Considering that Forestry Tas cannot rely on the Liberal Party being in governance in the future, then the question beckons why is this dysfunctional GBE proposing the same misguided practices of logging high conservation areas if they wish to obtain Forest Stewardship Certification?
In the near future World market demands will rule Tasmania’s timber exports, so regardless of FT’s loss-making operations being on taxpayers life-support through contingency funding, the industry will inevitably hit a brick wall if FSC is not granted.
FT’s latest 3-year Harvest Management Plans clearly shows that it intends to log areas that have High Conservation Values. Pressured by myopic Liberal politicians, some of these future forest coupes are designated exclusively for the extraction of specialty timber. These arbitrary coupes will become highly contentious because FT has no prescriptive protocol that protects old growth eucalypts growing amidst rainforest.
Past FT practices recurrently saw Tasmania’s forests primarily clear-felled for the extraction of eucalypts, leaving the valuable specialty timber dozed, crushed and burned. Now it appears the antit-hetical practices of removing specialty timber will inescapably see the destruction of old growth forests either felled or left wholly exposed to the extreme weather elements which will ultimately see their demise.
FT has a protective/register that exempts eucalypts above 85 metres in height from being logged. Beyond the swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans ) it is rare that other species reach such height. This tokenistic and myopic policy discriminates large-girth ancient trees that may be many centuries old, and ultimately excludes them from FT’s criteria for high conservation.
In this 21st century there is virtually no commercial use for trees that are several centuries old as they are not ideally suited for quality woodchips, category 1 sawlogs, peeler billets or veneer.
Realistically, logging coupes that contain old growth trees should not be included in any Forest Harvest Management Plans, nor should they be exempted from FSC criteria.
Without industry infiltration into the Forest Stewardship Council, obtaining FSC for Tasmania’s native forests under the present regime will be just as much of a challenge for FT as it will be for the Forest Stewardship Council.
Meanwhile nothing has changed in Tasmania’s Forests!
Ted Mead
