Wednesday 30th May 2001
Sandra Lee’s claim that bringing Timberlands West Coast indigenous forests under DoC’s management is a landmark decision
in world forest conservation is both dishonest and insulting to the West Coast and scientific communities” says ACT
Forestry spokesman Ken Shirley.
“World experts who have inspected these forests agree that Timberlands was one of the best examples of ecologically
based sustainable forest management – a model to the world.
“Why was the Government so determined to cancel the scheduled Environment Court hearings when it reneged on the West
Coast Accord? The reason was quite simple; the scientific evidence conclusively showed that Timberlands’ ecological
management was vastly superior to that of the Department of Conservation.
“Timberlands predator control programmes ensured that its forests far exceeded those of the DoC estate where the forests
are degenerating through lack of commitment and resource.
“The West Coast Conservation Board, who advises the Minister of Conservation, supported Timberlands and opposed the
transfer of these lands to DoC. The fact that Sandra Lee is now required to spend an additional $1 millon of taxpayers’
money to allow DoC to manage these forests is a disgrace when Timberlands was doing a better job at no cost to the
taxpayer while at the same time paying a dividend to Government and providing jobs in the local economy from their
strictly sustainable harvesting operations.
“No amount of spin from Sandra Lee can change the hard facts and her and her Government should be condemned for their
disgraceful actions on this issue” concluded Ken Shirley.
ENDS