South Australian Forestry Corporation facts for kids

The South Australian Forestry Corporation, also known as ForestrySA, is a company owned by the Government of South Australia. Its main job is to look after forests in South Australia that belong to everyone. This includes growing trees for timber and managing forests for fun activities and as special protected areas.

ForestrySA's Story

ForestrySA started on 1 January 2001. It was created under a special law called the South Australian Forestry Corporation Act 2000. Before this, other government groups managed the forests. ForestrySA took over from them.

The name ForestrySA was actually used before. It was the name of a smaller part of another government department. Now, it's the main name for the corporation.

What ForestrySA Does

Looking After Forests

ForestrySA manages forest areas in three main parts of South Australia. They call these areas "regions." These are the Green Triangle Region, the Mount Lofty Ranges Forest Reserves, and the Northern Forests Region.

Growing Trees for Business

ForestrySA grows trees for timber. This is their commercial work. They manage plantation forests in the Green Triangle region for another company. They also manage forests in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Northern Forest regions for the South Australian Government.

In 2014, these tree farms covered more than 95,000 hectares. Most of the trees planted are softwood timber. ForestrySA mainly produces logs and woodchips. These are used to make products like sawn timber, pulp, paper, and posts.

From October 17, 2017, another company took over managing the Green Triangle region forests.

Other Important Jobs

ForestrySA also has non-commercial duties. These are things they do that don't make money but are important for the community and environment:

• Managing native forests (forests that grow naturally).
• Making forests available for the community to use and enjoy.
• Helping the forestry industry grow and improve.
• Protecting the community from fires and supporting the forest industry.
• Doing other tasks asked by the Minister of Forests.
• Managing the forests in the Mid North area.

Forests ForestrySA Manages

In 2014, ForestrySA looked after 13 forests across its three regions.

Green Triangle Region Forests

The Green Triangle Region has six forests. They are in the south-east of South Australia, in an area called the Limestone Coast. These forests are about 280 km to 390 km south-east of Adelaide city centre.

• Noolook Forest: North-east of Robe.
• Mount Burr Forest: East of Millicent.
• Mount Gambier Forest: South-west of Mount Gambier.
• Penola Forest: South-west of Penola.
• Comaum Forest: Between Naracoorte and Penola.
• Myora Forest: South-east of Mount Gambier.

Mount Lofty Ranges Forest Reserves

These three forests are in the Mount Lofty Ranges. They cover about 19,500 hectares.

• Mount Crawford Forest: Near Williamstown in the Adelaide Hills. It's about 30 km north-east of the Adelaide city centre.
• Kuitpo Forest: Near Meadows in the Adelaide Hills. It's about 30 km south-east of the Adelaide city centre.
• Second Valley Forest: Between Delamere and Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It's about 70 km south of the Adelaide city centre.

Northern Forests Region

This region is also called the Mid North Region. It has four forests:

• Bundaleer Forest: In the Northern Mount Lofty Ranges. It's about 185 km north of Adelaide city centre and 5 km south-west of Jamestown. It covers 3,138 hectares.
• Wirrabara Forest: West of Wirrabara in the Southern Flinders Ranges. It's about 220 km north of the Adelaide city centre. It covers 6,947 hectares.
• Yarcowie Forest: South of Whyte Yarcowie. It covers 39.9 hectares.
• Leighton Forest: West of Burra. It covers 38.3 hectares.

How ForestrySA is Run

ForestrySA is set up as a business. Its main goal is to manage tree farms to help the people and economy of South Australia. A board oversees how ForestrySA operates. This board reports to the South Australian Minister of Forests. They also report to the South Australian Treasurer. This system was put in place after some timber was sold from the Green Triangle region forests in 2012.