sustainable forest management - Forestry Tasmania

o verview: FORESTRY TASMANIA
Our organisation
Tasmania is an island of 68,331 square kilometres and
outstanding natural beauty located 240 kilometres below
the south-east corner of the Australian mainland. It is
Australia’s southernmost State. Tasmania has a population
of 497,312 people (ABS, Sept 2008), and benefits from
a temperate climate. Tasmania is rich in natural assets,
including forests and is the most forested state in Australia.
Its relatively unspoilt beauty attracts visitors from all over
the world.
Forestry Tasmania holds a very special position in the
Tasmanian community as the people, through the
Parliament, have entrusted the care of 1.5 million hectares
(40 per cent of Tasmania’s forests) of state forest to Forestry
Tasmania.
This is a responsibility that we accept with great pride. On
behalf of the Tasmanian people, we seek to optimise the
environmental, social and economic benefits from the
forest asset that we manage. Most importantly, we seek
to hand on to the next generation of Tasmanians a forest
asset in even better health and value than the forest this
generation inherited.
Of the state forest area managed by Forestry Tasmania,
87 per cent is forested and includes 592,700 hectares of
native forest that is available for wood production, 293,400
hectares of native forest outside production areas, 105,900
hectares of plantations (53,200 hectares of softwood and
52,700 hectares of hardwood). A portion of the plantation
estate is in joint venture with private investors or customers,
including buyers of finished forest products. The rest of
the area is protected in either formal reserves (222,200
hectares) or informal reserves (295,600 hectares).
Many agencies and landowners manage the other 60 per
cent of Tasmania’s forests. The national parks are managed
by the Parks and Wildlife Service division of the Department
of Tourism, Art and the Environment. Private individuals
and companies manage the rest for commercial and
conservation purposes.
Approximately 3.8 million cubic metres of sawlog and
pulpwood were harvested from state forest in 2007/08,
generating around $252 million based on the price paid by
our customers for logs delivered “at the mill door”. Forestry
Tasmania directly employs 519 staff and approximately
1274 contract employees.
39%
20%
3% 4%
Forestry Tasmania’s sustainable forest management
performance is independently audited against three
certification standards: namely the Australian Forestry
Standard (AFS) (AS4708); Environmental Management
Standard (ISO 14001); and the Occupational Health and
Safety Standard (AS4801). The AFS is endorsed through
the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification
schemes (PEFC). PEFC is a global umbrella organisation
for the assessment and mutual recognition of national
forest certification schemes developed through a multistakeholder
process.
15%
Find out more about forest certification at:
www.forestrystandard.org.au
www.pefc.org
19%
Hardwood Plantations
Softwood Plantations
Formal Reserves
Native Forest Outside Wood Production
Areas
Informal Reserves
Native Forest Wood Production Areas
(The above percentages are based on areas as at 30th June 2008 that include Buckland Military Training Area
and exclude Forestry Tasmania managed plantations on private land).