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Tas forestry spreads its roots
30 Mar 2004
A Tasmanian land use survey has found that the area of farming land used for tree plantations has risen sharply. Land under plantation for hardwood production has increased 31 per cent since 1997, from 158,200ha to 207,300ha. About 22,000ha of plantation has been developed from areas previously under pasture.
The figures are consistent with farmers' concerns that agricultural land is being lost to forestry. The number of farms in Tasmania has dropped from 5,300 to 4,300 since 1986, with much of the land being bought by Gunns Limited and Forest Enterprises Australia. Near Burnie, about 450 farms have been sold for plantations since 1996.
The Mercury, 30/3/04.
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