Forests of Australia

Common card · No. 385471

Australia has many forests of importance due to significant features, despite being one of the driest continents. As of 2009, Australia has approximately 147 million hectares of native forest, which represents about 19% of Australia's land area. The majority of Australia's trees are hardwoods, typically eucalypts, rather than softwoods like pine. While softwoods dominate some native forests, their total area is judged insufficient to constitute a major forest type in Australia's National Forest Inventory. The Forests Australia website provides up-to-date information on Australia's forests. Detailed information on Australia's forests is available from Australia's State of the Forests reports that are published every five years. Since the arrival of European settlers starting from 1788 Australia has lost 40% of its original forest cover. The shift affected especially the most fertile areas of the country as the main driver has been forest clearing for agriculture.

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