PLANTATION TIME

READER Mark Poynter (Letters, October 14) pours scorn on efforts to highlight detrimental native forestry activities and their consequences. For my part, regrowth native forest is harvested at 25-30 years (up to 40) with commercial thinning. The harvest is pulped. The bush is degraded. Old large dead trees are felled, habitat lost.

I disagree with “the most pertinent point that most Tasmanian forests are not used for timber production”. If something causes harm (for example, littering) it is imperative to stop the practice, irrespective of the degree of the activity. Both biological and climate science tell us felling native forests causes harm, so we must stop. Transition now to plantation timber.

Craig Brown Eaglehawk Neck