Behind the Veneer - Tasmanian Greens MPs

TA ANN: BEHIND THE VENEER
CONCLUSION
Ta Ann Tasmania is a major driver of forest destruction
in Tasmania. Ta Ann’s large contract with the Tasmanian
Government for the supply of 265 000 m 3 of timber per
year is contributing to the destruction of old growth
and high conservation value forests in Tasmania. Ta
Ann is making a financial loss, despite considerable
financial support from the Australian public and their
financial situation is unsustainable. In addition, the
logging activities that provide the raw material for their
Tasmanian operations are ecologically unsustainable.
Forests that provide habitat for endangered species,
forests that have never been logged before and forests
that are water catchments for communities have been
logged for Ta Ann’s wood supply since they established
two veneer plants in Tasmania in 2006-2007.
Tasmania’s pro logging politicians and forest
industry supporters have welcomed a company with
questionable logging and human rights practices in its
home state of Sarawak. They have enabled Ta Ann to
reap the benefits of Tasmania’s green brand image, a
cheaper source of hardwood and a certification status
for their products. Ta Ann has used this certification
status to misrepresent the ecological credentials
of their timber products in the marketplace.
Ta Ann is promoting timber sourced from the
destruction of Tasmania’s forests as environmentally
friendly eco-wood, through their Japanese partner
SMKC. They claim that their timber products are
sourced from plantations and regrowth forests. Ta Ann
is aware that Japanese building companies are seeking
substitutes such as eucalyptus to meet a growing demand
for environmentally friendly timber. The Japanese
market relies heavily on Sarawak for its plywood imports,
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and accounts for more than 90% of Ta Ann’s sales.
Ta Ann is using their Tasmanian wood
supply to access lucrative overseas markets that
are increasing their attempts to procure timber
with minimal environmental impacts.
The building companies and flooring manufacturers
who purchase Ta Ann’s Tasmanian timber may
believe that they are receiving a genuinely sustainable
product. Ta Ann’s claim that they receive timber
from only plantation and regrowth forests allows
overseas customers, including Japanese and European
customers, to promote their product as ‘eco plywood’.
Based on the procurement policies of Ta Ann’s
customers in Japan Huon Valley Environment
Centre believes that these customers do not want
their timber to be sourced from highly destructive
logging practices such as those employed in
Tasmania to feed Ta Ann’s wood supply contract.
Ta Ann Tasmania claims that they do not use
timber sourced from the logging of old growth forests.
They claim that their timber products are sourced
only from plantations and managed regrowth forests.
However Huon Valley Environment Centre has clearly
identified through field investigations and information
obtained through Right to Information, that Ta Ann is
misrepresenting their source of wood to their customers.
The reality is that Ta Ann is a major driver of the logging
that continues to destroy large areas of old growth
and high conservation value forests in Tasmania.
Ta Ann is also lobbying strongly in Tasmania to
retain long term access to native forest timber, as the
company claims that Tasmania’s plantation estate
has not proven to be a viable resource for their mills.
Furthermore, Forestry Tasmania and
Tasmanian Government is using Ta
Ann and its wood supply contract
to continue to log high conservation
value and old growth forests that
have been earmarked for protection.
Both the Tasmanian Government
and the logging industry want
to ensure that Ta Ann’s access to
Tasmania’s native forests is protected
indefinitely through legislation
guaranteeing it permanent access
to the timber from these forests.
Large tract of old growth and high
conservation value forest in the Weld
Valley. Threatened forests in this
valley should be protected under the
Intergovernmental Agreement.