ABC pic of Jan Davis
I really wonder whether everyone has thought through some of the ramifications of the current dismembering of the Tasmanian forest industry. The uncertainty around the future of Forestry Tasmania, the demise of Gunns and the loss of so many contractors from the system pose real risk for all Tasmanians – but nobody much seems to be talking about this.
In FT’s case, we are talking about the management of 1.5 million ha of state forest, half of it non-productive. FT employees not only manage the forests; they manage the pests and weeds; they maintain 14,000 km of roads; and they work to minimise the risk of fire.
Forget about the politics of the forests: think instead about the realities of losing so many skilled forest workers and of the impacts resource constraints will have in those forests; think about safety, about roads, and about pest and weed control. Most importantly, think about fire risk and the lessons to be learned from the 2009 Victorian bushfire disaster.
Tasmania has not had a really serious bushfire since 1967. Despite what some would have you believe, this island is covered in forests which, without proper management, are a disaster waiting to happen. FT staff and forest contractors are in many cases our first line of defence, and they must share some of the credit for our good record over the past four decades. Forest contractors too have been generous with their time and equipment for use in fire management activities. With less people and less equipment available to assist in this task, there is inevitably increased risk.
If the potential fuel for fires is not actively monitored and reduced, if roads and bridges are not kept open to assist in fire fighting; we face a looming disaster – especially with forecasts for a drier than average summer this year after an amazingly productive growing season.
Think too about other issues. We all know how quickly country roads deteriorate when they are not maintained. There are already issues in some areas where roads and other infrastructure are degrading – with serious consequences for access. Who’s going to manage pests and weeds?
Where will the money come from without the work FT does on the ground as an unfunded – and largely unrecognised – community service? You cannot expect to decimate the on-ground people who deal with these issues every day without a significant impact.
These issues have been sidelined in the debate over the future of our forests, yet will have far-reaching and fundamental impacts on all Tasmanians.
Hardest hit will be our farmers – and they are already seeing the results of reduced funding and loss of experienced forest managers spilling over onto their properties. They are facing increases in pests and weeds spreading from state-owned parks and reserves. They live in some of the most fire-prone parts of the state and their families, homes and livelihoods are at significant risk in bushfire season.
Many farmers are active in volunteer bushfire brigades. They give up their time and put their lives on the line every summer to protect their communities. The heightened risks resulting from decreased investment in on-ground resourcing from forest managers are already causing concern. I’ve heard over recent weeks from some local fire brigade members that they have been instructed not to enter unmaintained public lands because the risk is too great for volunteers.
The Victorian Royal Commission report into the 2009 bushfires recommended prescribed burning annually of a minimum 5% of public land. It recommended reporting, data collection and modelling with respect to targets, area burnt, funds expended and impacts on biodiversity. It recommended development of a Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land. What is happening here in Tasmania to address these recommendations?
A recently released position paper on FT by the Australian Workers’ Union contains come salient and sobering thoughts, principally about the URS Strategic Review of Forestry Tasmania. I quote: “The 2009 Victorian bushfires highlighted how the accumulation of fuel, resulting from passive management, reduced prescribed burning (often related to smoke management concerns), and conservation philosophies combined with increased urbanisation to result an intensification of fire extent and severity.”
The situation here is – if anything – even worse.
There’s more than enough information and more than enough wise counsel to alert us to these dangers. It is simply not acceptable to ignore the situation.
No-one wants to be sitting here after a bushfire disaster saying ‘I told you so’.
Mark
• FIAT brings its bat and ball back to forest peace talks
• FOREST SIGNATORIES PROCESS
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
Friday, 05 October 2012
The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the Forest Industry Association of Tasmania’s decision to return to the forest signatories process.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said the negotiations provided an opportunity to not only find a solution to the problems facing the industry but to ensure the protection of Tasmania’s high conservation value forests.
“It’s good news that FIAT has come back into the process, because it means their members can continue to have input into the decision making process over the future of the industry,” Mr McKim said.
“We hope that other industry representatives in the signatories process take this as a cue to come back to the table and also work constructively to reach an agreement.”
“The community has been patient throughout this process, and there’s no doubt that all Tasmanians would like to see an agreement reached sooner rather than later.”
“The good news is that with FIAT back at the table the negotiations can proceed toward a final outcome.”
published: 2012-10-05 10:51 AM
