The Tasmanian Greens today called on Forestry Tasmania to start valuing Tasmania’s timber and stop wasting taxpayer money by trashing and exporting logs that could be provided to local saw millers.
Tasmanian Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the Greens had received information from contractors that about 41,000 tonne of sawlogs at the Brighton and Leslie Vale stockpiles had been split up and loaded for export to China, instead of going to local saw millers.
Mr Booth was speaking ahead of the More Jobs Less Logs forum in Huonville tonight, where he would be presenting the results of a recent sawmilling trial, which had proven beyond doubt that logs stockpiled for export in Burnie were suitable for local sawmilling.
“It’s an insult to our local industry that these logs are being split up and exported to China for woodchips rather than being provided to the local saw millers,” Mr Booth said.
“It’s an insult to the public purse that they were felled and carted into Brighton and Leslie Vale, stockpiled, watered and then left there for months while saw millers cried out for wood.”
“If these logs are just going to now be wasted at cost to the taxpayer, they should never have been cut down in the first place.”
“These are the same category of logs have been sitting for months in the Burnie export stockpile and that Forestry Tasmania had also said were unsuitable for sawmilling.”
“A sawmilling trial of those logs proved beyond doubt that they were perfectly suitable for sawmilling and peeling, which would deliver jobs and wealth into the local economy.”
“Export for woodchip is a sure money loser, and Forestry Tasmania is displaying a reckless disregard for the public purse whilst wilfully destroying our beautiful native forests.”
The More Jobs Less Logs will be held at the Huonville Town Hall tonight from 7pm.
Pic: Kim Booth with sawn timber after an earlier trial using timber stockpiled at Burnie wharf.
