The presentation made by Mr Michael Peter, Executive Director of Forestry South Africa, provides insight into the commercial forestry and forest products industries in South Africa. The forestry industry in South Africa is based solely on the propagation of exotic trees, grown in plantations in the higher rainfall regions of South Africa. The presentation shows the ownership, geographical extent and distribution of plantations. It presents this by genus and by management objective and it provides a summary of the key products produced from these plantations in the processing sub-sector. The contribution of each of these products in turn, to the overall economic contribution of the sector, is also presented. The presentation demonstrates the disproportionately (relative to its land and water footprints) large economic, social (employment) and environmental contribution of the commercial industry to South Africa, including its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of the country, through export earnings. The physical, regulatory and political challenges which have led to the shrinkage (geographic) of the Industry and which have hindered the achievement of the country’s stated growth objectives for the Industry, are discussed in some detail. The physical, regulatory and political challenges which have led to the shrinkage (geographic) of the Industry and which have hindered the achievement of the country’s stated growth objectives for the Industry, are discussed in some detail.

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