Reproduced by Discover-Tasmania.com

from The Advocate Newspaper online edition

Date published: Friday, June 6, 2003 Author: Claire Turfrey. Outcry over plan for myrtle logging A NATIONAL outcry from conservationists has followed the State Government's decision to log myrtle trees in the North-West's Tarkine forest. Deputy Premier Paul Lennon revealed on Wednesday a survey of the State's myrtle resource had recommended an annual harvest of about 2000 tonnes, including logging in the Savage River pipeline corridor. And while Forestry Tasmania said yesterday Mr Lennon's announcement was "good news'', Greens Leader Peg Putt accused Mr Lennon of "chainsawing his way onto the world A-list of environmental vandals''. "Deep red myrtle is one of our more highly prized specialty timbers and we have been particularly conscious of the need to manage an annual cut at a level which will sustain its availability into the future,'' Mr Lennon said. "Setting a cap at 2000 tonnes will ensure the industry's demands can be met, while safeguarding the long-term security of the renewable myrtle resource.'' But Ms Putt said the largest tract of intact rainforest in Australia would be destroyed under these plans and that the Government had made a clumsy attempt to deceive Tasmanians about the extent of the harvesting by claiming they would destroy the area more slowly than proposed. "Labor is putting an axe through the biggest potential income earner and job creator for Tasmania's North-West and this is where the Greens' plans for an economic transition to lift the future of the area differ so radically from Labor's blunt and bloody approach,'' Ms Putt said. Forestry Tasmania acting managing director Dr Hans Drielsma said this approach to the management of the myrtle resources "should be praised rather than criticised''. "It is difficult to understand exactly what the Greens' objections are to accessing this myrtle resource,'' he said. "It will be selectively harvested, wood will be directed to high-value applications and harvesting levels have been kept to a minimum.'' The Forest Industries Association also welcomed the decision, with chief executive Terry Edwards saying the management of a resource for only one value - be it environmental, economic or social - was short-sighted and the application of a balance of the three competing values was in the best long-term interest of Tasmania. "Whilst the industry would have clearly preferred a retention of the 4500 cubic metre rate of supply, we genuinely support the sustainable management of our forest resource and we, therefore, accept the reduced yield,'' he said. Timber Workers for Forests spokesman Graham Green said yesterday if huge volumes of myrtle weren't wasted in clearfelling operations around the State, there would be no need to log myrtle in the Tarkine. "On a Statewide basis, TWFF estimates that 1.4 million tonnes of specialty timbers is destroyed by clearfelling operations each year - so why we need to be chipping away at the Tarkine rain forests for myrtle supply is difficult to comprehend,'' he said.

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