The chief executive officer of Australian forestry company VicForests, David Pollard, believes bushfires have cost the industry A$500m.
Visiting the site of the ongoing anti-logging protests in East Gippsland, south-east Victoria, Mr Pollard said the recent “Black Saturday” bushfires had further shaken up the industry, after years of decline in customer numbers and timber cuts.
Mr Pollard said three “mega fires” in the past six years in Victoria means forest management must be more closely scrutinised.
“We have lost something like half a billion dollars in delivered value, and we will need over the next few months, together with the Department of Sustainability and Environment to revisit our forward estimates of timber production, to ensure that the way we do it remains fully sustainable for the indefinite future,” he said.
