Frank Strie Press Release
President of Timber Workers for Forests Frank Strie says Tasmania’s pine forests have been mismanaged and the jobs crisis for Scottsdale could have been averted. Mr Strie says poor forest practices have resulted in a decline in pine wood quality and quantity, with shorter rotations, smaller logs and more and more pulp chip production.
MEDIA RELEASE
Timber Workers for Forests (Inc)
2/02/07
For immediate release
Subject: Unsustainable Pine management in Tasmania
Painful reality now directly threatens the North East and the reputation of the entire timber industry.
President of Timber Workers for Forests Frank Strie says Tasmania’s pine forests have been mismanaged and the jobs crisis for Scottsdale could have been averted. Mr Strie says poor forest practices have resulted in a decline in pine wood quality and quantity, with shorter rotations, smaller logs and more and more pulp chip production.
The shortfall in wood supply is cited as one of the factors that has seen Scottsdale based AUSPINE lose its wood supply contract with forest manager Rayonier, leaving 300 jobs in the balance. Frank Strie says Rayonier’s own documents reveal the resource has not been managed in a sustainable way, with forecasts of available resource revised down 40.7 per cent between 2005 and 2006.
“In 2002, Rayonier predicted there would be no reduction in the annual total cut of saw logs, pruned logs or micro logs (small logs) till 2010”. He says subsequent Rayonier forecasts of available resource in 2005 and late 2006 were reduced and that if the true facts had been revealed before 2005 there would have been plenty of warning for the industry to react and possibly respond with increased plantings.
Costly, glossy propaganda can no longer cover up for decades of mismanagement of simple monoculture tree crops. Is this yet another indicator that our native forests are in an even worse state?
The planning and executive team of Forestry Tasmania seem to have let their own profession down on it’s core principles of sustainable (yield) management. There can be no excuse, no blame shifting to various politicians or Governments. These very well paid executive foresters in Melville Street Hobart are supposed to have the expert knowledge of forest management and (fairly simple) monoculture tree crops.
TWFF is calling on the three International Forestry Organisations
IUFRO – the International Union of Forest Research Organizations www.iufro.org ,
WCMC – the World Conservation and Monitoring Centre
www.unep-wcmc.org , and
CIFOR- the Center for International Forestry Research http://www.cifor.cgiar.org
to audit the planning and operational practices in Tasmania’s forests and plantations, and to investigate the professional activities of some Members and (former) office bearers in the IFA – the Institute of Foresters of Australia http://www.forestry.org.au regarding their impact on forests in Australia, the Solomon Islands and PNG.
A review and assessment of all the foresters involved in senior positions over the last 27 years is urgently required.
These silviculture experts, educated and trained in Australian Institutions, funded by the Australian Taxpayers have to take the blame for the hardship and pain the employees, their families and the entire North East Region of Tasmania will suffer.
Tasmanian State Manager Barry Chipman from the Timber Communities Australia TCA should resign now. He has completely failed in his claimed role of looking after our ‘Country Folk’.
Frank Strie
President
Timber Workers For Forests Inc.
