Some of the state’s most revered heritage icons are being repaired with exotic hardwood as the native logging ban constrains supplies of WA-grown timber.
The Heritage Council of WA has scrambled to help find alternative hardwoods for anyone embarking on repairs of heritage-listed buildings and structures as supplies of jarrah and marri dwindle following the ban. The ban was announced in 2021 and began January 1.
Carnarvon’s famed One Mile Jetty will be repaired with timber from Malaysia.Credit: Philip Gostelow
In the council’s annual report, it described the lack of WA-grown hardwood as a significant issue for large-scale heritage projects.
One of those major projects is the $4.5 million refurbishment of a portion of the Carnarvon One Mile Jetty, which was partially destroyed by Cyclone Seroja in April 2021.
The Department of Transport released a tender last year for 920 4.8-metre lengths of jarrah decking to complete the project but was forced to broaden the scope to any suitable hardwood.
The department eventually sourced $357,000 worth of merbau, a hardwood logged in South East Asia, to fix the jetty.
The council’s revelation angered long-time opponents of the ban including WA forestry and timber industry consultant John Clarke who said the problem was a perverse outcome of a ban done purely for political reasons.
Clarke was approached by the department to help with the Carnarvon jetty tender in October last year and said he told them they were dreaming if they wanted that much jarrah.
He said using exotic timber in iconic WA buildings and structures did not sit right with him.
“The whole thing’s a bloody joke. What about Parliament House? You go into Parliament House, it’s lined with beautiful jarrah,” he said.
“One day that might need to be upgraded and repaired and replaced. Can you imagine Parliament being lined with merbau?
“The whole logging ban, I’ll never, ever get over it. You go through stages of grief, and I’m still in the angry stage four years later.”
Merbau has a storied history with a 2007 Greenpeace investigation finding it would likely be gone in 35 years because of over-logging and illegal logging of the wood had dire humanitarian and environmental consequences.
However, ethical merbau logging occurs, and producers can get certification from groups like the Forest Stewardship Council. These ethical sources are popular for Australian residential decking.
A Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage spokeswoman said where native timber could not be sourced for a heritage project, the council tried to identify suitable alternatives.
“The council’s decision on an alternative is guided by several factors, including suitability of visual appearance, sizing availability and structural integrity,” she said.
“Ethically sourced merbau has been accepted by the Heritage Council as a timber alternative on some heritage projects due to its similar presentation to jarrah, termite and fire resistance, and long-term maintenance advantages. ”
A Department of Transport spokesman said merbau was chosen for the jetty for structural, aesthetic, maintenance and availability reasons.
He said the merbau was sourced from Malaysia and the department sought Forest Stewardship Certification as well as another internationally recognised timber supply chain certification known as Certification of Chain of Custody.
“These certifications ascertain the sustainability of the timber supplied by demonstrating it has been sourced from a sustainably managed forest,” he said.
“The refurbishment project will retain, as much as possible, the original heritage fabric of the jetty, and the refurbished portion will be an authentic interpretation of the original structure.”
The native logging ban has saved about 400,000 additional hectares of jarrah, karri and marri forest from being cut down.
A spokeswoman for Forestry Minister Jackie Jarvis said the Forest Management Plan 2024-33 allows for some timber to be produced through ecological thinning and mining activities.
She said the Forest Products Commission recently finalised contracts to sawmills for timber coming from these activities which could be used for heritage products.
“An essential part of evaluating the tenders received was that they intended to create a finished product, such as flooring or decking, and to supply material to businesses in WA such as furniture manufacturers and joiners for products that can be used in heritage projects,” she said.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.