Australian Timber Atlas
An interactive guide to where Australia grows, processes and sells timber.
I was curious to see a complete picture of Australia’s timber industry: where the raw materials come from, where they are processed, what they become, and where they eventually end up.
So I took a deep dive into the industry and built this interactive atlas. It brings together Australia’s plantation regions, processing facilities and ports, then connects them into a model of how timber flows through the country.
Explore the full-screen timber atlas
Tap plantation blocks to see the species, operators, mills and products that shape each regional industry.
When I zoomed out, an interesting picture began to emerge. Australia exports a lot of relatively raw material, while importing many of the finished wood products we use. The clearest example is paper: we export large volumes of woodchips to overseas paper mills, while paper and paper products make up a large share of our wood-product imports.
Next time you pick up a pack of toilet paper or paper towel at Bunnings, take a look at where it was made. There is a good chance it wasn’t here.
You can explore where the timber comes from, which facilities process it, what moves through our ports, and where value is—or is not—being created onshore. Take a look for yourself.