Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative

Last Friday I had an interview as part of my application for funding from the Churchill Trust for a four-week overseas tour to study blackwood cultivation, research and farmer experiences in New Zealand and Chile.

www.churchilltrust.com.au

It all started last year when I was invited to join the New Zealand AMIGO tour of Chile. The New Zealand blackwood growers group is organising a week-long tour of blackwood cultivation and research in Chile in October 2012. Being short of money it seemed unlikely that I would be able to attend. Then in February this year I happened to notice an ad in the newspaper asking for applications for funding from the Churchill Trust. With the activity surrounding the blackwood growers coop, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to combine some fact-finding, the Chile tour, and help promote the coop proposal. AMIGO Chairman Ian Nicholas helped with the two week itinerary in New Zealand.

The eight members of the interview panel seemed very interested in the proposal and my planned overseas trip, asking many searching and pertinent questions. The 30 minute intensive interview certainly got my adrenalin pumping.

My itinerary involves two weeks touring New Zealand visiting blackwood growers, and meeting members of AMIGO. I will also make two presentations of the results from my PhD research to foresters, students and farmers. From there I join the AMIGO tour to Chile where we will visit research centres and various blackwood trials. The final leg of the tour involves a week in Hawaii looking at Acacia koa.

So what is Acacia koa? It is one of Hawaii’s main forest trees, endemic to the islands. Just like blackwood it has a long heritage as a premium timber species, and was very important to the native Hawaiians before European contact. Much of the koa forest has been cleared for farming, with only a small amount of wood now harvested from salvage operations from private land that look more like firewood operations than valuable timber harvesting (above image, Nick Dudley HARC).

But farming in Hawaii is changing and there are moves to restore some of the koa forest and provide future supplies of this valuable timber. There is a lot of research going on. Dr. James Friday from the University of Hawaii, Forestry Extension Service has invited me to visit.

I will find out in June if my application for funding was successful.

If successful I will come back with greater understanding of both the technical aspects but also of the human factor – what motivates farmers to want to grow trees, their experiences and frustrations. I will hopefully have lots of images and stories to post on the blog and use to promote the blackwood growers coop.

Growing blackwood in farm forestry plantations as an option to secure and counter the declining supply from public native forest was omitted from the recently leaked report into the IGA wood supply scenarios. The 97 page report “Review of Tasmanian Forest Estate Wood Supply Scenarios” by Mark Burgman and Andrew Robinson was recently leaked to the media, with the final version being officially released today. It analyses many wood supply options and possibilities both plantation and native forest, both public and private, for the eucalypt hardwood resource. But it devotes just over one page (p. 9-10) to the issue of so called “special species”.

On the subject of blackwood it notes that beyond 2019 the supply of blackwood sawlog from public native forest is not clear, with a strong likelihood that the supply will diminish. And that’s it!

No mention of the proposal to grow blackwood in farm forestry plantations, which would not only counter the declining supply from public native forest, but would actually grow the blackwood industry many times larger than it has ever been.

The blackwood growers cooperative is the only positive proposal for the future of the forest industry in Tasmania that has yet emerged out of the IGA mess. The proposal was first made public in May last year. And still it continues to be ignored by the negotiators and the politicians.

This is just extraordinary, and very disappointing.

I have written to the authors of the report and Professor Jonathan West expressing my extreme disappointment at this omission. I hope I will receive some measure of explanation and some means whereby this error can be remedied.

The Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative must be placed on the IGA table of options to be seriously considered in the future supply of this valuable Tasmanian timber resource.

It was great touring around the north last week visiting people. Apologies to those people I missed seeing. You are at the top of my list for the next visit north. Here are a few of my observations from the trip.

1.    North East Tasmania

It’s not often I get to tour the north east. Most of my travels seem to take me to the north west. What I really appreciated this time was the great potential of the region for growing blackwood. Many farms in the high rainfall areas of the north east have areas suitable for growing blackwood, that are currently being used for rough grazing or are covered in the usual bracken and blackberries. One dairy farm I visited was a perfect example – intensively managed flat land, but plenty of steep slopes and back corners that are ideal for growing blackwood. I can’t see why the north east couldn’t support 1000 ha of blackwood plantation. That may not seem much, but that area would supply annual blackwood sawlog volumes equivalent to what is currently produced from native forest in Tasmania! There are also plenty of farms with existing native blackwood that could be managed for sustainable wood production.

2.    North West

Touring around the back roads of the north west is always a pleasure, especially when the weather is great. Visiting Gilles Carrabin and his excellent example of plantation blackwood was inspiring. It just shows what passion and commitment can do. I also saw plenty of land that could be growing plantation blackwood (like in the above photo), even in the most intensively managed areas; areas that are currently underutilised.  If only we can get the ball rolling.

3.    Connecting with the rural community

Most people I spoke to expressed interest in and support for a blackwood growers cooperative. I drove around to many small local shops where I posted flyers. This made me appreciate the difficult task of both engaging with the rural community. There are lots of people who recognise blackwood is a Tasmanian icon and have some idea of its commercial potential, but taking the next step towards commercial development will obviously take time and effort. Having a few local success stories like Gilles Carrabin will obviously help promote interest, but I need to try and locate other farmers who are successfully growing blackwood. I can then hopefully organise a field day based around these properties, with the owners permission. Hopefully the politicians will then recognise the degree of community interest and support.

4.    General

I was surprised by the general sentiment of people towards the current state of the forest industry. I have been thinking that trying to get support and interest for a new commercial forestry venture in the current climate would be difficult. Many people certainly understand that the industry needs to change, but despite the current industry malaise, many people expressed optimism that the forest industry has a great future in Tasmania provided the ongoing conflict can be resolved. Many people expressed concern as to whether the current players were up to that task.

5.    Next trip

I already have the start of an itinerary for my next trip north. Once I get a few more enquiries I’ll schedule a trip.

Cheers!

My local corner store had a sign out the front recently telling customers that they also employ 40 Tasmanians; presumably an allusion to the latest round of the forestry wars. The vital pieces of missing information on the sign were:

1.   They employ 40 Tasmanians AND are profitable;

2.   The Tasmanian taxpayer is not out-of-pocket as a result of the activities of this corner store;

3.   The store was established with NO government financial support; and

4.   The store enjoys strong community support.

My corner store is just a typical successful commercial business.

My thoughts on the IGA come from the perspective of a forester who has spent the past 30 years watching the forest industry in Australia fall slowly into decline and disrepute. A truly bizarre and frustrating situation.

In the 21^st century in an era of increasing concern for renewable resources and the environment the forest industry in Australia should be enjoying unprecedented levels of commercial, political, and community support. Instead the opposite is true.

Something has to change.

In fact quite a lot has to change. A commercially successful, politically and community supported forest industry could be very profitable and achieve a great deal of good in the 21^st century, just as it is in New Zealand. But opportunities for change are rare. To my mind the IGA represents a pretty good opportunity, but few people seem to recognise this. Instead the disparate and polarised positions within the debate make finding a solution difficult, and support for the IGA is thin on the ground.

Yes the IGA is a flawed process but what forestry agreement hasn’t been. But a “business as usual outcome” will be of no benefit to anyone. The forest industry will not survive if the forestry wars continue. I guess having no forest industry is one way to resolve the forestry wars!

There is no single road to reform, and no perfect solution to the forestry wars. But for the future of Tasmania, find a solution we must. If the IGA fails due to lack of industry, community and political support there will be no “better” solution to replace it. Certainly the politicians cannot provide a better outcome, although they will make those kinds of promises. Change must be driven by the industry and the community. Instead of standing back and criticising the Agreement, it is time for people to step forward with support, ideas and energy to help keep the reform process going. The IGA is only the first round.

Will the IGA bring peace in the forests? Of course not!! There are issues that are fundamental to the functioning of the Tasmanian forest industry that are not addressed in the Statement of Principles. Issues of management, of governance, of commercial performance, accountability and transparency, issues to do with ongoing communication and relationships. Many of these issues focus around the Government, Parliament and Forestry Tasmania. The forestry wars will most certainly continue unless these issues are also addressed.

Actually my major criticism of the IGA is that it fails to identify the major issues facing the forest industry. So people are left with the assumption that putting more forest areas into reserve is all that is required for the forest industry to regain commercial, social and political relevance. I suspect this is one of the reasons why the IGA has had so few supporters. People understand that by itself the IGA cannot deliver what it proposes to deliver, and no one has outlined the rest of the process.

Reform in the forest industry is vital. The IGA is just the first step. A blackwood growers cooperative will only survive and prosper if the IGA is supported and successful, and further reforms are pursued.

http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/jobs-flow-forest-agreement-fund

It’s great to see someone finally come out with a positive vision post-TFIA. It’s long overdue, but better late than never.  The report commissioned by Senator Bob Brown and authored by Naomi Edwards and Jamie Hanson (EHR) outlines potential areas where the TFIA regional development money ($120m) could possibly be spent to build a stronger, more diverse Tasmanian economy. There’s just one problem…

There’s no mention of any future forest industry. Or rather it says that “the IGA provides for the existence of a sustainable forestry industry going forward.” This is clearly not true! The IGA merely defines what remaining public native forest will be available for harvesting. That is not a vision of a future prosperous forest industry.

The EHR also indicates that none of the IGA regional development money should be used in forestry-related projects. Why?

Just because commercial access to public native forest is declining doesn’t mean the end of the forest industry (although curiously the TFGA would have us believe this to be the case). There is already a significant private forest resource (both native forest and plantation) existing in the State.  With proper policy and support this could grow and be a major contributor to the State’s economy (Jan Davis where are you?). My own proposal for a blackwood growers cooperative is just one of a range of private forestry initiatives that could see Tasmania become a major private forest grower and processor.

At the risk of being repetitive and boring I will remind readers that New Zealand has a thriving, sustainable, privately-owned, profitable forest industry that is a cornerstone of their economy. There is no reason why Tasmania cannot follow the New Zealand example if it wants too. Why is such an option deliberately excluded from the Edwards-Hanson report?

Deliberately excluding the forest industry from the EHR will just enflame those who support the forest industry, who will see the EHR as merely a political document reflecting Bob Browns own political agenda. The IGA doesn’t need more antagonists. We already have a surplus of those (with little or no commercial potential).

Using the New Zealand forest industry as an example Tasmania could have a thriving profitable private forest industry, producing a range of wood products from high-value to commodity. A good foundation already exists. Why deliberately exclude this option from the EHR?

Cheers!