A new review has found that Tasmania’s state forests can sustain current wood production levels for the next 90 years. In this June 2009 article, Jim Bowden said the review by Forestry Tasmania found the forest would grow faster than it will be harvested for the next nine decades, meaning there’ll be more, not less, forest by the turn of the next century.
The data sets, models and systems used for the review have been independently audited by an expert from the Australian National University.
As well, the ratio of mature eucalypt forest over 110 years of age, compared to regrowth and plantations on state forest, will remain roughly the same over the next nine decades.
Executive general manager Dr Hans Drielsma says the results vindicate Forestry Tasmania’s management strategies, demonstrating that the sustainable harvest will not compromise the state’s forests.
“This review shows that the forest is growing faster than we are harvesting,” Dr Drielsma said. “In simple terms, it means that state forest will continue to provide around 300,000 cubic metres of saw and veneer logs for the foreseeable future. Over the next 20 years, the amount of pulp wood generated, or arising, from the sawlog harvest will remain constant at around two to three million tonnes a year.
“However, in 2027 the amount of available pulp wood from state forest will fall to less than 1.5 million tonnes a year as the transition to regrowth and plantations is achieved.”
Dr Drielsma said this fall would be offset by an increase in pulp wood available from the private sector, as plantations matured.
The review into Sustainable High Quality Eucalypt Sawlog Supply from Tasmanian State Forests fulfils Forestry Tasmania’s obligation under the Regional Forest Agreement to conduct such a review every five years.
Dr Drielsma said the report should provide comfort to those Tasmanians who have been misled into believing vast areas of forest are being harvested and not re-generated.
“The fact is that every coupe on state forest is regenerated using techniques that mimic nature.
“These areas are re-sown using seeds gathered from trees harvested from the site and are re-grown to provide habitat, store carbon and maintain biodiversity for the next 90 years.”
Editor’s note: It’s important to remember, more than 50% or 3.43 million ha of Tasmania is in formal reserves, making the state one of the most protected places on earth. This includes 58% o native forests and more than 85% of its old-growth forests.
The ‘wood bank’– now the Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) land – comprises 356,000 ha of land that was set aside to provide for future sustainable forestry production in Tasmania.
Tasmania’s native forest sawmilling industry is currently under increasing supply pressures, due primarily to the actions of Labor and Greens both historically, and more recently.
This has included the halving of the production forest estate in 2011 under the disastrous Labor-Green forestry deal, and the closure of native forest industries in both Western Australia and Victoria under Labor governments. This has led to increased interest and competition in our high-quality native forests from interstate processors.
Under Tasmania’s 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, the Rockliff Liberal government, re-elected last year, will:
• Make available up to 40,000 ha of the Future Potential Production Forest ‘wood bank’.
• Make available an additional wood basket of up to 158,000 cubic metres of high-quality sawlog to Tasmanian industry – that’s an annual increase of up to 10%.
• Make this new supply available exclusively to existing Tasmanian customers.
• Support our iconic special species timber sector.
• Supercharge on-island processing with an additional $5 million.
An important part of the state government’s 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future is keeping the economy strong to create the jobs Tasmanians need to ensure that Tasmania remains the best state to live, work and raise a family. The Liberals have been the strongest supporters of the native forestry industry which is sustainable, renewable and a world showcase for forest management.
The industry supports more than 5700 direct and indirect jobs, not just in harvesting but across transport, associated support industries and sawmills around the state.
Sawlog from native forests is of high value and used in products ranging from high-quality floorboards, to feature walls and bespoke furniture.
