The Forests Minister and the special species timber sector have been challenged to ensure that future Special Species Timber Harvesting Management plans comply with Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) requirements.
“The Liberals’ flawed trash the forest industry Bill, gagged and rammed through the Lower House under the cover of darkness, was heavily amended regarding the special species timber sector,” said Greens Leader and Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP.
“Amongst the amendments was a crucial one which deleted the original Bill’s requirement that special species logging had to comply with Forestry Tasmania’s certification requirements, which is FSC.”
“Instead special species management plans are now to be developed.”
“The Greens challenge both the Forestry Minister, Paul Harriss, and the special species timber sector to ensure that any future special species management plan must still comply with FSC standards and requirements.”
“It would be the height of hypocrisy for there to be one standard for Forestry Tasmania and no standard for other loggers logging Tasmania’s recognised high conservation value forests, which will now include rainforest logging due to previous Conservation Areas and Regional Reserves having their protected status from logging revoked.”
“These areas slated for protection should never being logged, but even under the Hodgman regime’s disastrous policy there is no good or justifiable excuse for special species timber logging to not be able to meet FSC standards,” Mr Booth said.