Derby businesses speak up ahead of imminent native forest felling

Sustainable Timber Tasmania is preparing to partially harvest coupes CC105A and CC119A, which neighbour the town's Krushka's, Dam Busters and Atlas mountain bike trails.

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Partial harvesting of the coupes could begin as early as Tuesday, prompting a last-ditch effort by residents and business owners to intervene.

The businesses are part of a 200-strong open letter calling for an end to native forest logging in the state. Among the signatories were representatives from Blue Derby Pods Ride and Derby Bike Shop, Stillwater Restaurant and the Tasmanian Walking Company.

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Brendan Jones, an experience leader at Blue Derby Pods Ride, believes that native forest logging in Derby will likely materially impact the value of the town's tourism operations.

"Brand Derby proves the value of these forests [...] but it's evident that no great value is given to the forest until it's cut down," he said.

STT has consistently maintained that a 50-metre buffer surrounding all trails will remain untouched, but many of the letter's signatories - as well as ecologist and Derby homeowner Dr Justine Shaw - remain unconvinced that this will protect the wider ecology and the tourism it attracts.

"A buffer adjacent to a logging coop doesn't hide the issue. When you're riding here you hear yellow-tailed cockatoos, you see pademelons and quolls in the forest. If we keep making these patches of forest smaller we're going to lose those assets," she said.

Alongside the open letter, a 31,700-strong petition will be presented by the group to Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein on Tuesday.

As tensions continue to rise in Derby surrounding the value of native forest, the federal government has bolstered the value of the state's plantation forest through its recent changes to the Emissions Reduction Fund.

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Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam said he expected the new regulations to make it easier for plantations to generate carbon credits and access a $2 billion "Climate Solutions Fund".

Meanwhile back in Derby, the value of the surrounding native forest appears more difficult to quantify, but for Jules Seymor, owner and operator of Derby's Pinned Property Management, the forest is worth more to the town untouched than chopped down.

"Plain and simple, it's ruining the future of eco tourism in an area that will keep giving back year after year and be sustainable for years to come [..] these forests really are worth more standing."

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