Policies & Programs
Tasmania
Forestry Tasmania is responsible for managing Tasmania’s 1.5 million hectares of multiple use State forest, which includes 178,000 hectares of forest reserves. Timber production, research and fire management, a wide range of recreational activities, tourism ventures, industries such as honey production, and conservation activities all form part of the management responsibilities of the organisation.
The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service operates as a unit within the State’s Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment and it is responsible for managing the majority of the 44% of the State’s land area that is protected in formal reserves. Forty-seven percent of Tasmania’s forests are in these protected areas.
View maps, facts and case studies on forests in Tasmania.
Programs
The Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) was signed in 1997 by the Commonwealth and State governments and was followed by the signing of the supplementary Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement (TCFA) in 2005. Together these agreements have increased Tasmania’s area of reservation to nearly half of the State including 47% of all forests, nearly 80% of old growth forests and 97% of high quality wilderness.
Photo: Forest Wood Products Research
and Development Corporation
The RFA and TCFA signalled a joint commitment between the Australian and Tasmanian governments to enhance the protection of Tasmania’s forests whilst allowing the Tasmanian forest industry to continue to sustainably produce forest products. The balance between conservation and society’s requirement for forest products was deemed to have been met in Tasmania’s forests.
As a result of the increased reserves and the protection of old growth forests, $250 million dollars was invested to assist the industry to adapt to the changing resource, which is predominantly made up of younger, smaller native forest logs and supplemented by the States growing plantation resource.
Tasmania’s largest forest managers, both public and private, have gained certification of their sustainable forest management practices and Forestry Tasmania is implementing an integrated management system to monitor the sustainable forest management in Tasmania’s public forests. This system monitors Forestry Tasmania’s performance against three certification standards twice a year and regularly reports back to the community.
Links to forest related programs and organisations in Tasmania, including government, industry, research, education and community sites.
