Hundreds oppose South Australia's planned sale of 81,000 ha. of forward rotations of plantation timber

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , November 29, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – Hundreds of people at a public forum expressed their opposition to the South Australian government's planned sale of several future harvest rotations of plantation timber, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) reported Nov. 29.

South Australia is offering three rotations of its 81,000-hectare Green Triangle softwood plantations for sale, according to Ninemsn, Industry Intelligence reported Nov. 14.

Forest industry representatives, mayors, and Members of Parliament were among those attending the meeting. Some said their invitations to speak were withdrawn, ABC reported.

Union official Brad Coates, who said his invitation to speak was canceled, said strategies are needed for the future of the timber industry. Coates said some mistakenly believe that stopping the forward sale of harvests will bring prosperity, reported ABC.

Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond said members of the public needed to let the state know how much the plan could potentially damage the economy of the southeast.

The primary sources of this article are the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC), Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 29, 2011, and Industry Intelligence archives.

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