Oil mallee industry plan launched

Forestry Minister Terry Redman has launched a plan for the oil mallee industry to capitalise on opportunities presented by the future carbon pollution reduction scheme.

The Oil Mallee Industry Development Plan (IDP) aims to ensure the industry reaches its full potential.

"The IDP sets out a clear plan for the industry to expand through involvement in the emerging carbon and renewable energy markets and by maximising returns from value-added processing of mallee plantings," Mr Redman said.

Full announcement below:

Minister launches mallee industry plan.

A plan for the oil mallee industry to capitalise on opportunities presented by the future carbon pollution reduction scheme was launched today by Forestry Minister Terry Redman.

Mr Redman said the Oil Mallee Industry Development Plan was a road map to ensure the industry reached its full potential.

"The IDP sets out a clear plan for the industry to expand through involvement in the emerging carbon and renewable energy markets and by maximising returns from value-added processing of mallee plantings," he said.

"Oil mallees are a hardy species, well adapted to our agricultural landscapes. They offer sustainable solutions to issues associated with salinity, water-logging and wind erosion.

"Mallees are an important source of feedstock for bioenergy projects producing electricity in regional locations. Research has also shown the potential mallees have to produce products such as densified wood pellets, transport fuels, pharmaceuticals, industrial solvents and biochar, all on a sustainable basis."

The Minister said a key strategy of the IDP was to develop diverse industries based on mallee plantings in areas where it was possible to match suitable biophysical characteristics with available infrastructure.

"The oil mallee industry will gain momentum by leveraging off the interest which resource and energy-intensive industries now have in planting tree crops as carbon offsets," he said.

Over the past 15 years, more than 14,000ha of mallees have been planted across the Western Australian wheatbelt landscape, mostly in belts integrated with existing farming activities.

The Industry Development Plan (IDP) is a joint project between the Forest Products Commission and the Oil Mallee Association of WA, funded by through the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.