Quarantining Forestry Tasmania from managing the logging in the short term is a tricky attempt to secure FSC certification regardless
The forest policy of the Hodgman government is focused on obtaining Forest Stewardship Council certification by sleight of hand, according to Markets For Change, a non-government group dedicated to informing and educating markets and consumers on the environmental impacts of forest products they buy and sell.
400,000 hectares of forest promised to become reserves under the Tasmanian Forest Agreement will now instead be allocated for future logging, whilst protection of those forests for their high conservation values is to be abandoned under Liberal government policy that singles out the environmental gains of the now defunct TFA for attack.
“It is vital to understand that Forestry Tasmania would be unable to gain FSC certification and the markets access it brings if the 400,000 hectares of high conservation value forest were allocated to them to manage for future logging. They would simply fail to meet FSC environmental standards,” Markets For Change CEO Peg Putt, said today.
“An innocent bystander would ask why, if this is now to be allocated as deferred production forest, is it not to be put under the management control of the state agency dedicated to managing publicly-owned production forests?”
“The answer is that this is a tricky move that is designed to fool FSC by gaming their rules to try and get FSC for Forestry Tasmania simply because the 400,000ha is not under their management control – not because the 400,000ha is ever intended to be protected from logging”.
“Eventually these forests that were to be future reserves will either have to be made over to Forestry Tasmania to manage for logging, thus invalidating any FSC certification they may have gained, or the government will have to create a parallel logging agency to do the nasty logging that won’t qualify for FSC.”
“The decision to allocate the 400,000 hectares to deferred production in the short term is a backhanded acknowledgement that logging these forests is unacceptable to the market. It is in addition to the confrontational plans of the Abbott government to delist 74,000 hectares of World Heritage forest for logging,” Ms Putt concluded.
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Matthew Newton: http://matthewnewton.com.au/Commercial/People/1/
• Scott Jordan: Tarkine forests campaigns to recommence
• Richard Colbeck: Tasmanian Government implements a common-sense approach
• Richard Colbeck: World Heritage mockery • And, here • And, here • And here
• Vica Bayley: Tasmanian Government forest plan guarantees six years of uncertainty and no solution
• Kim Booth: Hodgman guarantees uncertainty for timber markets
• Terry Edwards: FIAT surprised by Government haste There are a range of key issues that are necessary to underpin the continued vibrancy of the Tasmanian forest industry … Those issues include market security, FSC certification, enhanced contractor capacity, special species timber supply, residues solutions, plantation research and development etc. Any forward-looking forest policy must identify acceptable solutions to these and other vexed issues if it is to be successful … The haste of the current approach by Government makes detailed responses to most of these key and fundamental issues extremely difficult.
• phill Parsons, in Comments: The issue is not FSC per se. This is only the figurehead for a larger forestry industry. Logging in the deferred forest is supposedly delayed for 6 years. the full quota from the current forestry estate has not been taken up by sawmillers. Hodgman’s fondest political wish now us to be re-elected as Premier 4 years hence. Part of achieving that is for the voters to believe things are better. In the forestry industry there will not be a leap into a sawmilling led recovery unless the 6 year deferral is a lie. Therefore we can expect little employment growth in forestry and a return to community division with no holds barred over the next 4 years. Either something else will have to work for Will or they have just made a strategic error. Terry Edwards comments outline the underpinnings of such an error.
• Richard Colbeck: Greens should respect mandate of the people
• Kim Booth: Forestry Tasmania FSC certification threatened by deferred logging bid “Clearly Forests Minister, Paul Hariss cannot see the wood for the trees and we will once again see government meddling in the industry and ultimately destroy it.” “The Liberals divisive decision to log recognised conservation areas, whilst pretending that they will be ring fenced from FSC consideration, will make the Tasmanian timber Industry the laughing stock of the planet.” “The auditor for Forestry Tasmania’s bid for Forest Stewardship Council Certification, has publicly stated that Forestry Tasmania’s certification bid could be jeopardised should it log these forests.”
• ABC: Liberals reject suggestions end to forest peace deal will jeopardise accreditation The chief auditor from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Robert Hrubes says that could affect the status of any certified forests. Forestry Tasmania is working towards securing environmental certification for a total of 900,000 hectares. Mr Hrubes says the organisation’s bid for certification could be jeopardised if it logs an area of forest that was tied with deal. … Resources Minister Paul Harriss says the government is working closely with FT and has guarantees that the certification will not be jeopardised.
