The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association just marked its 50th anniversary but the Association is not what it was. Source: ABC Rural
At its peak in about 1990 the association had more than 200 members and had the backing of the major forest products companies.
The contractors’ association membership has been decimated since the global financial crisis of 2009.
The revenue base has collapsed and forced the Tasmanian and Australian Forest Contractors Associations to merge under one national banner.
The Australian Forest Contractors Association’s Canberra office has been closed and chief executive Colin McCulloch is running the reduced organisation from the former Tasmanian Association office in Launceston.
And he said there’s a long way to go to rebuild.
“It’s been tough going through this massive downturn,” McCulloch said.
“I guess most primary industries evolve and dissolve, depending on market trends. “It’s no breaking news where we’ve been for the last four years it’s been an extraordinarily difficult period.
“What we’ve quite sensibly done I think is the TFCA and Australian Forest Contractors have gotten together.
“There’s a common need.
“The issues across the nation in forest harvesting and haulage and silvicultural management are the same.
“So we basically merged the businesses under the Australian Forest Contractors banner.
“We’re there, we’re ready and if the industry, and when the industry comes back on track, to the extent it will, then we’re ready and waiting to assist all our business members to rebuild and go ahead in a strong fashion.”
McCulloch said the stated aim of the association is to do down-stream processing of forest products in Tasmania and mainland Australia.
“I think we’ve got a resource base that is the envy of a lot of the world,” he said.
“Obviously a pulp mill, I mean we’ve watched the social experiment of not having a pulp mill over the past four years and it’s an ugly scene.
“Our society has suffered badly.
“A feedstock that’s been planted over 20 years to provide for that particular process, is sitting idle.
“There are a lot of people quite angry in the private and public sector who’ve given up land to plant for a world class down-stream processing plant.”
McCulloch said the organisation was formed in adversity 50 years ago to pressure government and bureaucracy on transport issues.
“The actual birthday of the association was April 10th 1963.
“The issue at that time was more to do with transporting, than it was to do with harvesting.
“A group of some 35 businesses got together at that time and formed the Tasmanian Log and Timber Hauliers Association.
“The issue at the time was more about axle weights and over-officious officials.”
