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Forests, Grasslands and Drylands

COUNTRY PROFILE - Australia

View Technical and Source Notes
     
Forest Area and Change Australia Oceania World
Total forest area, 2000 (000 ha) 154539 201271 3869455
Natural forest area, 2000 (000 ha) 153496 194718 3682722
Plantations area, 2000 (000 ha) 1043 2848 186733
Total dryland area, 1950-1981 (000 ha) {a} 660540 660883 5059984
Change in forest area:
  Total, 1990-2000 -2 % -2 % -2 %
  Natural, 1990-2000 X -2 % -4 %
  Plantations, 1990-2000 X 1 % 3 %
Original forest {b} as a percent of
  total land area {c} 9 % 17 % 48 %
Forest area in 2000 as a percent of
  total land area {c} 20 % 24 % 29 %
         
Forest Area by Crown Cover (000 ha), 2000
Note: Crown cover data are gathered using different methodologies than the forest
area calculated above. The two estimates may differ substantially.
Area of forest with crown cover:
  Greater than 10% 186731 256477 6537209
  Greater than 25% 83988 146869 4842071
  Greater than 50% 32774 88805 3143720
  Greater than 75% 19693 64582 1945916
         
Ecosystem Areas by Type
Total land area 774122 856173 13328979
Percent of total land area covered by:
  Forests 4 % 9 % 24 %
  Shrublands, savanna, and grasslands 88 % 83 % 37 %
 
  mosaic 6 % 7 % 20 %
  Urban and built-up areas 0.1 % 0.1 % 0.2 %
  Sparse or barren vegetation; snow and ice 0 % 0 % 16 %
  Wetlands and water bodies 1 % 1 % 3 %
         
Forests certified through the Forest Stewardship Council
Natural forests, 2002 (hectares) 0 29808 11457393
Plantations, 2002 (hectares) 0 584760 3324996
Mixed forests, 2002 (hectares) 0 39402 11461154
         
Forest Protection
Percent of forests protected:
  Tropical forest, 1990s 7.3 % 9.1 % 9 %
  Nontropical forest, 1990s 14.1 % 18.7 % 6 %
  Sparse trees and parkland, 1990s 6.1 % 6.1 % 5.5 %
Number of tree species threatened, 1990s 34 X 5904
         
Wood Production and Trade
Annual roundwood production:
  Total, 1996-1998 (000 meters3) 22528 49320 3261621
  Fuel, 1996-1998 (000 meters3) 2700 8529 1739504
  Industrial, 1996-1998 (000 meters3) 11524 32498 1522116
 
  (000 meters3) 1440 2657 151390
 
  (thousand metric tons) 2650 X 313206
 
  (thousand metric tons) 1514 X 126404
Average value of trade in forest products {d}:
  Imports, 1996-1998 (thousand US$) 1560427 1915047 142932629
  Exports, 1996-1998 (thousand US$) 765079 2625385 135313009
Forest product exports as a percent of the
  total value of all exports, 1997 X X 2 %
         
Other Resources:
Country Profiles of the Food and Agriculture Organization
 
 
         
         
Footnotes:
a.Areas are presented as long-term average covering the years from 1950 to 1981.
b.Original forest refers to estimated forest cover about 8,000 years ago assuming current climatic conditions.
c."Forest area in 2000 as a percent of total land area" and "Original forest as a percent of total land area" are not directly comparable; data are from two different sources.
d.Includes trade in industrial roundwood, wood fuel, sawnwood, wood-based panels, pulp, paper and paperboard, recovered paper, chips, particles, & wood residues.
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