The Andrews Labor Government’s planned closure of Victoria’s native forestry industry by 2030 is opposed by the Federal Labor Party and has been condemned by Australia’s forestry experts.

Federal Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Joel Fitzgibbon, has strongly backed Victoria’s native forest industries as sustainable, while the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) said the Andrews Government’s ban was poor public policy with undesirable outcomes, particularly at a time of huge bushfire danger. The IFA represents forest scientists, forest managers and forest growers.

Speaking at the Australian Forest Products Association dinner in Canberra, Mr Fitzgibbon endorsed sustainably managed native forestry and the Regional Forest Agreements framework as delivering the best environmental, climate change and bushfire mitigation outcomes.

“Australia is the seventh most forested nation in the world – we have the land and the resource to supply much of this timber from our abundant native forest estate and through an expanded plantation estate,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“In each of the RFA states and Queensland we’ve benefited from native timber resource security; native forest harvesting certified as sustainable by the relevant international certifying body.

“That’s the way it is, and the way it should be. It’s the best outcome for our natural environment. It’s also the best way to abate carbon, and the best way to manage bushfire risk.”

Mr Fitzgibbon undermined Mr Andrews’ claim that the hardwood timber industry in Victoria could transition to plantations by 2030.

“Australia cannot sustain a forest and forest products industry – and all the jobs and wealth it creates – without a native forest industry. Even if plantation forestry could be grown sufficiently quickly to offset the loss of our native resource – and it can’t – it is no replacement for our renewable native forest product,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

The federal president of the IFA, Bob Gordon, said Mr Andrews had lost perspective on environmental issues and was prepared to badly damage rural and regional communities, especially in Gippsland, for no discernible gain for the environment.

Mr Gordon said when foresters and firefighters were warning about a devastating build-up of fuel in Australia’s forests, the Andrews Government had made things worse.

“It is irresponsible to remove the forestry workforce and compound the loss by closing much of the road and track network used to combat fires,” he said.

Mr Gordon said the Andrews Government claimed climate change benefits were indefensible.

“They ignore the science regarding proven atmospheric carbon sequestration from sustainable forestry and use of timber products to displace steel and concrete in buildings,” he said.

The Intergovernmental Policy on Climate Change (IPCC) had confirmed that sustainable forest management increased forest carbon stocks and produced an annual yield of timber products that sequestered carbon dioxide.

“These findings have been re-enforced by independent studies based on forestry in south-east Australia,” Mr Gordon said.

Chief executive of the Australian Forest Products Association, Ross Hampton, said Mr Fitzgibbon’s strong defence of Victoria’s native forest industries had further unravelled the Andrews Government’s ill-conceived plan.

“The Federal Labor Party has seen what is apparently eluding the Victorian Labor Party; closing an industry which is needed for Melbourne’s hardwood floors, stair treads, tables and other like products, and throwing thousands of blue collar workers onto the unemployment lines at the same time, should not be the Labor way,” Mr Hampton said.

Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries, Jonathon Duniam, strongly condemned the Victorian Government’s decision and backed his state Coalition colleagues’ pledge to reverse the decision if they win the next Victorian election.

“A broad coalition of industry, rural groups and councils is coalescing around this issue and are determined to have it reversed. It has no basis in science and will be a disaster for regional Victoria. We call on Premier Andrews to admit the plan was not thought through, put a hold on the decision and enter into a dialogue with us,” Mr Hampton said.

Written by Philip Hopkins.