Plant Processing Precinct Powers Jobs in Portland
A major step forward for regional manufacturing and the future of timber processing in the Green Triangle.
The Australian and Victorian Governments have announced a joint investment to support early-stage research into what could become Australia’s largest plantation hardwood and softwood processing facility, located in Portland, Victoria.
The ‘Precinct Project’ will explore the development of an advanced timber manufacturing and innovation hub, designed to process locally grown timber into high-value products such as glue laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber, and prefabricated housing components.
Led by Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI), the feasibility study forms part of a broader $7 million research and development initiative. The project brings together industry, government, academic institutions, and Traditional Owners to assess the viability of a shared manufacturing precinct over the next two years.
If realised, the facility has the potential to create up to 200 jobs while strengthening regional supply chains and reducing reliance on imported timber products. The precinct model will allow independent businesses to operate within a shared infrastructure network, improving efficiency across transport, energy, and production systems.
Strategically located near the Port of Portland, the development sits within the Green Triangle - one of Australia’s most significant plantation forestry regions spanning south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia.
The initiative builds on previous government investment in the region, including funding for feasibility studies and infrastructure upgrades aimed at supporting long-term growth in timber manufacturing and regional industry.
Supporting Innovation and Sustainability
The project also aligns with ongoing research through the Australian Centre for Climate Smart Forestry at the University of Melbourne, helping to identify new opportunities for sustainable timber production and advanced manufacturing in Australia.
Government representatives have highlighted the project’s potential to drive job creation, support regional economies, and position Australia as a leader in modern timber manufacturing.
The Precinct Project represents a significant step toward connecting forests to frames - enabling more locally sourced timber to be processed, manufactured, and used within Australia’s growing construction sector.
Source: Victorian Government – Premier of Victoria
For the full official press release, you can download the original transcript below:
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Recent News
August 21, 2026
Forestry Investment Leader David Brand to Headline The Precinct Investor Symposium
Influential forestry investment leader Dr David Brand will headline an Investor Symposium hosted by The Precinct in Melbourne this October as investors explore an initial $200 million-plus opportunity to establish large-scale engineered wood product manufacturing in Victoria’s Green Triangle. Dr Brand, founder of global forestry investment manager New Forests, will deliver a keynote address on 14 October 2026, drawing on more than four decades of experience across forestry investment, forest management and natural capital. Russ Hughes, chair of The Precinct and former CEO of Australian Bluegum Plantations, will host the invite-only event as investors assess the commercial pathway, market opportunity and investment case for the world scale Precinct development, proposed for Portland in south-west Victoria. The event marks a return to the investment origins of Dr Brand’s work in Australia. He founded New Forests in 2005 with a single forestry asset in the Green Triangle with the goal of bringing institutional capital into the plantation sector. The business has since grown into a global operation with $10.6 billion in assets under management with a portfolio covering plantations, timber processing, agriculture, conservation, carbon and natural capital. From the outset, Dr Brand recognised that the value of a forest extended well beyond the sale of wood fibre. His work helped advance a more sophisticated view of forestry as an asset class, capable of delivering additional value through carbon, biodiversity, conservation and broader landscape outcomes. Just as carbon created a new way to value plantations, Dr Brand will explore the next evolution of the sector, transforming established plantation resources, traditionally exported as raw fibre, to be the feedstock for higher-value, domestically produced engineered wood products and prefabricated construction systems - markets experiencing strong domestic demand and constrained supply. The symposium follows the completion of the Hardwood Timber Manufacturing Hub feasibility study, which confirmed the technical and commercial pathway for the initial stage of The Precinct development. The proposed initial stage, earmarked close to port and transport infrastructure, represents more than $200 million in investment and would establish a large-scale Glue-Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility, supported by a state-of-the-art sawmill and major log merchandising facility. It will use locally grown plantation hardwood, creating an estimated 74 permanent jobs and anchoring future stages of engineered wood product manufacturing, including Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and prefabricated building component manufacturing. The market opportunity is significant, with Australia importing close to $1 billion of engineered wood products and wood panels each year, including significant volumes of LVL, GLT and plywood used extensively in housing construction. The Precinct Chair Russ Hughes said the symposium came at pivotal moment for investors and the region’s forestry sector. “Victoria has an established plantation resource, but too much of its potential value leaves the region before it is converted into higher-value products,” Mr Hughes said. “The opportunity is to connect the resource we already grow with engineered wood manufacturing and prefabrication capability, so more of the economic value, skilled employment and industrial capability is retained in Australia, helping to meet our growing housing needs. “Dr Brand has been at the forefront of forestry investment for decades. His experience, including the early New Forests investment in the Green Triangle, gives him a particularly relevant perspective on the opportunity now emerging for this globally recognised region.” Under the theme “From Plantation to Product to Prefabrication”, the invitation-only symposium will bring together institutional investors, industry leaders, government representatives and project partners to consider the investment case, market opportunity and pathway to delivery. The Precinct is supported by major industry contributions and the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) and the Victorian State Government. To learn more about the development visit www.theprecinctportland.com.au
July 24, 2026
Feasibility study confirms viability of world-class timber manufacturing opportunity for Portland
The completion of the Hardwood Timber Manufacturing Hub (HTMH) Feasibility Study marks a major milestone for the Green Triangle, confirming the commercial and technical viability of establishing a world-class engineered timber manufacturing facility in Portland.
