An answer please, Mr Abetz

By Frank Nicklason

This coupe, which was State Forest under the stewardship of Forestry Tasmania (FT), if sustainably harvested could have provided a resource for all time to support low resource using,very high value adding and high employment generating boat building and furniture businesses. Instead nearly all the specialty timber was wilfully burnt by FT and with the knowledge of Managing Director Evan Rolley. The concerns around the harvesting of this coupe were brought to Mr Rolley’s attention in a letter to the Mercury in 2001.

JOHN MADDOCK from Timberworkers for Forests (Tas Country letter 26/5) deserves a response from Forestry Minister Senator Abetz regarding the evidence which has been collected and documented of massive waste, particularly of celery top pine and myrtle, in the broadacre clearfell coupe designated Esperance 74D only a few kilometres from the Tahune Airwalk.

This coupe, which was State Forest under the stewardship of Forestry Tasmania (FT), if sustainably harvested could have provided a resource for all time to support low resource using,very high value adding and high employment generating boat building and furniture businesses.Instead nearly all the specialty timber was wilfully burnt by FT and with the knowledge of Managing Director Evan Rolley. The concerns around the harvesting of this coupe were brought to Mr Rolley’s attention in a letter to the Mercury in 2001.

There is much more evidence from all over Tasmania of gross wastage of timber as a result of clearfelling, burning and industrial scale woodchipping.

As Graham Green from Timberworkers for Forests has said in the online documentary Two Visions (and in specifically relation to the above mentioned coupe) these precious timbers, which take hundreds of years to mature, will never again be available from this area under FT’s short rotation harvesting regime.

Mr Abetz has seen Two Visions and he has made these comments; “The Two Visions documentary has portrayed a very biased view of forest management in Tasmania and is based on inaccuracy and mistruths. Unfortunately the complainants featured in this documentary consistently refuse to accept the findings of various authorities or recognise the improvements and initiatives that have addressed these issues”.

Forestry Tasmania and Gunns Limited did not make themselves available for interviews for the Two Visions documentary.

Evan Rolley is now retiring from his position Evan quits, report but it is not too late to expect some sort of accountability for the wanton destruction and waste of our State forests which has occurrred during his 16 years at the helm. The Legislative Council budget estimates committee scrutinising the Government Business Enterprises represents an early opportunity.

The squandering of opportunities inherent in Tasmania’s current style of forestry which converts mixed wet native forests and productive agricultural land to dry monoculture pulpwood crops must stop.

We need a new Managing Director of FT with the knowledge,commitment and support to urgently effect the required changes.

Last week’s Tasmanian Country profiled current President of Timberworkers for Forests, Frank Strie, a professional forester and a man who I believe could do this critical job and help transform the Tasmanian forestry industry into one in which all interests, be they commercial,environmental or community, can be satisfactorily met.

Two Visions is available at www.twovisions.net and you can be the judge of Mr Abetz’s analysis.

Dr Frank Nicklason

West Hobart