Vast Majority of Timber from the Upper Florentine Chipped

Conservationists from Still Wild Still Threatened are disputing Forestry Tasmania's claims that recently logged forest in the Upper Florentine was not harvested for wood chips.

"Forestry Tasmania claim that saw logs and veneer logs comprised 35% of timber harvested, however they have provided no documents to prove this. The fact remains that the vast majority of timber harvested in the area was wood chipped and exported." Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

"If Forestry Tasmania wants to increase their saw log yield they should stop sending saw logs to the wood chip mills. If you drive from Hobart to Triabunna you will overtake dozens of log trucks on their way to the wood chip mill, many carrying perfectly good saw logs." Said Mr.Hill

"The ancient forests of the Upper Florentine contain few good saw logs as most of the trees are old and hollow, that’s precisely why Forestry Tasmania wants to log the area, to rid it of ancient low grade trees and replace them with a young eucalypt forest resembling a plantation." Said Mr Hill.

“Many special species rainforest trees have been removed from the area and chipped. Species such as Celery Top Pine, Myrtle and Sassafras take centuries to reach harvestable size; current logging practices are wasting this unique resource. Future logging rotations in the area will never allow special species timber to reach productive ages.” Said Mr Hill.

"Forestry Tasmania has continually made claims about the Upper Florentine with no evidence or documents to back them up. If Forestry Tasmania is entering into a "new era of transparency" as they claim, then they need to start providing the public with maps and documents that prove their claims." Said Mr.Hill.

"If logging operations in the Upper Florentine were sustainable and sensitive to the ecological needs of the area then why do Forestry Tasmania constantly come up with outrageous and unsupported claims to prop up the environmentally criminal act, logging of old growth forest."

"Forestry Tasmania's supposed facts and figures are nothing more than smoke and mirrors to distract the public from the fact that they are logging old growth rainforests that in the 21st century in a first world country, should not be logged." Concluded Mr Hill.