Peter Duncan AM
The appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a Forestry Industry Action Plan, which will outline the path NSW will take to ensure a sustainable timber industry that aligns with the government’s key environmental priorities has been warmly welcomed by the State’s timber industry. Source: Timberbiz
Timber NSW CEO Maree McCaskill said that for too long successive governments had handed a timber or forest industry plan to the industry without any consultation with those businesses and people who effectively live and breathe it every day.
“The Minns government is demonstrating willingness to listen and consult with those most impacted by any change and we welcome that opportunity,” she said.
The Independent Forestry Panel will be chaired by Peter Duncan AM who has more than 40 years’ experience in primary industries, infrastructure and regional NSW. Professor Mary O’Kane AC and former State politician Mick Veitch will also sit on the Panel.
The Panel will be tasked with consulting with a broad range of stakeholders and report to Government on the best options to achieve the balance between sustainable supplies of timber and our environmental commitments.
Stakeholders include representatives from the timber industry, forest growers, environment groups, unions, Aboriginal communities, local government, business, related industries, tourism, scientific experts and the Commonwealth Government.
The Plan will address the following key areas:
- Sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW;
- Environmental and cultural values of forests, including threatened species;
- Community demand for timber products, particularly as relates to NSW housing, construction, mining, transport and retail;
- The future of softwood and hardwood plantations and the continuation of Private Native Forestry in helping meet timber supply needs;
- The role of State Forests in maximising the delivery of a range of environmental, economic and social outcomes;
- Opportunities to realise carbon and biodiversity benefits and support carbon and biodiversity markets, and mitigate and adapt to climate change risks; and
- Greenhouse gas emission impacts of different uses of forests and assessment of climate change risks to forests.
Pentarch Executive Director Stephen Dadd said the independence of the panel members showed a willingness by the NSW Government to allow commonsense and evidence to inform forestry policy.
“It is refreshing that the NSW Government has taken a long-term view for our vital timber industry,” he said.
“We congratulate the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Regional NSW for taking an evidence-based approach in creating a Forestry Industry Action Plan and the panel which will advise it,” Mr Dadd said.
“We’ve seen first-hand the impacts of policy driven by ideology on regional communities in Victoria and Western Australia.”
He said the independence of the IFP members showed a commitment by the NSW Government to ensure science and commonsense informed future forestry policy.
State Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said that whether it was hardwood, softwood or private native forest, NSW forests and the native species which called them home had faced challenges including bushfires, floods and the ongoing risks due to climate change.
“We want your input on what forests and a sustainable forestry industry will look like in the next 30 years.
“The expert panel will consult a wide range of stakeholders, and we encourage everyone to have their say.”
Ms McCaskill said that the forest industry had been operating in NSW for nearly 150 years and had a long term view of sustainability and the capacity to supply to an ever increasing demand for hardwood and softwood timber for NSW housing, construction, mining, transport, energy and retail while respecting the need for conservation, national parks and reserves.
“NSW can have both, providing there is recognition that the science that underpins selective, sustainable harvesting in state and private forests, supplemented by plantations, will deliver positive outcomes for nature and for living standards in NSW,” she said. “After all, 88 per cent of NSW Crown forests are already protected in National Parks and conservation reserves and 12 per cent is available for production in state forests”.
Ms McCaskill said that Timber NSW members provided the majority of hardwood products in NSW.
“We call out the false economy of pressuring government to swap domestic timber harvested from 0.3% of available forests each year, for imported timber from environmentally unregulated countries often using child labour,” she said.
The panel overseeing the process represented a diversity and depth of skills and expertise to assist the industry and its vital supply chain to deliver major dividends to NSW and reduce the cost of living.
“We look forward to contributing to this plan.”
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said the consultative work that is set to go into this Action Plan would ensure all stakeholders were listened to so “we arrive at the best future for the timber industry and sustainable state forests”.
“We need both trees and wood, and we must strike the right balance for communities and our environment in regional NSW,” she said.
“Timber is a crucial part of our everyday lives, with timber needed for community and government priorities such as housing, transport infrastructure, electricity distribution, and freight transport.
“The families, businesses and communities that make up this industry will be considered for the Action Plan. Their knowledge and experience will be essential for understanding the issues and finding the solutions.
“Our timber workers also play a crucial role, when we need it most, to protect our forests and our communities during bushfires. They are part of our frontline in those difficult times, where their skills and equipment are critical in the fight.
To stay informed on the Independent Forestry Panel’s process, please register your interest at www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/forestry-industry-action-plan
