ACTING Premier Bryan Green yesterday reassured sawmillers and furniture makers that they would be supplied with enough specialty timber under the $276 million forest deal.
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Visiting a Southern sawmiller yesterday, Liberal Party leader Will Hodgman said only half the minimum required 12,500 cubic metres of special timber could be sourced beyond the 430,000 hectares to be placed in interim reserves.
Mr Hodgman referred to modelling conducted by Forestry Tasmania which showed only 6700 cubic metres of special timber could be found under the deal.
He said the shortfall would force industries such as the fine furniture industry out of business.
"This disastrous deal will not only see local sawmillers and forestry contractors lose their jobs, but it will ruin hundreds of small, locally run businesses that rely on the industry," Mr Hodgman said.
Mr Green said the claim was not helpful.
"I'm not sure where they've got that from," he said.
He said the deal between the state and federal governments, based on the statement of principles agreement, guaranteed sawlog and peeler billet volumes subject to verification.
"The process that unfolds from now assures their volumes. The key now is to get on and do that verification, allow us to understand where that resource is going to come from and then make decisions about those high conservation value forests and protect it," Mr Green said.
Greens leader Bob Brown said Forestry Tasmania needed to release the basis of its modelling.
"The Greens have always wanted to provide for specialty timbers for craft work, furnishings, the things Tasmania are so famous for and proud of, in an ongoing forestry industry," he said.
"If the Libs find fault with that, crikey, is there anything they can agree too?"
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