Media release – Eric Abetz, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources; Nick Duigan, Minister for Energy and Renewables, 2 May 2024
Farmers to benefit from Private Forests Tasmania initiatives
Two successful Private Forests Tasmania programs are resulting in the planting of around 250 hectares of trees as well as the development of a new knowledge hub.
Landowners will be able to find out more about the benefits of integrating commercial trees into their operations through the Tree Alliance Knowledge Hub.
Along with 10 resource topics including fact sheets, videos and other articles, the hub features the new Farm and Forest Mapper, a tool which helps simplify the farm-planning process.
The Stems for CO2 Program will support three Tasmanian farmers with upfront costs to successfully establish and collectively integrate 249 hectares of commercial trees into their agricultural enterprise.
This will allow research into the carbon uptake benefits of these trees as part of the key objective to reduce emissions by planting more trees.
Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, said both projects signify an investment of over $800,000.
“The new hub is a one stop shop for easy-to-access information relating to integrating trees on farms that can improve farm resilience,” said Minister Abetz.
“While the Stems for CO2 Program will allow for additional benefits of improved farming productivity in addition to allowing vital research in relation to carbon uptake benefits.
“This complements our additional $5 million investment into our On Island Processing Program, which is a key part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s future.”
Minister for Parks and Environment, Nick Duigan, said the program would assist in helping the state meet the target of net zero emissions or lower from 2030.
“The Stems for CO2 Program forms part of the Tasmanian Government’s $10 million Climate Change Action Plan to reduce emissions,” said Minister Duigan.
More information on the Tree Alliance Knowledge Hub and the Stems for CO2 Program can be found on the Private Forests Tasmania website: https://pft.tas.gov.au/
Ben Marshall
May 2, 2024 at 14:18
This rotten bit of legislation is handing free money, to those already doing okay, to make yet more cash and to keep them voting Liberal. It will (a) hand money to land managers who were already looking at plantation timber anyway, and (b) hand money to land managers who will ‘clear that last bit of bush down in the lower forty and get paid to shove a bunch of nitens in.’
We’ll see native forest habitat reduced, yet again, so producing enormous amounts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the process, and will “sequester” some of the carbon for the life of tree before we burn ‘the waste’ and start over.
As always, Liberal (with Labor’s backing) use greenwashing to cover its use of taxpayer money to win votes while claiming day is night by pretending that clearing native forest and industrial silviculture is somehow ‘climate change action’.
The biggest obstacle to genuine action on climate is phony action on climate, and our Lib-Lab parties are so far refusing to even look at genuine action.
Gordon Bradbury
May 3, 2024 at 11:33
The forest industry is in a state of crisis and a state of denial. It refuses to demonstrate any commercial credibility, so it is left to the taxpayer to continue to subsidise it.
There are no proper functioning timber markets in Australia. The price, cost, supply and demand in timber markets have never been related. Every time the government throws money at the forest industry it sends the very clear signal to the rural community that the industry is not commercially viable.
This sad, pathetic forest industry is supported by the equally sad and pathetic Lib-Labs!
Roderick
May 3, 2024 at 13:23
Ben Marshall, despite all that, the question most gardeners can answer is that you cannot keep growing the same plant or tree over and over again. The soils lose nutrients and are unable to deal with “growth, thereby resulting in a depleted ability to sustain a “strong” plan for 2030.
Burning and poisoning does not increase the productivity of soils. Ask the new minister of Forests, Eric Abetz. He will explain it all – but do not ask about the Black Forest!