The owner of Australia’s first internationally-endorsed native timber property says he has balanced conservation and timber production.
Peter Downie’s property in Tasmania’s Central Highlands is the first in Australia to win full Forest Stewardship Council certification.
Forestry Tasmania and Gunns both use clearfelling methods and do not have this accreditation which is being sought increasingly overseas.
Mr Downie says his property has won the certification by using selective logging techniques and protecting biodiversity.
“Wherever a tree’s taken, young ones will naturally regenerate. They don’t have to be planted or sprayed or fertilised they just come back naturally,” he said.
He believes there are good marketing opportunities for the certified wood, particularly in countries like Japan.
“Common sense tells me I’ll get a better price…any products that have environmental credentials these days do demand a higher price in the market place.”
Certification requires a property to protect high conservation values, maintain biodiversity and ban 1080 poison.
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Nation’s pioneers in sustainable forestry
SUE NEALES | July 10, 2010 12.01am
THE future of the forestry industry was on show in Hobart yesterday with sixth-generation farming couple Peter and Anne Downie.
Their farm Lagoon of Islands, near Bothwell, became the first property in Australia to be accredited with coveted Forest Stewardship Council certification for its native forest harvesting operations.
After seven years and nearly $20,000 the Downies’ 6500ha property has attained a unique marketing niche for its eucalypt timber.
And architects and construction companies are queuing for Australia’s first accredited native timber grown in a natural forest, rather than in plantations.
Mr Downie, whose family has farmed Lagoon of Islands since the 1860s, does not use chemicals or sprays, has a 150-year production timeframe, does not engage in high-intensity burning, allows forests to re-seed naturally and uses single-tree selection rather than clear-felling.
“We try to approach farming as letting the country do what it does best naturally and put our extra effort into marketing,” he said.
“It’s a very clean style of forestry, low impact on the land and forests.”
FSC Australia Chief executive Michael Spencer said the Downies’ achievement should not be under-estimated.
It proves the Downies grow their native forests in a way that protects conservation values, conserves flora and fauna and maintains good relations with communities and stakeholders. It also allows items made from the trees to be sold as sustainably produced.
“Peter and Anne’s certification is a real turning point nationally,” Mr Spencer said.
“The future of this industry is not about hectares and volumes but about being smart and responding to the needs of customers who want to feel good about what they are buying and are prepared to pay for that.”
Mr Downie said: “The forest industry was losing public support and that concerned me, because I’ve set this forest up for the long term and thought I might be stopped and not allowed to complete my vision.
“That’s why FSC certification came to my attention. It seemed the best solution.”
