Timber industry support programs

The Forestry Business Transition Voucher (FBTV) program is part of the Victorian Government’s broader $120 million Victorian Forestry Plan Transition Package that focuses on retaining industry and community capability and jobs. The $1.1 million program will assist directly impacted businesses obtain support to plan for their future.

The FBTV program offers access to tailored support through business services to equip affected businesses with a better understanding of their business capabilities, options and strategies for transition.

Objectives of program

The FBTV program will provide eligible businesses with support to better understand their business capabilities, options and strategies for transition. This will be achieved by providing intensive support to equip businesses with options and strategies for transition.

Funding details

The FBTV program is part of the Victorian Government’s broader $120 million Victorian Forestry Plan Transition Package that focuses on retaining industry and community capability and jobs.

The $1.1 million program will assist directly impacted businesses obtain support to plan for their future.

Application process

Applications can be made through Business Victoria

Step 1

Review the FAQs to clarify

Step 2

Read the guidelines to determine eligibility

Step 3

Submit an application via Business Victoria

The Timber Innovation Grants program supports businesses to transition from native timber to plantation fibre and transformative industry investment.

Objectives of program

To assist businesses directly affected by the Victorian Forestry Plan to:

• explore opportunities to process or manufacture using plantation timber feedstock
• develop new products using plantation timber
• explore processing, harvest and haulage of alternative fibre
• investigate downstream manufacturing opportunities using alternative fibre.

We plan to release further rounds of the Victorian Timber Innovation Fund during 2022.

Funding details

The Victorian Timber Innovation Fund is part of the Victorian Government’s broader $120 million Victorian Forestry Plan Transition Package that focuses on retaining industry and community capability and jobs.

The Timber Innovation Grants program will provide grants of up to $100,000 for innovation that supports businesses to transition from native timber to plantation fibre or investigate manufacturing opportunities.

Eligible businesses will be required to demonstrate the project’s ability to address each of the Timber Innovation Grants program core criteria as outlined in the guidelines.

Application process

Step 1

Read the guidelines to determine eligibility

Step 2

Discuss the proposed project with a Victorian Forestry Plan representative

• Email: victorianforestryplan@djpr.vic.gov.au
• Phone: 1800 318 182

Step 3

Complete an expression of interest form

The introduction of the Victorian Forestry Plan and the ceasing of native timber harvesting brings with it the need for impacted communities to start thinking about how it will change their communities.

As part of the plan, the Victorian Government is delivering Local Development Strategy grants in line with its promise to ensure that impacted communities are well supported through the transition.

The Local Development Strategy grants aim to assist communities significantly impacted by the Victorian Forestry Plan to undertake economic diversification planning to support their local economy and transition to new, sustainable industries.

The $36 million Victorian Forestry Plan Transition Fund will support the implementation of the Local Development Strategy.  It is planned that the Transition Fund grants be released in early 2021.

Objectives of the Program

To assist communities impacted by the Victorian Forestry Plan to develop local development Strategy that:

• support their transition away from native timber harvesting
• lead to the creation of new jobs in sustainable industries, and
• result in long-term economic and social benefits for each community.

The development of a local development strategy will be locally-led and undertaken in partnership with key stakeholders.

Funding details

The program has a total $4 million available over four years.

Grants of approximately $400,000 per town or community are available to support communities to develop new strategic plans or updating existing one, undertaking feasibility studies, research or economic assessments or engagement staff or consultants to undertake the tasks listed above.

Application Process

Step 1

A representative from the Victorian Forestry Plan transition team will work with each town or community and the associated local government area to determine which community organisation will prepare the grant application.

Step 2

A representative from the Victorian Forestry Plan transition team will contact the eligible community organisation to discuss the program, provide the on-line application form link and provide support to prepare the application, where required.

Step 3

For an application to receive funding through the program, the application must outline how the proposed project will develop a local development strategy that will:

• support the transition away from native timber harvesting
• lead to the creation of new jobs in sustainable industries, and
• result in long-term economic and social benefits for the local community.

More information about the Local Development Strategy grants or the Victorian Forestry Plan or the Victorian Forestry Plan

• Email: victorianforestryplan@djpr.vic.gov.au
• Phone: 1800 318 182

The bushfires of summer 2019 - 2020 led to significant damage to softwood plantations in North-East Victoria and native forests in Eastern Victoria.

The Victorian Government has developed the Bushfire Recovery Timber Storage Grants as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Salvage Storage Fund to provide funding support to timber processors that are processing bushfire affected timber. The funding will be made available for forestry entities impacted by the bushfires, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and will support the storage of unprocessed and processed wood products

Overview

The Bushfire Recovery Timber Storage Grants has been developed to assist the industry with salvage timber storage.

The grants will provide funding support for storing burnt salvage logs and processed timber to forestry entities impacted by the bushfires and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to ensure the resource is not lost.

The funding round is now closed and is not accepting applications.

Successful applicants will be advised in early 2021.

Objectives of program

The objective of the Bushfire Recovery Timber Storage Grants is to assist businesses with costs of burnt timber storage of unprocessed logs and processed wood products sourced from the fire-affected forests from within Victoria.

The Bushfire Recovery Timber Storage Grants will support Eligible Projects to reduce the increased costs associated with storing additional timber above business as usual amounts, including:

• the storage of unprocessed bushfire affected timber under sprinklers
• the storage of processed wood products in a stable dry state that has been produced from bushfire affected timber.

Funding details

Bushfire Recovery Timber Storage grants is a $2.5 million fund supporting the storage of 125,000 green metric tonne of salvage timber.

Applicants can apply to cover costs incurred from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2021.

The program is now closed and is not accepting applications.