The Tasmanian government has scrapped plans to open 40,000 hectares of protected forest for logging — a move Labor has branded as a “humiliating backflip.” It comes as Liberal Member for Braddon, Felix Ellis, announced the decision on Saturday, confirming that Jeremy Rockliff’s government will no longer proceed with releasing land from the Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) “wood bank” for timber harvesting: “We have made this decision in line with community expectations and further consultation,” he said.
The FPPF comprises 356,000 hectares of land previously earmarked for potential future forestry operations. Instead of unlocking new forest areas, Ellis said the government will now focus on “maximising value from existing resources, including private forests, and ensuring growth in the industry through more innovative on-island processing.”
It comes as Labor Leader Dean Winter slammed the announcement, calling it a complete reversal of the Liberals’ long-standing forestry stance: “After having campaigned against the Tasmanian Forest Agreement for more than a decade, the Tasmanian Liberals have today completed a humiliating backflip on forestry,” Winter said. “Their plan to open up another 40,000 hectares of forestry was opposed by industry, Labor and the conservation movement because it would have reopened the forest wars.”
Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff welcomed the decision, describing it as a win for regional communities and the environment: “It’s extremely welcome news to the regional communities who were under threat of their beautiful forests being slashed and burned,” Woodruff said. “It clearly shows the power of having a minority government, a minority parliament, Greens in the crossbench and a more progressive group of independents there with us too.”
According to Ellis, Tasmania currently has more than 50% of its land mass — approximately 3.43 million hectares — in formal reserves. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to balancing environmental protection with job creation: “We remain committed to getting the balance right between creating jobs and protecting the environment,” Ellis said.
- To learn more about the Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF), and Premier Rockliff’s vow to expand logging to create a Tasmanian wood bank, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from March 2024.
