End to Tasmanian forest wars in sight Save

Andrew Darby
The Examiner, Nov. 22, 2012


A final deal that should end the generation-old Tasmanian forest wars has been signed, protecting more than 500,000 hectares of native forest.

Negotiators said the deal would shrink the surviving native-forest logging industry, but had been supported by all involved in the two-year-long talks.

"It delivers a comprehensive conservation outcome that we can all be proud of, once it is gazetted," said The Wilderness Society's campaigner, Vica Bayley.

"It's a final agreement that involves compromise, but in the end is win-win for everybody," Mr Bayley said.

Mr Bayley said 395,200 hectares of forest would be protected immediately under the deal, with a further 108,800 hectares to gain protection by 2015, giving a total of 504,000 secured from logging.

Protected forests will include the highly contested, tall, old-growth eucalypt Styx, Upper Florentine and Weld valleys fringing the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Terry Edwards, chief executive of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania, said he had mixed feelings.

"But I hope that for the sake of the state of Tasmania that the war might now be over," Mr Edwards said.

As of this morning, all bar one signatory had backed the agreement, and that party had given in-principle support, he told local ABC radio.

Mr Edwards said the industry had reduced its quota to 137,000 cubic metres, below a 155,000 cubic metre benchmark set in an interim agreement hammered out by Prime Minister Julia Gillard last year.

The biggest surviving native forest company, veneer processor Ta Ann, is to renegotiate reduced contracts to ensure that its supplies come from genuine arisings of sawlog supplies.

The agreement will go before Tasmania's cabinet today, before legislation is introduced to enact key components that would unlock $100 million in federal assistance.

The eventual fate of the deal also depends on the state's upper house, the Legislative Council, whose majority have opposed the negotiations. Mr Edwards urged all parties to get behind the proposal.

End to Tasmanian forest wars will curb logging

Andrew Darby, Hobart correspondent for Fairfax Media

The Age, November 22, 2012

A final deal that should end the generation-old Tasmanian forest wars has been signed, protecting more than 500,000 hectares of native forest.

Negotiators said the deal would shrink the surviving native-forest logging industry, but had been supported by all involved in the two-year-long talks.

"It delivers a comprehensive conservation outcome that we can all be proud of, once it is gazetted," said The Wilderness Society's campaigner, Vica Bayley.

"It's a final agreement that involves compromise, but in the end is win-win for everybody," Mr Bayley said.

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Mr Bayley said 395,200 hectares of forest would be protected immediately under the deal, with a further 108,800 hectares to gain protection by 2015, giving a total of 504,000 secured from logging.

Protected forests will include the highly contested, tall, old-growth eucalypt Styx, Upper Florentine and Weld valleys fringing the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Terry Edwards, chief executive of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania, said he had mixed feelings.

"But I hope that for the sake of the state of Tasmania that the war might now be over," Mr Edwards said.

As of this morning, all bar one signatory had backed the agreement, and that party had given in-principle support, he told local ABC radio.

Mr Edwards said the industry had reduced its quota to 137,000 cubic metres, below a 155,000 cubic metre benchmark set in an interim agreement hammered out by Prime Minister Julia Gillard last year.

The biggest surviving native forest company, veneer processor Ta Ann, is to renegotiate reduced contracts to ensure that its supplies come from genuine arisings of sawlog supplies.

The agreement will go before Tasmania's cabinet today, Thursday, before legislation is introduced to enact key components that would unlock $100 million in federal assistance.

The eventual fate of the deal also depends on the state's upper house, the Legislative Council, whose majority have opposed the negotiations. Mr Edwards urged all parties to get behind the proposal.

Historic forest deal ends 30-year dispute

Matthew Denholm, Tasmania correspondent
The Australian, November 22, 2012

A HISTORIC deal to end the 30-year war over Tasmania's forests by protecting more than 500,000ha - one of the nation's largest conservation outcomes - is due to be unveiled today.

Multiple sources yesterday confirmed to The Australian that green and timber groups had agreed to protect more than 503,000ha of native forests while allocating 137,000cu m of sawlogs a year to industry.

The deal, following more than two years of difficult negotiation, was last night being voted on by the boards of the conservation and industry groups involved in the process.

Barring last-minute revolts, it will be endorsed by state cabinet and the federal government and introduced into the Tasmanian parliament today. This meets a deadline set by the Gillard government for $100 million in regional development funds linked to a successful forest peace deal, as well as at least $15m to buy out sawlog contracts.

The Australian, which broke the story yesterday on its website, has confirmed the headline figure is 561,000ha, although about 58,000ha of this will be subject to some logging.

Immediate protection will be granted to about 395,000ha of the forests most coveted for conservation, in areas such as the Styx, Weld and Upper Florentine, with their eventual inclusion in World Heritage areas and national parks.

A further 108,000ha will be added to reserves in 2015, as long as environment groups have kept to the agreement and cease campaigns against the industry.

In addition, 21,000ha will be logged once, but then rehabilitated and added to the new reserves, while 37,000ha will be selectively logged for specialty timbers only.

For this reason, the conservation groups - Environment Tasmania, The Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation - will regard the total conservation gain to be just over 503,000ha.

This means green groups have achieved 70,000ha less than their original conservation demand of 572,000ha, while the timber industry has shaved its sawlog demands from 155,000cu m a year to 137,000cu m.

The talks were initially made possible by Gunns' exit from native forest logging, freeing up 220,000cu m of sawlogs, although expert analysis later revealed less timber supply than previously thought.

This led the state and federal governments to run a sawlog buy-out scheme that identified a further 59,000cu m that could be surrendered for compensation.

Talks collapsed last month, but were resurrected informally in recent weeks, with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, via its national head Jane Calvert, playing a key role.

Pressure from Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings, who governs in a power-sharing deal with the Greens, helped push the parties to reach agreement in time for the last sitting of parliament, securing the $100m federal funds.

Politically, the deal is seen as vital to any hope state Labor has of retaining power at an election due by March 2014.

The Liberal opposition, sections of the timber industry and some key independents in the state's upper house are likely to firmly oppose the deal, arguing that it sells industry short.

Forest sites saved from logging

AAP
The Age, November 21, 2012

An out-of-court settlement between VicForests and environmental groups has ensured protection of nine nationally significant rainforest sites in East Gippsland.

VicForests said the settlement had saved taxpayers' money being spent on a costly Supreme Court trial.

VicForests' director of corporate affairs Nathan Trushell said the outcome was a practical solution to a complex legal argument over an administrative matter.

He said the issue related to the management of forest adjacent to rainforest stands and that no rainforest was at risk of being harvested.

Jill Redwood, coordinator of Environment East Gippsland, said the settlement meant VicForests agreed to no logging at three forest areas and to modify their logging boundaries in another six rainforests sites of national significance.

She said the state government, through the Department of Sustainability and Environment, should have protected all significant rainforest sites but had failed to do so.

"We believe that the law requires them to do so and that none of the sites should be on the logging schedule," Ms Redwood said.

AAP