Managing State Forests for Multiple Benefits

The wood supply agreements announced yesterday ensures Forestry Tasmania will generate a competitive and stable return for harvested trees, and can continue to manage state forest for other values including tourism, carbon and biomass.

“State forests are managed for a wide range of values including social, economic and environmental. To suggest that the value of carbon is equal to or greater than market values of forest fibre is not based in reality,” said Dr Hans Drielsma, Forestry Tasmania’s Executive General Manager.

“Factoring in all the economic activity that takes place as a result of timber harvesting and resulting down-stream processing in Tasmania, carbon would have to have a market value of at least $60 per tonne. And, it is only worth $60 per tonne if someone is willing to pay that amount.

“No one is paying that price for carbon today and if there were this kind of money changing hands to store carbon, Tasmanians will be pleased to know that state forests are already being managed for carbon storage for environmental values.

“Trees are harvested from state forest primarily for saw logs, which includes value-added processing here in Tasmania. In addition to leaving a variety of trees and woody debris on the land to promote biodiversity, we then sell the addition wood fibre for other purposes including pulp and paper production.

“As a society, we do not have to choose one value over another. Tasmania is blessed with massive forest resources. We are currently managing state forests for a reliable supply of saw logs, as well as tourism, carbon, biomass and encouraging more value-added processing here in Tasmania.

“I am pleased to see that the Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill (TAP) recently came out in support of managing forests for biomass. FT shares this view and is doing exactly that. Energy derived from the forest can be sustainable and has a lighter footprint than fossil fuels.

“Last year, FT’s tourism operations attracted 200,000 people and we expect this to continue. Tasmania does not have to choose between harvesting or tourism – we can do both.

“Increasing the level of value-added processing in Tasmania is a fundamental part of our business strategy. This week Forest Enterprises Australia has opened a sawmill at Bell Bay; there is a new Ta Ann veneer mill at Southwood and a second Ta Ann mill will open in the near future. Our strategy is providing opportunities for Tasmania.


David Tuck, Corporate Relations 6233 8249
ENDS
27 February 2008