $47 billion Homes for Australia plan.
The Support Plantation Establishment Program is one of five key initiatives through the Forestry Growth Fund which is supporting the delivery of the Timber Fibre Strategy.
Through previous rounds of the Support Plantation Establishment Program, over $72 million in funding is supporting the establishment of almost 40,000 hectares of hardwood and softwood plantations across Australia.
The $300 million Forestry Growth Fund includes $150 million in concessional finance to support the modernisation of processing across the industry, through the National Reconstruction Fund, and $150 million in industry growth grants to support training, wood products innovation and housing construction support.
Other grant funding initiatives through the Forestry Growth Fund include:
- Up to $30 million to encourage forestry industry innovation anticipated to open in December 2026,
- Up to $85 million to encourage forestry industry transformation anticipated to open in May 2027,
- Up to $15 million to build forestry workforce capability anticipated to open in August 2027, and
- $5 million to strengthen the integrity of forest product imports.
