Tasmania is barking up the right tree.

The Mercury, 31 July 2023

In a carbon-constrained century, forestry is the world’s most excitingindustry.

Forestry not only provides timber and fibre but a business model that paysfor carbon capture and active landscape management across our bushfire-prone, biodiverse environment.

The Tasmanian native forestry sector has a bright future but faces two keythreats.

First, a potential future Labor-Green government intent on delivering theGreens’ promise to shut down the industry completely in Tasmania.

Second, Dan Andrews’ shutdown of native forestry in Victoria and thethousands of desperate families given more than $800 million in taxpayersubsidies to just walk away.

We face these threats from a position of strength. Sustainable TimberTasmania’s wood supply contracts with major Tasmanian customers are inplace until 2027.

But a recent haulage tender process shows that Tasmania is not immunefrom the fallout in Victoria, which is why STT is reviewing its recenttender.

We are working closely with the four key pillars of local industry – bigmillers, small millers, contractors and special species – on a forward-looking plan to support the industry through this external shock, whiletaking advantage of exciting new opportunities.

Long-term thinking is vital for forestry because plantation sawlogs cantake 30 years to grow to maturity, and regrowth native forests more than60.

This is an intergenerational and sustainable industry, supporting good,ongoing jobs in Tasmania.

Unfortunately, from Labor we’ve heard silence followed by hypocrisy, withtheir job-destroying love affair with the Greens a dark stain.

They didn’t make a peep when Dan Andrews and Mark McGowan sentnative forestry to the wall in Victoria and WA.

Only recently they voted against protecting forestry workers from radicalactivists invading the worksites, and have been eerily quiet at theopportunity to back the government’s position of no lock-ups in theTarkine.

While Labor throws rocks from the sidelines, our government is workingclosely with industry.

Some people thrown out of work in Victoria are also Tasmanians nowlooking to come home, displaced not once but twice by anti-forestry Laborgovernments.

In a state with more timber jobs than available workers, we shouldwelcome them with open arms to help lift our industry’s capacity andcapability.

With the right approach, Tasmanian industry can benefit from newmarkets for our premium timber, and new skilled workers to filllongstanding vacancies.

Forestry is a $1.2 billion industry in Tasmania supporting more than 5000jobs.

Tasmania is already a bright spot, we can be the shining beacon.

We will deliver on this with industry in a way that finds a place foreveryone – millers big and small, the special species supply chain and thecontractors who make it all possible.

Now is our opportunity to grow Tasmanian forestry for the generations tocome.