Export Control Guidelines for Unprocessed Wood

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Export Control Guidelines for Unprocessed Wood

The regulations covering export licencing of unprocessed wood are:

An export licence is required from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for the export of 2 tonnes or more of:

  • woodchips wood in the round which is intended to undergo further processing following export
  • wood with a cross sectional area of 225 square centimetres or greater which is intended to undergo further processing following export, and
  • sandalwood (effectively sourced only from Queensland and Western Australia).

Material sourced from the ten areas covered by Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) is exempt from requiring an export licence.

  1. Hard wood woodchips sourced from native forest areas outside RFA regions are prohibited for export.
  2. Material sourced from plantations is not subject to export licences (except from Queensland and Northern Territory).

Where licences are required, applications for licences should include:

  • name of exporter: person, sole trader, partnership, company (with ACN number), that actually intends to export the material. Appropriate contact details should be included
  • quantity and price and nature of wood to be exported: (in appropriate unit of measurement ie cubic metres, bone dry units, green metric tonnes etc; whether hardwood (including sandalwood) or softwood (including whether pine, Douglas fir or other species), logs (pulp or sawlogs), billets, poles or woodchips
  • source of material: ie whether derived from native forest or plantation, private or Crown land whether already harvested or not. In the case of native forest material, naming the region from which material is being sourced. Whether material is to be sourced from National Estate places (ie areas on the Register or the Interim List of the Register of the National Estate). Maps of 1: 100,000 scale are required where source areas are on National Estate places
  • supplier of the material (where appropriate)
  • port of loading and date of shipment - Period of licence (or expected shipping schedule where more than one shipment is involved)
  • country of destination, buyer's name and end use.

Further information and applications for approval to export can be obtained from:

General Manager
Forestry Branch

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 
18 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra City ACT 2601

GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: 02 6272 5079
Fax: 02 6272 4367

Internet: www.daff.gov.au/forestry
Email: Forestry Contact



Last reviewed: 27 Aug 2008
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