The Forest Products Commission, with the support of its Minister, Hon. Kim Chance MLC, is trying to recommence the woodchipping of marri for export. The FPC is seeking buyers in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan and in the meantime is selling job lots on the spot market (e.g.17,000 tonnes to Italy).

1. There are many reasons why the Gallop Government should not recommence the woodchipping of marri for export. First, we believe that this would breach the Government’s “Protecting our old growth forests” policy, which has wide community support and helped the ALP win the 2001 State election. The specific provisions in the policy we say would be breached are the commitments to:

1. incorporate Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (ESFM) into all logging operations (pp.11, 12);
2. restructure the native forest logging industry towards sustainability and value adding (pp.7-10);
3. boost the plantation sector (pp.13-14); and
4. ensure that royalties reflect the true value of native timber (p. 11).

a. Marri is a magnificent forest tree found only in the south-west of Western Australia. Scientists have shown that marri is probably the most important tree in our forests for birds and mammals. Marri trees produce large amounts of blossom and nectar, and mature trees often have the very large hollows that are nesting sites for endangered species such as black cockatoos, western ringtail possums and owls.

When jarrah/marri forest is clearfelled in gaps, only a small number of ‘habitat’ trees is retained per hectare (three, later four, perhaps now six), and they don’t have to contain hollows. So retained ‘habitat’ trees cannot meet the needs of all 26 species of birds and mammals that must have hollows in standing trees to survive. Besides having very specific requirements as to a hollow’s location, size, shape and entry, these species compete not only between and within species but also with feral European bees. Furthermore, it is unlikely that habitat trees will survive for the centuries required for suitable hollows to develop in the regrowth.

When in the past jarrah/marri forest was selectively logged, the marri trees were usually left standing and so they are the last remnants of the original forest. To fell them now would remove essential habitat for the largest birds and mammals, make the forest even more immature and further degrade its natural structure. This is not ecologically sustainable forest management.

In jarrah/marri forest, the purported threat of marri dominating the regrowth is used as a pretext to fell the marri. However, there is no proof that in the long term (1000 years, which is the physiological age of jarrah) marri if retained would overrun the jarrah. Curiously, in mixed jarrah/marri forest where there are as few as two or three mature karri trees per hectare, DCLM has had no compunction about trying to shift the balance of species in favour of karri by clearfelling such forest and planting it with karri seedlings, an experiment that is unlikely to succeed.

Further, the methods of logging jarrah/marri forest that involve the removal of marri (gap clearfelling and shelterwood) are used largely for economic reasons: they offer the cheapest way to fell and extract the maximum volume of logs. Because these intensive logging methods would eventually leave large expanses of forest as very immature regrowth, they are not ecologically sustainable.

 

b. Native forest woodchipping began in 1975, with the first exports in 1976. Since then, 9.5 million cubic metres (12 million tonnes) of marri chiplogs, almost all from old growth trees, have been sold, initially to WA Chip & Pulp Co Pty Ltd and, since 2000, to Marubeni Corporation of Japan. Karri/marri woodchips were 7th of the eight grades of hardwood woodchips bought by Japanese pulp mills. Of the two species, karri and marri, karri is better for paper production, which means marri is very low grade indeed. For this reason Marubeni stopped buying marri woodchips in November 2001, when plantation-grown bluegum woodchips, which are high quality, began to come on stream. Seeking to once again find markets for this low quality product is not in line with the Gallop Government’s policy of restructuring the timber industry towards sustainability and value adding.

The recent recognition of marri as an excellent furniture timber is ironic after 12 million tonnes of marri logs (including 2 million tonnes of logs of sawlog quality) have been turned into woodchips by the logging industry and forestry agencies, which dubbed marri a “weed tree”! Given the natural properties of marri, only one or two logs in ten are considered suitable as sawlogs. Such a low proportion of useable product would not be tolerated in another industry. In our opinion, if a tree can’t be used for a high value product, it should not be cut done. Since even with current technology it is not possible to judge the timber quality of, they should be left standing for all the ecological benefits they provide. This is essential if ecologically sustainable forest management is to be achieved.

c. Western Australian is exporting plantation-grown bluegum woodchips in increasing quantities. They are high quality woodchips and command top prices. The exporters will surely not be pleased to have the FPC dumping low grade marri woodchips at heavily discounted prices marri trees on the market in competition with their product. Therefore recommencing woodchipping marri for export is contrary to, and directly undermines, the Gallop Government’s commitment to boost the plantation industry.

d. It appears that the FPC, supported by the Minister for Forestry, Hon. Kim Chance MLC, is offering marri woodchips to overseas buyers at such a low price that they are finding it difficult to refuse. This runs counter to the Government’s commitment to ensure that royalties reflect the true value of native timber. As pointed out above, marri has values in forest ecosystems that are beyond price. [It is to be noted that the “immediate review of current royalties for native timber” promised in the ALP’s forest policy hasn’t even begun and that after two years in office, the Gallop Government continues to sell our native timbers for bargain basement prices.]

2. There has been no consultation with the community about the proposal to recommence marri woodchipping or to extend the Marubeni (WA Plantation Resources) chiplog sales contract, which is due to expire at the end of this year. Opinion surveys have always shown that Western Australians don’t like their native forest trees to be woodchipped. It is seen as the unnecessary destruction of a much-valued component of our natural environment for a very base, low-value, low-priced product. It is therefore not surprising that the negotiations to recommence sales of marri woodchips involving the FPC and certain foreign companies have been kept secret and have only come to light as a result of our questioning of government activities. Such lack of openness and transparency is unworthy of the Gallop Government and contrary to its professed standards.

3. Many people are putting a great deal of time and effort into helping develop the new Forest Management Plan. To enter into new contracts or even negotiations (especially for such a generally disliked low-value product as woodchips) while this process is still under way shows contempt for both the process and the people involved.

For these reasons there should be no further attempts to ever again produce or export marri woodchips.

What you can do:
Contact the Premier, 197 St George’s Terrace, Perth 6000, phone 9222 9888,
email wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au and ask him to stop any further attempts to recommence woodchipping marri.