The head of Forestry Tasmania has flown to Japan to “set the record straight” about the state’s woodchip industry.
Evan Rolley’s trip to major Japanese woodchip customers follows growing pressure by environmental groups, who have so far succeeded in persuading paper company Mitsubishi to drop old growth chips from Tasmania. Another company, Nippon is also considering a review of its buying policies.
Meanwhile, a motion in the UK House of Commons calling for Japanese paper companies to stop buying woodchips from Tasmania’s old-growth forests has been dismissed by the state’s premier Paul Lennon.
British MP Norman Baker’s motion also criticised Tasmanian timber company Gunns for suing 20 environmental activists and organisations for disrupting its logging and woodchip activities.
