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🇦🇺 Australia /Environment & Climate

Calls for end to old-growth logging but environmental groups want more

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A coalition including conservationists, artists, and forest industry figures has called for an end to old-growth logging in Tasmania.
  • Major environmental groups have distanced themselves from the "shared vision statement," deeming it insufficient.
  • One signatory, sawmilling company Neville Smith Group, announced it will no longer accept old-growth logs, shifting its supply towards plantations.

A diverse coalition in Tasmania, comprising conservationists, artists, and members of the forest industry, has jointly called for an end to the logging of old-growth forests. This initiative, stemming from the Forest Congress established in 2023 by artist Kirsha Kaechele, aims to foster a "responsible" forestry sector while halting the harvesting of ancient trees.

We agree that forests should be managed for all their values, ecological, cultural, social and economic, with the forest health as the foundation.

— Forest Congress statementThe coalition's shared vision statement outlines its approach to forest management.

The Forest Congress's "shared vision statement" defines old-growth forests as those whose ecological continuity has never been interrupted by industrial felling. The statement, signed by nearly 30 individuals and groups including Palawa elders and The Tree Project, advocates for managing forests for all their values, ecological, cultural, social, and economic, with forest health as the foundation. It acknowledges the need for a holistic approach that cares for both the ecosystem and human communities, ensuring regional areas can sustain livelihoods.

We support an end to old-growth logging alongside the ongoing, responsible management of our native forest resources.

— Forest Congress statementThe statement clearly articulates the coalition's primary demand regarding old-growth forests.

However, the initiative faces a division within the environmental movement. Major environmental organizations have distanced themselves from the statement, arguing that it does not go far enough in protecting Tasmania's forests. This divergence highlights the ongoing tension between conservation goals and the practices of the forestry industry.

We've actually formally written to STT [Sustainable Timber Tasmania] in the last seven days and ceased receiving any old-growth logs into our group, noting that less than 3 per cent of our supply is old growth.

— Andrew WalkerAndrew Walker, CEO of Neville Smith Group, announces his company's decision to stop accepting old-growth logs.

Despite the broader environmental movement's reservations, the statement has garnered significant support from within the industry itself. Andrew Walker, CEO of the Neville Smith Group, a signatory sawmilling business, announced that the company will cease accepting old-growth logs from Sustainable Timber Tasmania. Walker noted that less than 3 percent of their supply is old growth, with approximately 80 percent now sourced from private plantation hardwood estates. He described the Forest Congress vision as a "really positive step forward."

We believe this is a really positive step forward in finding so

— Andrew WalkerAndrew Walker expresses his view on the Forest Congress initiative.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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