Tasmanians should be proud of our world-class sustainably managed forestry sector, which delivers a magnificent product that will help rebuild the state’s economy.
An increase in building activity means more demand for high value appearance-grade Tasmanian timber, which is a vital part of the construction supply chain.
Native forests directly generate $150 million in sales and 40 per cent of all Tasmanian forestry jobs. Furthermore, they are the main source of eucalypt sawlogs and veneer logs which provide hard, durable, appearance grade timber suitable for flooring, construction, furniture, boat building and architectural uses.
Tasmania is also the first state in Australia to have a wood encouragement policy to help promote the use of more wood in homes, offices and feature design work.
McKay Timbers has been one of the state’s major timbers producers for generations and takes great pride in their product and the safety of their workforce.
Unfortunately, McKay Timbers was one of the mills recently targeted, with more than 30 spikes being found in logs harvested from a Permanent Timber Production Zone in the Central Highlands.
Apart from costing McKay Timbers about $17,000 in damaged equipment, it also had the potential to cause grievous injuries to mill workers.
These spikes have now been removed and today we can see these cleared logs being processed into high quality Tasmanian timber products for construction and appearance grade timber.
The Tasmanian Government supports the right to peacefully protest but we must also ensure hard-working Tasmanians can go to work and run their legal businesses free from threats and disruption, which is the reason for our Workplace Protection Laws.
Tasmania’s native forestry operations produce responsibly-sourced wood that is both renewable and sustainable. It also stores carbon absorbed from the atmosphere, making wood the ultimate renewable building product and a resource for future generations that is also helping mitigate climate change.
After timber is harvested our trees are regrown, landscapes undergo restoration work and that timber resource is then available again in future decades
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is rebuilding Tasmania’s economy and we will stand alongside the forestry industry, which injects more than $1.2 billion into our economy and supports thousands of jobs in regional communities.