Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Desert Timbers

An exciting opportunity has arisen to initiate a centre of excellence to sustainably develop and utilise desert timber harvesting from the wood lines of Kalgoorlie, to be processed and marketed at the historic No 4 Pump Station located near Merredin.

The centre will conduct research into timber utilisation and implementation of the sustainable timbers project, through a range of government and private funding. It will draw on the workforce of the Merredin and Kalgoorlie regions, creating sustainable employment and developing business opportunities.

Research and development will also be conducted into the utilisation and sustainable management of desert timbers in the Kalgoorlie region, the establishment, management and harvesting of plantation grown timbers in the Merredin region and the marketability of the resulting timber products.

There will be additional research and development of other indigenous plants and for value-added products of both desert timbers and other indigenous plants.

The involvement of TAFEWA will ensure supervised training for the youth and unemployed of the Merredin region, focussing primarily on Indigenous people. Transferable skills and qualifications will be gained, adding to the development pool for the region.

Research will determine the viability of future bio-generation from the region, utilising waste products from the desert timber project, bio-waste from Merredin and stubble and other bio-products grown on land within the region.

It is anticipated that funding of $10 million will be required to undertake the project.  These funds will be raised from government and private sources.

The strength of this proposal is the depth of partnerships within and between Indigenous people, the general community and government at both State and Federal level.  The National Trust is committed to increasing the knowledge, awareness, understanding and commitment to cultural heritage for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders.

Progress report - Januray 2008 available for download.

This project is supported by: