Tasmanian old growth clearfelling, partial harvesting continues at similar rates, STT annual report shows

Sustainable Timber Tasmania's 2020-21 annual report, released last week, detailed the clearfelling of 32 hectares of old growth compared with 27 hectares the year before, but a decrease in the amount partially logged from 455 hectares to 436.

The figures were differentiated from regrowth, which constituted the vast majority of native forest harvesting.

STT qualifies the clearfelling as being in coupes where mapped old growth constitutes less than 25 per cent.

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The ongoing old growth forest harvesting practices were criticised in its latest audit against Forest Stewardship Council standards, and were among the reasons why the enterprise could not gain FSC certification in 2019.

STT also saw a significant reduction in revenue from product sales during the last financial year and did not meet its legislated sawlog quota, although the amount made available was consistent with previous years.

Blue Derby Wild is attempting to prevent STT from harvesting native forest alongside mountain bike trails, scheduled to be logged in the coming months.

Campaign co-ordinator Louise Morris said they had concerns that Tasmanian old growth was being harvested to meet a legislated benchmark, rather than for market demand.

"Native forest logging is again proving to be a lose - lose scenario as it undermines the emerging nature-based tourism sector, is a drain on taxpayers who prop up this unviable sector and it is failing to find a market for quotas," she said.

Labor had concerns that the continued failure to meet the legislated quota could have flow-on effects in the coming years for smaller country sawmillers.

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More than 875,000 tonnes of pulpwood - the precursor to paper - was produced from Tasmanian native forest in the 12 months to July, along with 74,425 tonnes of export log and 21,105 tonnes of firewood.

Blackwood contributed to the vast majority of special species production at 6572 cubic metres, while a small amount of leatherwood - four cubic metres - was logged.

STT sowed 1103 hectares of regrowth native forest.

STT did not respond to questions about how it assesses the suitability of an area of old growth forest for clearfelling or what products old growth harvesting creates.

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