Victorian Government Calls An End To Native Forestry
Last month the Victorian government decided to bring forward their decision to end native logging in Victoria 6 years early and to cease all operations as of Jan 1st 2024. The reality is this has already happened and mills haven’t received any hardwood logs from Victorian Forests since November 2022. This is a short sighted and absolutely heartbreaking decision for regional Victoria timber towns and its workers, as well as the timber and construction industry as a whole.
Radial Timber has relied on some native timber for production and
this decision has already left a significant hole in our green mill production
and will continue to do so over the next few years until our private plantation
resource matures into a harvestable age.
We have invested over $30 million into high value saw log plantations
over the last 20 years with a long term plan to have an ongoing sustainable yield
over a continuous 30 year cycle.
It seems inconceivable that the government would shut down another
industry in Victoria with the demand for timber and sustainable building
products beingin such high demand. Victorians have beenmislead by the government
who state there is plenty of plantation material to transition to, this is
simply not true. We will see huge shortages and a massive rise in imported
material over the next few years. We will also see a significant rise in
unsustainable building products being used(such as concrete and steel) which
are known to be considerably worse for the environment on a climate scale.
Local suppliers will have to resort to importing hardwood from
interstate or worse, importing from less developed and un-regulated countries
where a lot of illegal and devastating deforestation is still happening. It
seems the activists only care about the environment in our own backyard and
cannot grasp the flow on effects a decision like this will have on developing
countries and the delicate forests in those areas.
Radial Timber will continue to only source from local plantations
however, we will be required to acquire additional feed stock material from
interstate suppliers until we are in a position to move towards our own
plantations on a completely private and sustainable rotation. We will never
import timber from overseas and believe it’s our responsibility to grow,
produce, manufacture and replant our local timber requirements on Australian shores.
Timber is a natural and sustainable resource when managed correctly. Managing native forests in Australia for multiple uses including wood production leads to better climate outcomes than managing native forests for conservation alone. A sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit. Internationally the United Nations Independent Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 4th Assessment) Special
Report on Climate Change and Land reinforces the positive role of sustainable forestry has in climate change mitigation.
We can see more about these ideas from the great, naturalist Sir David Attenborough in this video here:
There are many misconceptions and false claims about the forestry industry in Victoria and Australia. Passionate activists and people with little scientific background or knowledge of the industry tend to skew facts and data to support their narrative and agendas which makes it very difficult for the public to ascertain facts from misinformation.
A great article via www.woodcentral.com.au written by Daniel Wright (Director & National Business Development Manager at Australian Sustainable Hardwoods) outlines the Victorian Governments decision and some of the facts surrounding it: https://woodcentral.com.au/victorian-native-forest-ban-guided-by-myths-misinformation/
Here at Radial Timber we have made a firm commitment to our staff
and customers that we will remain producing high value Victorian hardwood for
the long term and have heavily invested in the future of plantation grown
hardwoods. We believe it’s still possible to love both timber and trees and we
will continue to produce beautiful, sustainable products while protecting our
forests and timber supply for future generations.
For more information on our plans for the future or any other enquiries feel free to call the office on 03 9768 2100 or email sales@radialtimbers.com.au
