Plantations are production systems for farming wood which is a renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resource. The Australian plantation industry has high standards of scientific management, creates employment in regional Australia and enhances overall environmental values. Australian Federal and State government forestry agencies have in place a set of national principles for the management of timber plantations. These principles provide the framework for scientifically sound plantation management and encompass a range of important environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues.

There are more than 1.3 million hectares of timber plantation in Australia. These are generally located in areas with annual rainfall of more than 700mm(28in). A large proportion of the plantation area is made up of exotic (non-native) conifers or pine trees, including radiata pine, caribbean pine, slash pine and maritime pine. The native hoop pine is also grown in plantations in subtropical areas. Increasingly, Australia’s native hardwoods, mainly eucalypts, are being grown in plantations. Most commonly grown species include Tasmanian blue gum, shining gum, blackbutt and flooded gum. The timber from these plantations is used for a wide range of products from sawn timber for house construction and furniture manufacture to fibre for paper and panel-board manufacture.

Fire in plantations can cause severe economic losses of timber values. The plantations may have fuel loads and fire behaviours quite different to nearby grasslands or pasture.

Research found in this area of this site examines the effects and management of fire in commercial wood plantations.