29 Oct 2009
The Queensland Government has put the kibosh on a requirement for green buildings to only source wood from FSC certified plantations.
In Issue 99 of Timber & Forestry e-news, editor Jim Bowden says the decision relates to projects undertaken by the state's Department of Public Works. These required compliance with the Green Building Council's Greenstar programme which in turn requires wood to be sourced from FSC-certified forests.
Giving these monopoly supply rights to Greenstar and FSC has long been a bone of contention for Queensland forest owners and wood processors. Few are FSC certified, but most, including the state's publicly owned forests, meet what they say are the almost identical requirements of the Australian Forestry Standard.
Forest owners and wood processors have welcomed the Queensland Government decision, which puts an end to anomalies such as the importation of FSC-certified wood products while local mills struggle to survive the economic downturn.
Big River Group managing director Jim Bindon was quoted in T&FeNEWS as saying that it was extremely perverse when a government-funded project could not use timber from its own estates. He was also aware of companies freighting products from South Australia to Brisbane, when products with similar green credentials could be sourced locally.
"Transporting timber thousands of kilometers is not consistent with environmentally sound guidelines," Bindon said.
In Victoria, industry lobbying has led to the passing of a state law that prevents other laws from having anti-competitive outcomes. There are hopes that similar legislation will be passed in New South Wales.
Source: Timber & Forestry e-news
