Plenty plateau counter claims

THE following media statements were released last week by Greens MHA Tim Morris and Forestry Tasmania Derwent District forest manager Dave Brown in relation to the salvaging of specialty timbers on the Plenty plateau. The statements are published below without alteration.



Massive amounts of specialty timbers and firewood posed to go up in smoke
Tim Morris MP
Greens Member for Lyons
Friday, 22 March 2013, 4.07pm

THE Tasmanian Greens today said that tens of thousands of tonnes of easily recoverable of firewood will be wasted if Forestry Tasmania goes ahead with plans to burn timber left behind from recent logging operations in southern Tasmania.Greens Member for Lyons Tim Morris MP today accompanied forest contractors to logging coupes on the Plenty Plateau, where large quantities of firewood timber and young special species is about to be burned.

“Celery top pine, sassafras and myrtle that should be grown on to supply wooden boat builders and craftsmen  in future decades has been smashed and trashed and is about to go up in smoke,” Mr Morris said. “These two coupes are amongst the many in similar condition that Forestry Tasmania is about to set fire to now that they have announced that their annual coupe burning program has begun.”

“It makes me so angry that in the three decades that I have been observing the practices of Forestry Tasmania, they are still as careless and wasteful as always. As a hobby woodworker the most sickening part of it is the massive quantity of young specialty timbers including celery top pine and sassafras that has been pushed over and smashed almost beyond recognition.”

“Specialty timber users and craftspeople will be absolutely livid to find out that these coupes have not been considered for their long term resource needs. Something has to change and it has to change soon, because the whole community is going to be outraged when they learn about the extreme waste that is continuing in our forests. Until there is some real change on the ground, Forestry Tasmania will never make money, nor will it get the community acceptance that it needs if it is to stand any chance of getting FSC certification. With winter approaching, Forestry Tasmania should at least be providing a transparent way for people to access the massive quantities of firewood that’s available up there right now.”


Harvesting on the Plenty Plateau
Forestry Tasmania 
Friday, 22 March 2013, 7.02pm

FORESTRY Tasmania says claims by Greens Member for Lyons Tim Morris about timber harvesting on the Plenty Plateau are without foundation.

Derwent District Forest Manager Dave Brown said the Plenty coupes had been harvested responsibly and all commercially saleable timber had been extracted. “These coupes are regrowth that established naturally after the 1934 bushfires. They have been harvested over the past couple of years to supply smaller diameter regrowth peeler logs to Ta Ann."

“Unfortunately the closure of the Triabunna woodchip mill prevented the sale of lower grade residues.  Contractors have, however, been encouraged to harvest all saleable firewood. The wood that is left has not been able to be sold commercially.”

Mr Brown said the young special species trees in the coupes would have needed to grow to 2-300 years to reach a saleable size. “FT’s Specialty Timbers Strategy 2010 has identified areas of special species timbers to be set aside for long-term supply.”

Mr Brown said the regeneration burns in the coupes were designed to replicate the natural regeneration achieved after wildfires like those in 1934.