Moratorium on logging Tasmania's old growth forests could be reversed

(Hard questions are already being asked of the Australian Government about how it is going to meet its Paris climate commitments and so logging a forest, old growth or otherwise, is the antithesis of what is needed and so although this may well be seen as a state matter, it seems the Turnbull Government should step in, rather, it must take action – Robert McLean)

Tasmanian government will consider reversing a
 moratorium on logging in old growth forests. 

Old growth forests in the Tarkine could be logged by private companies under plans being considered by the Tasmanian government to reverse a moratorium on harvesting 400,000ha of high conservation value forests. 

The forests were part of 500,000ha protected under the forest peace deal signed by the former Labor government in 2013, which would have seen them eventually gazetted into national parks.

That deal was ripped up by the Hodgman Liberal government when it came to power in 2014, and the 400,000ha of future forest reserves were rebadged as future potential production forests, to remain formally in reserves until 2020.

Simultaneous efforts to prevent the remaining 100,000ha from being included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area failed.

Read The Guardian story - “Moratorium on logging Tasmania's old growth forests could be reversed.”