Kangaroo Island timber burning begins amid calls for urgent help to transport logs off the island

The company behind a huge Kangaroo Island timber plantation has begun burning it after its export deepwater port was rejected.

Kangaroo Island’s major forestry company has begun burning its fire-damaged timber as the industry steps up its calls for help to transport it from the region to market.

Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers (KIPT) on Wednesday began a trial burn of its logs, but The Advertiser understands it decided to put off further burns until more greenery had died off – probably towards the end of September.

It followed the company announcing it would convert its plantations back to farm land after the state government refused its proposal for a deepwater port at Smith Bay on the island’s north coast to allow it to export the timber.

SA Forest Products Association chief executive Nathan Paine said the wood burned on Wednesday was part of the one-third of plantation timber so badly fire damaged it had virtually no value.

The industry is seeking about $2m, joint funded by the state and federal governments, to help cover the cost of transporting about 300,000 tonnes of salvageable timber to the mainland.

Under that plan, a subsidy of about $30/tonne would be paid through the Commonwealth’s Forestry Transport Assistance program, which until now has been offered only to companies in NSW and Victoria, in the wake of bushfires.

“We can’t really wait any longer – we need to have some decisions being made now,” Mr Paine said.

An artist’s impression of Kangaroo Island Plantation Timber's seaport plan for Smith Bay. Picture: Supplied

“It’s not a substantial outlay – at the very least that would get a big chunk of the logs off the island.”

If extended to SA, the scheme could help subsidise the export of logs via Kingscote, American River or Penneshaw – enough to build 10,000 houses and address a chronic national timber shortage.

KIPT announced plans to burn a large percentage of its 4.5 million tonnes of mostly bushfire-affected timber amid concerns about the economic viability of salvaging and transporting it without a new port.

“The simple reality is they’re going to return that land to agricultural land and they’re going to want to do that as quickly as possible,” Mr Paine said.

State Primary Industries Minister David Basham said the government had written to the Commonwealth asking it to extend its Forestry Transport Assistance program to SA.

South Australian saw mills would use the $30/tonne subsidy to transport fire-damaged timber off Kangaroo Island.

“The state government is ready to roll out the assistance as soon as and if the Commonwealth agree,” Mr Basham said.

Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers managing director Keith Lamb declined to comment.

Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam said: “The Morrison Government is currently considering Minister Basham’s proposal along with other options to address the current shortages of structural timbers for the construction industry.”

“We will continue to work in partnership with industry and individual businesses as the economy recovers from the 2019-20 bushfires and impacts of COVID-19 to strengthen businesses, jobs and communities,” he said.

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