The Softwoods Working Group has successfully campaigned for the South West Slopes region of NSW to be included in the regional forestry hubs pilot, regardless of who wins the federal election this weekend.
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Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Joel Fitzgibbon announced last week in Tumut that $1 million would be spent to establish the hub.
SWG chairman Peter Crowe said the Coalition had also committed to tier one hub status for the South West Slopes region after "protracted negotiations".
"The importance of this region cannot be overlooked," he said.
"With some 125,000 hectares of plantation, it has the largest socioeconomic presence of any softwood region in Australia, supporting 5375 direct and indirect jobs and generating a gross economic contribution of more than $1 billion a year.
"The funding of a tier one hub in the South West Slopes will allow the SWG to continue and expand its valuable work in skills analysis and training, plantation expansion and research, and long-term road infrastructure planning."
As part of the federal government's National Forest Industries Plan, infrastructure needs of each forestry hub will be identified and there would be an inventory created of farm forestry resources on private land to determine their potential to supply wood for processing.
It is part of a goal to establish 1 billion new plantation trees over the next ten years.
Mr Crowe said the hub was a coup for the industry.
"A regional forestry hub represents a massive boost for the industry in the region, where we can deliver real and measurable benefits to the community and beyond," he said.
"This stimulus will help alleviate the regional and national plantation wood shortage and allow SWG to work effectively at a regional, state and national level."
