The forest industry has been in the media a lot lately.
That is no surprise as we have now entered the final battle in the decades long Forestry Wars.
The old forest warriors are back in the trenches – shouting and vilifying, rattling sabres and thumping hairy chests. Just like the good old days!
One thing different this time is the so called Forest Economics Congress being organised by Kirsha Kaechele later this year, as reported in The Mercury newspaper Saturday 19th August.
The idea that after decades of bitter conflict a bunch of people can sit down and solve the forestry wars seems completely fanciful. Especially so after the 2014 Tasmanian State election when the last attempt at discussion and compromise was destroyed by Tasmania’s corrupt political system.
Ms Kaechele is promising free and open discussion about a positive forestry future for Tasmania.
Part of the problem however is that Ms Kaechele has already set a long list of Terms of Reference for the Congress that are identified in these two articles.
These Terms of Reference include:
- the continued logging of public native forests, including oldgrowth forests;
- “artisans and boatbuilders” will be given preferential access to our public native forests;
- sawmillers are our friends!
It seems that many outcomes from the Congress have already been determined
Curiously Ms Kaechele fails to mention anything about politics, as if the Congress will define and implement a positive forestry future completely independent of our State parliament.
Q. How can a public resource (our forests) be managed outside of the political system in a small corrupt fishbowl like Tasmania?
A. It can’t! Never has, never will!!
I could ask 100 people in the forest industry what their vision of the future is and I would get 150 different answers, many of them mutually exclusive. Many people are not prepared to compromise, and many people have utterly fanciful ideas about our forests. There is much distrust, anger and hostility in the mix as well.
How can common ground be reached under these difficult conditions?
Many of the fundamental issues facing timber markets and the forest industry are not mentioned in either of these articles. Fundamental issues like the complete absence of proper functioning timber markets in Australia, the absence of level playing fields for all tree growers, farm forestry, etc..
No doubt the Congress will provide some interesting discussion, but I for one am not holding much hope. One thing is guaranteed – the forestry wars will not be resolved by the Tasmanian parliament. The Tasmanian parliament can only enflame and exacerbate the conflict.
That is the reality that Kirsha Kaechele faces.
PS. Never mind that John Lawrence has spent the last 18 years repeatedly destroying Forestry Tasmania’s business model and their very dodgy accounting practices. What really are they going to talk about in November?
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Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative 