As timber plantation group, Great Southern, moves to sell off its tree farms across northern NSW to help stave off financial collapse, the bush towns faced with big social and economic changes resulting from the masses of country moved over to the industry are getting on with the job of making the situation work for them.
Hot on the heels of the Managed Investment Scheme giant, Timbercorp, going into administration, the West Australian-based Great Southern, which late last year told The Land its hardwood plantations in the Casino region covered 5600 hectares, is looking to get itself out of a net debt of almost $700 million after being placed in voluntary receivership.
Community and beef industry leaders across the North Coast have long warned of the potential for collapse of big plantation companies, saying the industry had been fuelled by false incentives in the way of tax breaks rather than product potential.
Their concerns now are that land planted to trees will cost a fortune to return to other agricultural pursuits and, if left unmanaged, will become a major fire hazard.
Great Southern, due to start harvesting on the North Coast in 2015 and planning to supply the Japanese pulp and paper industry, conceded it had yet to secure contracts for its Casino-grown timber.
Despite the woes of some of the timber giants, more land is still being converted to plantation timber, even as community leaders say there must be a focus on job and wealth creation and protecting the amenity of their townships.
Read the full story in this week's The Land.
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