Industries, Age 13/3/96
Liz Ingham (12/3) still will not accept that Regional Forest Agreements are not solely concerned with environmental outcomes. With two-thirds of East Gippsland forests unavailable for timber harvesting, high rural unemployment and a current account deficit in Forest products of $2 billion, some people might argue that the process had not taken sufficient account of socio-economic considerations.
Most people would accept that any land use system needs flexibility
- possible impacts of climate change alone are justification. But new information
does not necessarily mean further contraction of the timber industry. If
areas currently set aside for harvesting and regeneration are subsequently
required for reserves then some areas in other zones might provide replacements.
Two-thirds of the forest would remain protected - so far as I am aware
that is a level unmatched by an major timber-producing nation.