The Cypress industry was the first timber sector in NSW to undertake a process of strategic planning which was implemented in 1996.
The industry as a whole adopted the strategies identified in the original plan and in the first seven years a number of important achievements had been made:
- There has been significant improvement in the quality and presentation of products resulting from major investment on modern sawmilling equipment, moulders and kilns. This has been recognised in the marketplace
- A Quality Assurance program has been initiated
- The industry has achieved the accreditation of Cypress under the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) thus providing access to the Japanese domestic housing market
- A number of industry alliances have been formed and industry cohesion and co-operation has been developed
- There has been a major improvement in workplace safety through investment in modern machinery and O H & S training, practise and implementation
- Skill levels of people employed in the industry have increased with the introduction of new technologies in both sawmilling and harvesting and training
- The industry is regarded as progressive and enjoys widespread support in local communities.
NSW Cypress Industry Strategic Plan 2004 - 2010
A current plan for the period 2003 to 2010 identifies a number of strategies to enable the industry to consolidate gains made and to continue a development path to improve its profitability whilst continuing to make a significant contribution to regional economies and local communities. The focus of the industry is to:
- Continue to improve profitability through product quality by further investment in plant and equipment
- Consolidate the Quality Assurance program and launch QA branded Cypress on the market
- Continue to reposition Cypress in the market place
- Increase the volume of value added Cypress sold on the export market
- Invest in technologies to improve the profitability of sawmill by-products
- Develop new products and invest in mill specialisation, for example glue laminated beams and pre-finished flooring
- Improve market intelligence particularly in forecasting shifts in consumer demand
- Upgrade business management skills
- Continue to work with the Queensland Cypress Industry to develop a national marketing strategy for Australian Cypress
- Strengthen the industry's image in the broader community and with Government
To enable the industry to achieve these objectives it requires the expenditure of an estimated $16m on sawmilling and harvesting equipment over the period of the plan. This investment will provide a major economic boost to the small western towns where and as this development takes place.
Government Participation
The industry has demonstrated it is amenable to cultural change and is prepared to adopt new technologies, however, the proposed developments in the new plan will require Government participation to ensure:
- Continued access to the resource at the current level of harvest
- Resource security through term wood supply agreements
- A practical regulatory environment which will allow the economic harvesting of the resource
