General News
11 August, 2022
Majorca plantation could be a sustainable forestry industry model, organisation say
Majorca’s sugar gum plantation is a “golden opportunity” to create a model of sustainable timber production locally, with Talbot Timbers owner Alistair Hull hopeful of gaining management of the site to ensure security for the timber industry...
Majorca’s sugar gum plantation is a “golden opportunity” to create a model of sustainable timber production locally, with Talbot Timbers owner Alistair Hull hopeful of gaining management of the site to ensure security for the timber industry into the future.
The State Government announced the transition from native forest timber harvesting to plantation based harvesting by 2030 as part of the Victorian Forestry Plan, a change which will likely have a negative impact on the local timber mill.
Before the change comes into force, Talbot Timbers is pushing to gain full access and take over management responsibilities of the 500 acre Majorca plantation in what would not only secure the businesses future, but also showcase the long-term sustainability of the industry in regional areas.
Talbot Timbers have limited access to the plantation, which is currently managed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as well as VicForests who manage the timber, and Mr Hull said it would make sense for the business to take on responsibility of managing the whole plantation.
“The Majorca plantation is 500 acres of sugar gum trees that are not being managed well because the government doesn’t allocate enough money for it,” he said.
“We came up with an idea that we could lease or transfer the licence of the plantation to Talbot Timbers, so that regardless of what happens with the industry’s access to public land, we would always have that resource there.
“We see the plantation as a resource that’s not being managed properly and if we were to take that on, we could manage that in a way that would be a win-win for everyone.”
The plantation was established in the 1890s following concerns local forests wouldn’t regrow as a result of heavy mining in the area and sugar gums were planted, with their timber now used for decking and cladding in the construction industry.
Talbot Timbers are currently the sole business to have access to timber at the plantation and are able to take 50 cubic metres annually.
Mr Hull said this access is via coupes, or sections of the plantation marked for harvesting, which isn’t necessarily a management view taking in the whole of the plantation.
“What we see is the plantation needs to be managed as a whole and not just as one area at a time,” he said.
“If we’re working in a coupe and a tree dies somewhere else in the plantation, we’re not allowed to access that tree because it’s outside our coupe and that tree will then fall over, may damage other trees and that valuable timber will be picked up for firewood.
“This is an opportunity to demonstrate to the government that this can be done, it benefits Talbot Timbers and the community and the industry, farmers will also be able to see there is income to be derived from logs and forestry.”
Mr Hull engaged Wood4Good, a company that works in regenerative forestry practices, as a consultant in supporting the push and director Sebastian Klein said the proposal could be an example of what the future of the forestry industry looks like.
“Our thinking is this is a pretty good example of what a sustainable forestry industry could look like, given the State Government are getting out of native forest timbers altogether,” he said.
“This could be a really good example of what the future of the industry could look like and is a golden opportunity for the State Government and people like Alistair to actually demonstrate the gold standard of what forestry can look like.
“With proper management, this will support more jobs, more economic activity and also more diversity in that plantation.”
Mr Klein said a management plan for the plantation is part of the proposal and would enable not only better development for the plantation, but could also mean increased public access to it.
“There is a real opportunity for this to be more than just a bunch of trees that sits up the back of Majorca — this can be a community asset, a destination and somewhere you can take people to learn about sustainability and renewable resources,” he said.
“At the moment the plantation doesn’t really have a specific plan that recognises the unique status of it as an established, diverse sugar gum plantation — it’s really something that’s unique and special and there needs to be a plan that recognises that.
“Community use could certainly be built into this because forestry in other parts of the world is integrated, there are people riding bikes and going for picnics in the same forests that are supplying mushrooms and foraging as well as firewood and building materials.
“For many years now the University of Melbourne has taken their students out there as part of their sustainable products from forestry course but there are more opportunities to take Landcare and naturalist groups through.”
Both Talbot Timbers and Wood4Good are seeking support from the Central Goldfields Shire Council in their bid and mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor said it was likely councillors will vote to provide support at an upcoming council meeting.
“Talbot Timbers is a very valued business within the shire and we know changes to the industry will have an impact and have created difficulties,” he said.
“Good on Alistair for seeking a creative way forward in addressing that challenge and we are keen as a council to support this.
“That being said, we are working on this and getting some further advice before considering our support because we just don’t have all the answers or information from the government yet.
“That is by no means a negative judgement at all, we just want to ensure we have all our questions answered before we pursue this.”