The Tasmanian Parliament passed the Forestry (Rebuilding the Forest Industry) Act 2014 to underpin the rebuilding of Tasmania’s forest industry. This Fact Sheet has been prepared to outline the essential outcomes of the legislation.

Future Potential Production Forest Land

  • The legislation converts 399000 hectares of Future Reserve Land to Crown land, to be known as Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) Land.
  • Apart from 14000 hectares of land managed by Hydro Tasmania, the balance of the FPPF Land is to be administered through the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment’s Crown Land Services.
  • The legislation does not allow for harvesting in the FPPF Land for at least 3 years(other than to allow the completion of a small number of previously agreed transition coupes).
  • Some small scale special species timber harvesting in the FPPF Land can only be approved after three years if the application:
  • contains a certified forest practices plan, and
  • is consistent with a special species management plan (to be made within three years of the legislation commencing),which must include a detailed analysis of conservation, cultural and other heritage values;and

the required timber cannot be supplied, at the time of the making of the application, from designated Permanent Timber Production Zone (PTPZ) Land.

  • No general harvesting of native forests in the FPPF Land is permitted.After 2020, FPPFLand may be converted to PTPZ Land (where timber harvesting is permitted), subject to a range of conditions and the approval of Parliament.
  • The FPPF Land may not be sold, but it can be leased or licenced.

Exchange or Conversion of FPPF Land

  • Land may be exchanged between FPPF Land and PTPZ Land at any time, subject to a range of conditions and the approval of Parliament. It is envisaged that this mechanism would only be used to enhance management of high conservation values, to improve boundaries between the FPPF and PTPZ Lands, or in the unlikely eventthat insufficient special species timber can be provided from PTPZ Land in the first three years.
  • After April 2020, FPPF Land may be converted to PTPZ Land to enable native forest harvesting. Similar to a land exchange, conversion can only occursubject to a range of conditions and the approval of Parliament.
  • Forestry Tasmania will not harvest on land converted from FPPF Land unless the harvesting is in accordance with the forest management certification it holds at that time.
  • The legislated minimum annual supply of high quality sawlogs and veneer logs will remain at 137000 cubic metres. The legislation will also see the continuation of the considerably reduced contracted supply of rotary veneer logs.

Reserved Lands

  • The legislation requires that future reservation of PTPZ Land or FPPF Land will need approval of both Houses of Parliament, regardless of the class of reserve being made.
  • Areas of Future Reserve Land already proclaimed as reserves in 2013 will not change status under the legislation (they will remain as reserves).
  • There will be no change to the long-standing rules around controlled use of natural resources in conservation areas or regional reserves under the Nature Conservation Act and the National Parks and Reserves Management Act. Access to biological resources in these areas is subject to the approval of the Director of National Parks and Wildlife and is subject to rigorous scrutiny to ensure the protection of the values for which the reserve was declared.
  • The process for approval of activities on reserved lands is not changed by the legislation.