This week, the Tasmanian Forest Products Association has given each of Tasmania's members of Parliament four seedlings of common production trees grown across the state to highlight the renewable and sustainable nature of our forest industry. Because the fact is, Tasmania's forest industry really is the ultimate renewable. It replants for the future according to a long-term plan - for every tree harvested, another is planted or re-sown. Very importantly, the industry supports more than 5700 direct and indirect jobs in our state, and it is a vital part of the Tasmanian way of life, helping to strengthen our regional and rural communities.

All forest operations have to be carried out according to a Forest Practices Plan, under the Forest Practices Act, with the plans independently audited by the Forest Practices Authority, and our forestry workers and contractors work under stringent rules and regulation. Now, we are under no illusions that that this will never be enough for some environmentalists and Green politicians who despite all of this, want to shut down our renewable forest industry altogether.

The latest pawn they are deploying to try and achieve this aim is the Swift Parrot, with false claims that forestry is the key reason for the decline in the species. Like most things in life, the truth is far more complicated: the causes of decline in Swift Parrot populations are complex and include nest predation by sugar gliders, collision mortality, competition from other bird species, climate variability and change, and illegal wildlife capture and trading, as well as habitat loss.

Research has highlighted the significant impact of predation by sugar gliders. The good news is that a trial funded by the Tasmanian government has been successfully completed, and has resulted in a $700,000 Australian Government investment in work over the next three years to trap sugar gliders in nesting boxes to effectively create safe zones for Swift Parrots.

As an industry we are progressive and always looking to improve. That's why we support things like the Public Authority Management Agreement between DPIPWE and Sustainable Timber Tasmania for the protection and management of swift parrot habitat.

The great thing about Australia is that people have the right to peacefully have their say when differences of opinion arise. What frustrates most Tasmanians is that unfortunately some forest protestors somehow think it's okay to impinge on the rights of Tasmanians seeking to earn a lawful living in the forest industry, by invading their workplaces and circulating disinformation to try and make their point.

For our part, we will continue to engage civilly and openly; forestry is the ultimate renewable and to shut it down makes no environmental, economic or social sense.

What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor: