Government-owned corporation | |
Industry | Forestry |
Founded | 1994 |
Founder | Government of Tasmania |
Headquarters | Hobart, Australia |
Area served
|
Tasmania |
Key people
|
Steve Whiteley (Chief Executive Officer) Rob de Fégely (Chairman) |
Production output
|
1,465,714 (measurement of m3 and tonnes of wood) (2016) |
Revenue | A$136.3 million (2016) |
$A-67.4 million (2016) | |
Total assets | $A246 million (2016) |
Total equity | $A25 million (2016) |
Number of employees
|
183 (2016) |
Website | http://www.forestrytas.com.au/ |
Forestry Tasmania is a forest management corporation established by an Act of Parliament and wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania, Australia.
Steve Whiteley (Chief Executive Officer)
Under the State of Tasmania's Forestry Act 1920, Forestry Tasmania is mandated to manage 1.5 million hectares of state forest as multiple use forest. Sustainable yield logging is currently permitted in approximately one-half of this area. The remainder is reserved and managed for other values such as conservation and recreation.
Forestry Tasmania is certified under the Australian Forestry Standard, which is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
Forestry Tasmania's operations are overseen by a Board of Management, which is responsible to the Tasmanian Minister for Forests and Treasurer.
The passing of the State Forests Act 1885 marked the beginning of regular reporting of forest management activities in Tasmania, conducted by Lands and Surveys Department until the formation of the Forestry Department in 1921. Research activities in the 1920s were mainly directed at assessing and mapping the State’s commercial timber resources. Ground mapping was eventually replaced in the 1930s and 1940s by vastly more efficient aerial mapping. As forestry resource modelling become increasingly sophisticated, the Forestry Department was replaced by the Forestry Commission in 1947 and the research effort in all subject areas accelerated. The advent of the woodchip export industry in the 1970s gave rise to broad scale pulpwood harvesting. With a strengthened commercial focus, Forestry Tasmania was created in 1994, becoming a corporation under the Government Business Enterprises Act 1995.
Following the release of the 2015/16 annual report, the state government announced plans of the rebranding and restructuring of Forestry Tasmania. Changes include a downsizing and rebranding of the company to Sustainable Timber Tasmania, charging more for harvested timer, logging areas earmarked for reserves and for the government to pay more for forestry roads which have multiple uses.