The NSW cypress industry has prepared a strategic plan for development from 2004-2010 that highlights the real value of this industry to regional communities across Australia and aims to boost usage of the timber in Australia and Japan.

This comes at a time when the timber industry is set to embark on a new campaign to promote a form of timber that is termite resistant but an unknown quantity for many Australians.

Cypress production employs 260 people in harvesting, sawmilling and processing of milled products, and is valued in excess of $29 million to the NSW economy alone.

The cypress forests are a renewable resource in regional locations and are sustainably managed by the State government agencies.

Further investment, estimated to be in the range of $16 million, will be needed over the next seven years to fulfill the goals of the strategic plan, but those funds will only be available with secure access to resource.

The Australian Forestry and Conservation Minister Senator Ian Macdonald said that it was pleasing to see the industry taking a good hard look at itself and then preparing such a comprehensive plan for further development in technology and markets for the years ahead.

"It is pleasing that the industry appreciates the need for substantial research and development, for upgrading of business management skills and for quality assurance programs."

The total value of cypress has not yet been fully appreciated by the Australian timber market – including its unique product appearance, natural termite resistance and superior stability to most other timbers.

However, the expectation within the industry is that increased consumer awareness of the benefits of cypress will lead to greater demand for this very unique timber.

The significant place that the cypress industry has in relation to rural and regional areas, (particularly in NSW and Queensland), and the huge potential of this timber to add value to rural communities and the economy, is something that the governments of these two states will no doubt seek to utilize better in the future.

The comprehensive industry plan may well prove very helpful in this connection.