Bolt driven into log discovered in Tasmanian mill

A potentially fatal logging sabotage has angered a Tasmanian mill, with environmentalists denying any wrongdoing and calling for a police investigation. SEE THE PHOTOS

A TASMANIAN environmental foundation is denying any wrongdoing after potentially fatal bolts were allegedly discovered driven into logs at two Tasmanian logging mills.

Karanja Timbers has alleged two bolts were driven into logs from the Wentworth coupe, where environmentalists protested earlier this year.

The company said the bolts broke a saw which will cost $3000 to replace, and said it could have been fatal to the three workers nearby.

“Must give them credit though after hammering the bolt in they plugged the hole with silicone (keep the bugs out),” the post reads.

“Doing the right thing I rang another mill (McKay Sawmill, Bridgewater) that received the load before me to warn them only to be told that they had just hit the second one for the day and still had half a load left which they like us refused to cut any more.”

Karanja Timber then took aim at the Greens and the Bob Brown Foundation, asking if they “condone this sort of action”.

A bolt that had allegedly been hammered into a log that was sent to a sawmill. Picture: Facebook/Karanja timbers

Terry Edwards, chief executive of the Forrest Industries Association of Tasmania, told ABC Radio this morning the “extremely dangerous” practice has been part of the environmental activists’ handbook “for a long, long time”.

“It really, really is dangerous and could quite easily kill someone,” he said.

Mr Edwards said the bolts halt production and could damage the tips of the saws, causing them to fly off and “rip through” a human body.

He also said the bolts were not there by accident and had been placed recently.

Australian Forest Products Association chief executive Ross Hampton has also forgone a police investigation, blaming Tasmanian “eco-warriors” for the potentially deadly sabotage.

He claims protesters routinely invade timber harvesting sites in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, in breach of COVID-19 restrictions and trespassing laws.

“While the rest of the country heeds the COVID-19 advice and stays home – at enormous social and economic cost to themselves and their community – activists are flouting the law by trespassing in forestry work sites, and threatening to undo the efforts of millions of Australians and endangering the lives of workers and themselves,” he said.

“We all should be outraged by this selfish conduct.”

Jenny Weber from The Bob Brown foundation speaking at a Tarkine protest. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

The Bob Brown Foundation has called for a police investigation, with campaign manager Jenny Weber saying they were set up.

“Our Foundation has no knowledge of or involvement in this alleged incident. We are always non-violent in our defence of the forests and have been all our lives,” she said.

“We are calling for a full and thorough police inquiry, including into the logging companies and any workers that may have been involved in this incident. This is a set-up.

“There have been similar previous claims but all turned out to be hoaxes.

“The most recent was when premier [Lara] Giddings had to apologise to me and fellow forest defenders in 2012 after accusing us of using tree spiking as a tactic in our campaign against native forest logging.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor has backed the Bob Brown Foundation and said the last time tree spiking occurred in Tasmania, the culprit was a disgruntled logging worker.

“The Tasmanian conservation movement has a long and proud history of peaceful protest. It has never resorted to tree spiking,” Ms O’Connor said.

“We are highly suspicious that this is another attempt to blame and demonise people who are standing against forest destruction.

“The last time tree spiking was alleged, in 2012, it was found to be the work of a disgruntled industry worker.

“Then premier, Lara Giddings, who jumped readily on the blame bandwagon was subsequently forced to apologise to conservationists.”

Six Tarkine Defenders have been charged today, after defending rainforest trees on public land from logging. Picture: Supplied

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Labor has also weighed in, saying the discovery was a concerning development that must be condemned by activists and the Greens.

Labor’s resources spokesman Shane Broad said while police investigations must not be pre-empted, there was no place for such dangerous tactics in Tasmania.

“The spikes discovered at these two mills not only destroyed the saws and impacted production, but they could have resulted in a worker being injured or even killed. It’s just extremely fortunate that no one was hurt,” he said.

“While there is always a place for political dissent, there is never a place for putting lives at risk, and forest industry workers must be free to go about their lawful work safely.”