Kim Booth with the log piles taken from Burnie wharf which produced the local saw-milled product.
… at taxpayers’ expense …
SAWMILL TRIAL A HUGE SUCCESS
Greens Call for Stage-2 Trial Based on Results
The Tasmanian Greens today released the final results of the Burnie export logs sawmilling trial, declaring it a complete success.
Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP urged the Minister for Forestry to now support a follow-up trial, saying it could deliver an alternative resource stream that would prevent the need for logging high conservation value forests, such as the swift parrot habitat on Bruny Island.
“The trial has been a staggering success, with timber recovery rates from myrtle, eucalyptus and blackwood logs averaging just under 40 per cent,” Mr Booth said
“It’s more than just a good result, it actually exceeds the general recovery rate by big sawmills using the best quality sawlogs.”
“This was timber previously graded as ‘below specification’ and stacked up as whole logs ready for export to China at below cost.”
“The logical next step is a second trial to demonstrate that this material can be cut into valuable flitch, which could then be provided to mills as part of their timber allocation.”
“The win-win here is that these logs are available right now as a resource stream for sawmills that could prevent the logging of swift parrot habitat on Bruny Island and other transitional coupes under the TFA.”
“It is now time to review the log grading system used by Forestry Tasmania, which has allowed countless millions of tonnes of valuable sawlogs to be smashed up, chipped and wasted at the taxpayer’s expense.”
* Data provided by Forestry Tasmania (28/05/2013)
LINK: A video of the sawmilling trial at Gowrie Park is available on the Tasmanian Greens MPs’ Youtube channel HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QerLtLgLjZI
Earlier on Tasmanian Times:
• A myth driven by the woodchip industry
• Our cry from the heart … the pictures
• Paul O’Halloran: Liberal opposition to Tarkine naming is divisive and anti-jobs
