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FORESTRY Tasmania conceded yesterday the Picton fire in the South-West was most likely caused by forestry operations.
Forestry Tasmania managing director Evan Rolley said the cause of the fire was being investigated. "The harvesting contractor had shut down operations and left an hour before smoke was detected," he said.
"While it is likely to have been caused by the contractor, this has not been independently confirmed." Mr Rolley said 70 Forestry Tasmania personnel were mopping up the fire, which remained burning outside the Hartz Mountains National Park.
Earlier yesterday, Wilderness Society campaign co-ordinator Geoff Law said sensitive alpine vegetation in the World Heritage Area wilderness was in danger of being burned.
"The Picton fire is within 400 metres of the boundary of the World Heritage Area, in steep, forested country," he said. "Sensitive alpine vegetation in the Hartz Mountains National Park is literally right in the firing line.
"On days of high fire danger, the loggers should simply down tools. "Forestry [measures] have clearly been inadequate to prevent the outbreak of wildfires on days of horrendous fire danger."
However, Mr Rolley said only one fire out of at least 16 across the state had been caused by harvesting operations -- at Mount Saddleback -- and it had been contained.
"The Wilderness Society should be well aware that the cause of 90 per cent of wildfires has been arsonists," he said. "This is a major problem right across Tasmania."
Mr Rolley dismissed Mr Law's call to stop harvesting on days of high fire danger. "We close operations on days of total fire ban or in extreme conditions," he said.
"It would be impracticable for harvesting operations to cease on every hot day, unnecessarily disrupting timber supplies to local sawmills. "Contractors have got to produce wood all year round."
Mr Law said the Wilderness Society was preparing a report to be sent next week to the international World Heritage Committee. The report condemns the threats to Tasmania's World Heritage Area from logging and associated wildfires.