[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Scottsdale Forum Support For Sawmill Opportunities_K Booth MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

TIMBER PROCESSING FORUM REVEALS SAWMILLING FUTURE FOR NORTH EAST

Greens' Suggestion for Tonganah Mill Gaining Traction
 
Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Forestry Spokesperson and Member for Bass

Friday, 7 November 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Bartlett Labor government to
secure the future of Scottsdale's Tonganah mill site following a highly
successful North East Tasmania Chamber of Commerce forum on challenges
and opportunities for a cooperative diversified timber training and
processing centre in Scottsdale.   

Greens Shadow Forestry spokesperson and Member for Bass Kim Booth MP
highlighted the world-first presentation at the forum of Radial
Corporation's innovative new quarter-sawing technique that allows the
recovery of high-quality sawn timber from lower-quality logs, and
pointed out that logs currently going to the woodchipper for a pittance
can now be used to produce high-value sawn timber (see attachment 2).

Mr Booth also congratulated the North East Tasmania Chamber of Commerce
for organising and hosting the forum which gave local forest industry
members and other stakeholders the chance to see that there is a
possible future in sawmilling for the North East region, should new
technologies be embraced. 

"After promising repeatedly in July this year to aid the Scottsdale
community following Gunns' closure of their Tonganah mill, Bartlett
Labor has done virtually nothing on the ground since and seems to have
dropped the ball on Scottsdale," Mr Booth said.

"The forestry sector needs to be restructured, with the industry put
onto a viable and non-contentious footing, and technological advances
such as that outlined by Radial Corporation are a giant leap in the
right direction which could help secure the future of both the regional
industry and the local community."

"The Scottsdale community deserves to know whether proposals such as
Radial Corporation's innovative new timber processing system will now be
considered for their Tonganah mill site."

"This NE Tasmania Chamber of Commerce forum has brought together a
variety of stakeholders and clearly shows that the local community is
motivated towards rebuilding a viable industry for the region." 

"Proposals such as that presented by Radial Corporation demonstrate that
high-value sawn timber can be recovered from low-value woodchip logs
which is a massive step forward and could change the nature of the
entire Tasmanian forestry sector; the production of sawn timber from
woodchip logs will massively increase value-adding and employment in
regional areas of Tasmania, while reducing or removing the sector's
current reliance on low-value high-volume woodchipping."

"Where there is a will there is a way, but it is now up to Bartlett
Labor to come to the party and start meeting its previous commitments to
assist the Scottsdale community and the north east region," Mr Booth
said.


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Attached: 

1)      Tasmanian Greens' Proposal for a Diversified Wood Processing and
Training Mill on the Tonganah site in Scottsdale, July 2008; (2pages).

2)      Radial Corporation, Radial Corporation Introduction and
Scottsdale Mill Feasibility Study, 2008; (10 pages).




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