Following reports of timber harvesting contractors idling due to the state government’s deliberation on ‘ecological thinning’, questions arise about the industry’s future.

WA Liberal deputy leader and Shadow Minister for Forestry Steve Martin joined Oliver Peterson on Perth Live to discuss the current state of the timber industry.

“There is simply no plan for what the timber sector looks like. We have firewood providers, we have saw millers, we have contractors with no idea what’s coming their way. We have people employed apparently to do this ‘ecological thinning’ and it’s not happening, so it’s a mess,” Mr Martin said.

“All the science that came from the Forest Products Commission in the lead up to 2023, was that this is a sustainable sector, so they’ve simply changed their mind for all sorts of other reasons, not scientific reasons and it’s very disappointing.”

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