Derby logging to resume following court decision

Lawyers for Blue Derby Wild had accused STT of illegality for employing forestry workers who simultaneously worked as forest practices officers responsible for ensuring that logging operations adhere to registered forest management plans.

But Justice Robert Pearce dismissed the group's case against logging regulator, the Forest Practices Authority, and state forestry company Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT).

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In a statement on the group's website, Blue Derby Wild said it was considering an appeal of the decision.

"We will be consulting with our legal team on the next steps, with the possibility to appeal to the Full Court," the statement read.

"This case has shone a light on Tasmania's logging regulatory system that puts the fox firmly in charge of the henhouse, as Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) staff are given the powers to regulate, and police, their own native forest logging practices and breaches."

"This system of delegating the powers of the FPA to Forestry Tasmania staff lacks transparency and independent oversight."

The group also claimed that the state government rushed retrospective legislation through the parliament while the court case was progressing in order to "make lawful the powers of delegation to STT staff to be their own regulators".

Suzette Weeding, general manager of conservation and land management at STT said the Supreme Court decision had "vindicated" the forest practices system.

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"Sustainable Timber Tasmania welcomes [the] outcome as a vindication of the Tasmanian Forest Practices System, and confirms the legality of forest operations in Tasmania's public production forests," she said.

Dorset Council mayor Greg Howard said local community members and businesses were happy with the court decision.

"It's a confirmation that what Sustainable Timber have been doing is in fact sustainable and is legal as well," Cr Howard said.

Locals supported the forestry industry because it was the second-biggest driver of the Dorset economy after agriculture, he said.

The expansion of the Derby mountain biking trails, some of which pass through STT land, was made possible only because of an agreement with the company, he said.

"The initial trails went within Crown land, it's not state forest. But the last two thirds of the trails have been on STT land," he said.

"If it hadn't been for Sustainable Timber, we wouldn't have been able to build the bike trails," he said.

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He said the council and the company were preparing to declare a Derby bike precinct, with future forest production coupes set outside of the precinct. He also noted that most of the trails have buffers - meaning no harvesting is done within 100 metres of the trails.

He criticised Blue Derby Wilds for pushing an anti native-forest harvesting agenda and pursuing the court case despite having very little support in the Derby area.

"There's a handful of them, most of the Blue Derby Wilds members don't live in Derby or have a business in Derby, most of them are from interstate or overseas or other parts of Tasmania," he said.

"They don't care about the bike trails, they are just using it as an excuse to push their anti native-harvesting agenda," he said.

Minister for Resources, Felix Ellis, also welcomed the decision.

"This is very positive news for our forestry industry [and] also provides our sustainable native forest industry, both public and private, with the confidence it needs to continue day to day operations," he said.

The "anti-everything greens" would continue to try to shut down the industry, which supports about 5000 jobs throughout the state, he said.

ben.seeder@austcommunitymedia.com.au

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