Forestry workers in Walcha celebrated the centenary of their industry last Friday at the local office. The forestry sector has been one of the leading employers in the region in modern history. Source: The Walcha News
However, the last decade has seen the closure of the local timber mill and a restructure of the local office with a corresponding reduction in personnel.
While cutbacks have been made, there is still around 12,000 hectares of softwood plantations and another 100,000 hectares of hardwood forest in the area.
Management of this forest is divided between the Tamworth office of Forestry Corporation of NSW (softwoods) and their Wauchope office (hardwoods) with the Walcha office and sheds used as an operational base.
Nine permanent staff remain in the district with three based in Tamworth, one in Nundle and five in Walcha plus two casuals and around 12 on-call casuals.
CEO Nick Roberts said the NSW Forestry Commission, now known as Forestry Corporation of NSW, was established to manage State forests for both timber production and environmental conservation and continues to sustainably manage more than two million hectares of State forests today.
“A century after the NSW Forestry Commission was formed, the same State forests that were set aside for timber production in November 1916 are still producing timber, still supporting an amazing diversity of flora and fauna and still available for the community to experience and enjoy,” Mr Roberts said.
“Production forests also supported the growth of many timber towns and communities of people involved in the timber industry.
“These forests remain an important part of many communities today, both as a source of renewable timber and as a tourism drawcard welcoming campers, bushwalkers, trail bike riders, four wheel drivers, horse riders and mountain bikers from near and far.
“The forests set aside for timber production have been harvested and regenerated many times since 1916, underpinning a forest products industry that contributes $2.4 billion to the economy annually and supports thousands of jobs in regional NSW.”
