Reality bites: Part 2

Tasmanian economic commentator John Lawrence has written a magnificent summary of current “on-the-fly” forest policy, especially as it relates to the public native forest special timbers industry. It is deeply disturbing and illustrates the madness and stupidity that continues to be forest policy and management in Tasmania. Good reading.

http://www.tasfintalk.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/reality-bites-part-2.html

What Mr Lawrence fails to point out that is especially relevant is that since 2010 Forestry Tasmania have deliberately run their special timbers operations as “non-profit non-commercial”. They harvest these timbers to deliberately lose money! Makes absolutely no sense to me, and within the current economic, political and policy context is completely insane.

As Mr. Lawrence summaries, “I can’t recall such monumental idiocy”.

All this mismanagement and poor policy deliberately undermines the ability of private tree growers to make a living and destroys market confidence. And all of this stupidity is supported by the Australian Forestry Standard. Obviously good commercial and financial management is not part of good forest management. It certainly makes a mockery of the forest certification process.

The sooner we get the special timbers industry into the hands of farmers and away from the politicians, Forestry Tasmania and public native forest the better it will be for just about everyone.