Tree planting needs to be stepped up in South Africa because of growing demand for timber, industry sources have warned.
Strong sales of wood have been attributed to an upturn in the economy, with prices rising beyond the rate of inflation. Demand is predicted to increase still further in the future.
One building materials supplier said the price of timber supplied by sawmills had increased three times in the past year.
The planned sale of the Komatiland forestry assets to the Bonheur consortium could also cause further price pressure. Parts of the industry believe the takeover by Bonheur, which is 70% owned by the Global Forest Products Group, would create a monopoly within the softwood sawlog plantation sector in South Africa.
