Native forest, earmarked for logging, in close proximity to fires

The Future Potential Production Forest land is near sites including Tower Hill at Mangana, Mt Malcolm at Fingal and Tims Creek Road at Mathinna.

The fires broke out on December 30 and have continued to burn since then. One home has been destroyed.

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Resources Minister Guy Barnett confirmed that approximately 4000 hectares of FPPF were "within fire ground footprints".

"We won't know the actual impacted area until after these fires when the agencies can safely turn their attention to full assessment," Mr Barnett said.

"The current focus of the Tasmania Fire Service, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Sustainable Timber Tasmania and thousands of volunteers is combating the fire threat [and] protecting human life and property.

"I commend the work of our dedicated firefighters and reiterate the government's support for the work they do."

In 2012, conservationists and forest industry representatives signed the Tasmanian Forest Agreement, which led to 356,000 hectares of native forest being designated as "future reserves".

But when the Hodgman Liberal government was elected in 2014, it changed these areas to FPPF land and implemented a six-year moratorium on logging it.

The moratorium ends this April, which will mean forestry companies will be able to apply to log the areas, subject to the approval of both houses of parliament.

It's a move that's reopened old fault lines in the forestry debate, prompting fears of a return to the forestwars, which it was thought were effectively ended upon the signing of the TFA eight years ago.

Wilderness Society spokeswoman Liz Johnstone said the FPPF lots on the East Coast were generally biodiversity-rich and either connected or close to existing reserves.

"If we can keep these areas connected, it allows for biodiversity," she said. "If you've got a connected landscape it's more likely to attract rain."

"We need to have these connected landscapes.

"It protects from a whole range of things, including fire.

"It actually protects those areas from climate change."

Sustainable Timber Tasmania has been engaged in an ongoing struggle to obtain Forestry Stewardship Council certification, which would allow the industry to better access lucrative overseas export markets.

Conservationists say the fact that certification hasn't been forthcoming suggests the local industry has failed to uphold best practice conservation standards.