Ta Ann Tasmania

Ta Ann is committed to sustainable development including sourcing logs only from forests that are independently certified.  Ta Ann Tasmania does not harvest forests. It purchases its wood supply from Sustainable Timber Tasmania under long-term Wood Supply Agreements which have allowed us to gain Chain of Custody certification for our Tasmanian eucalypt veneer under the Australian Forestry Standard and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).

 

This assures our customers and the local community that our products are sourced from sustainably managed forests.

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As a strong supporter of sustainable development, our two Tasmanian veneer factories process only timber from forests authorised for harvest by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, and based on the previously signed Tasmanian Forest Agreement between forest industry bodies and leading eNGOs, - the Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society and Environment Tasmania.

 

Our veneer peeling machines are designed for a log of maximum diameter of 70 cm which means that that practically we cannot use old growth logs.

In 2013 the three Signatory eNGOs wrote to our customers to report on the Australian Government’s nomination of a minor boundary modification to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

In that correspondence, they reported:

 “Further, we are pleased to report that Ta Ann Tasmania has repeatedly made a very clear commitment that it will not source any timber from any of the coupes associated with the World Heritage nomination … This commitment has been repeated by Ta Ann;

                 - directly to eNGO signatories to the Tasmanian Forest Agreement

                - under oath several times before the Tasmanian Legislative Council Inquiry

                - publicly via the media

 

Additionally, eNGOs have had confirmation of this commitment in personal communications from the land manager, Forestry Tasmania, and we have sighted correspondence between Forestry Tasmania and Ta Ann Tasmania confirming that Ta Ann Tasmania will not receive any wood products from coupes associated with the World Heritage nomination submitted by the Commonwealth Government in January.

 

“We have seen no evidence that would support the claim that Ta Ann Tasmania is continuing to source any timber from the coupes now associated with the World Heritage nomination.”

 

Notwithstanding a subsequent change in State policy by the Tasmanian Government, Ta Ann  continues to honour its commitment under the principle of previous Market Compact with the eNGOs to only accept logs supplied from State Forest areas that had been agreed for long term sustainable wood supply through a revised contract with Sustainable Timber Tasmania.  Producing high quality engineered products through the Smithton Plywood plant from wood that otherwise would be processed and exported as woodchips provides repentant social & Environmental benefits.

 

Through our processes of sustainable log supply and local processing, our business stores carbon in high value solid wood products for generations. In net terms hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change can be stored in our plywood products every year.

 

This is practical conservation in action and at the same time it is meeting the needs of our society for quality building materials in a sound and sustainable way.

 

Ta Ann Tasmania’s TPly has a zero emissions rating and strong bonding strength suitable for the rigours of outdoors and the weather conditions for construction sites where form ply would be mainly used.

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Community Involvement

 

Local jobs, investment and helping Australia’s balance of payments by replacing imported timber products are not the only benefits from Ta Ann Tasmania’s Smithton Plywood Plant.

 

Ta Ann is also a strong supporter of the local communities in which it operates in the Huon Valley and at Smithton in the Circular Head municipality.

 

Each year Ta Ann supports a range of worthwhile community events & organisations.