SAWMILLING TRIAL SUCCESS
Log Grading Rules Must Be Changed
The Tasmanian Greens today said preliminary results from a sawmilling trial using export logs from the Burnie wharf had yielded extremely good results, and disproved industry claims of a sawlog shortage in Tasmania.
During Question Time today, Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP called on the Forestry Minister Bryan Green MP to review the current log grading system, which had consigned countless hundreds-of-thousands of tonnes of high quality timber to the woodchipper or to whole log export.
“The results so far show that reject blackwood and eucalypt logs have been yielding very high recovery rates of both select and furniture grade timber,” Mr Booth said.
“One rejected blackwood log yielded a stunningly high 59% recovery rate, which is almost unheard of.”
“This trial has proven, beyond doubt, that the alleged shortage of eucalypt sawlog and blackwood is nothing more than a myth driven by the woodchip industry for its own financial benefit.”
“It is now time to change the old log grading rules, which have been used for decades to justify the heartbreaking waste of high value eucalypt, blackwood, myrtle, celery pine and other fine timbers.
“Mr Green’s acknowledgement in Parliament today that the Burnie log sawmilling trial has yielded some positive results was a good step.”
“The Minister gave a commitment today to reviewing the grading rules of these timbers, which is extremely pleasing and a sign that finally the old culture of slash and burn by Forestry Tasmania is changing.”
“The Minister’s acknowledgement that ‘times have changed’ sadly comes too late for thousands of hectares of destroyed ecosystems, for the jobs that were never created, and for the millions of dollars in wasted taxpayers’ money.”
“We need to ensure that these beautiful, high quality logs go to local sawmillers and are never again sent to the chipper, or left in export yards to crack up in the sun.”
“If the logs at Burnie and Brighton are redistributed to local sawmillers then we could potentially avoid logging in more of Tasmania’s special places, including the transitional coupes on Bruny Island.”
