Increasing downstream value adding in PNG's forest and wood products industry

• Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, Australia
• Timber and Forestry Training College of the PNG University of Technology, Papua New Guinea
• PNG Forest Products Ltd, Papua New Guinea
• PNG Forest Research Institute, Papua New Guinea
• Village Development Trust, Papua New Guinea
• University of Technology, Papua New Guinea
• PNG Forest Industries Association, Papua New Guinea

PNG's forest industry, based largely on the export of logs from primary forests, is a significant contributor to the national economy. But accessible forests are rapidly being depleted, and the earnings from the logging of primary forests will dwindle over the next 10-15 years. Still, PNG enjoys some significant competitive advantages in relation to the production of timber, and it is possible to envisage a major national industry based substantially on smallholder agroforestry plantings and community-based management of secondary forests. In particular, if coupled with a significant domestic processing industry, this industry could become a much larger contributor to the national economy than the current log export industry.

The aim of this project is to provide the foundation for a more extensive and more sophisticated domestic timber processing industry in PNG - by exploring the development of various products and designs based on solid wood and veneers, by examining the potential for value chains to integrate advanced processing with production of timber in smallholder agroforestry systems and community-managed secondary forests, and by enhancing capacity in timber processing training, education and R&D.