SWST's letter to Forestry Tasmania

To: Bob Gordon, Managing Director, Forestry Tasmania. 

Tuesday, 20th January 2009 

Dear Mr Gordon, 

I am writing on behalf of Still Wild Still Threatened. We have a number of questions and clarifications regarding the forests of the Upper Florentine, and, in particular, logging and roading operations both planned and currently being implemented. 

These questions, and others of a less geographically specific nature, are outlined below. We are asking these questions in order to provide information and clarity to interested members of the Tasmanian community. In this spirit we hope that you see fit to provide the community with information regarding the operations in the publicly-owned forests of the Upper Florentine, and elsewhere. 

1. Data and maps which detail the area of the Upper Florentine unavailable for timber harvesting, including specified delineation of catchment boundaries, and which provides supporting evidence of Forestry Tasmania’s claim that 90% of the Upper Florentine is unavailable for timber harvesting;

2. Maps which detail all planned roading operations in the Upper Florentine Valley, including, but not limited to, the following coupes: FO044A, FO044E, FO045A, FO045B, FO045C, FO049B, FO049C, FO049E, FO056A, FO056C, FO057B and FO060A;

3. Maps which detail coupe boundaries for all coupes in the Upper Florentine, including, but not limited to, the following coupes: FO044A, FO044E, FO045A, FO045B, FO045C, FO049B, FO049C, FO049E, FO056A, FO056C, FO057B and FO060A;

4. Data which details the proportion of particular log and pulp classes to be procured from coupes being accessed by current and planned roading operations, including, but not restricted to, the following coupes: FO044A, FO044E, FO045A, FO045B, FO045C, FO049B, FO049C, FO049E, FO056A, FO056C, FO057B and FO060A;

5. The projected income returned to Forestry Tasmania from planned harvesting operations as listed in (4), categorised by log and pulp classes;

6. Details of all costs associated with the planning of logging and roading operations, the construction of roads and associated infrastructure, the management of harvesting operations, and any other costs associated with planned harvesting operations as details in (4);

7. Details as to whether any monies granted through the Tasmanian Community Forestry Agreement have been utilised to construct logging roads in the Upper Florentine;

8. In reference to Tasmania as a whole, details as to whether monies granted through the Tasmanian Community Forestry Agreement for the purpose of road construction have been depleted;

9. Data and maps which detail what proportion of the commercially harvestable vegetation communities existing in state forests in the Upper Florentine are available for harvesting;

10. Data and maps which detail what proportion of the 90% figure mentioned in (1) consists of non-commercially harvestable vegetation communities, and what proportion consists of tall-eucalypt, rainforest and any other commercially harvestable vegetation communities; Forestry Tasmania's Australian Forestry Standard certification requires, under section A-4.2.2 (The Australian Forestry Standard AS 4708 Supplement 1 – 2007, p12): 

Guide to Verification – the intent of this requirement is to provide opportunities for stakeholders to meaningfully participate in the forest management planning process and to influence its outcomes; however this does not mean that decision making should rest with stakeholders. Rather, the requirement provides a mechanism for the forest manager to demonstrate that public input is taken seriously by being responsive and respectful of this input. 

As a stakeholder and an organisation representing community views we trust you will provide the requested information promptly. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Kind regards,

Ula Majewski 

On behalf of Still Wild Still Threatened