The Hodgman Liberal Government is a strong supporter of Tasmania’s forestry industry and the 5700 jobs it supports across Tasmania. We recently announced southern residues initiatives and the extension of support provided to communities and individuals in the wake of this season’s bushfires.
Today I am pleased to announce that further to these initiatives announced by the Government, that Private Forests Tasmania (PFT) will be making further relief available to those in the private forest industry that have been affected by the recent bushfires.
Of the estimated 205,000 hectares of land impacted by the fires, 36,000 hectares was private forest estate, affecting about 150 tree-growers.
The Board of PFT will provide a rebate for the Private Forest Service Levy paid by those growers impacted by the bushfires within areas of a certified forest practices plan.
The levy is paid by private forest holders engaged in forestry operations based on the area of land within an approved forest practices plan. The levy currently sits at $15 per hectare, and for those unfortunate enough to have lost large areas of plantation or native forest in the recent fires, this rebate will provide welcome financial relief.
The levy relief may also assist growers to salvage timber that has been affected by the fires but is still in a marketable condition, thereby enabling them to replant or explore other options for fire-affected trees.
The rebate can be accessed via application to PFT and will be assessed by the Chief Executive Officer. The amount of levy rebate will be determined by the CEO and will be assessed dependent on the severity of impact of the fires on the area harvested, and will be capped at the total levy collected for that operation.
For those who wish to apply for the levy rebate, a letter outlining their circumstances can be sent to PFT via email at admin@pft.tas.gov.au or via post to Chief Executive Officer, Private Forests Tasmania, 30 Patrick St, Hobart TAS 7000.
I thank the Board of Private Forest Tasmania for demonstrating commitment to assisting the industry to help growers recover and move on from the impacts of the fires.