 A tree fern regulation system is incorporated into the Forest
Practices System (which regulates the forest industry in Tasmania). On
public land, tree fern harvesting
is only allowed as salvage harvesting from forests where they would
otherwise be destroyed through planned forest operations or road
construction. On private land harvesting may be allowed but a management
plan must first be approved in accordance
with the Forest Practices Act.
Ferns from Tasmania are now controlled by a tagging system
where we purchase sequentially numbered tags from the Forest Practices
Board for each tree fern harvested so that right up until the end user
purchases the ferns, their origin can be traced.
On public land, from March 1st 2002 harvesting is only permitted from areas that are
being converted to plantation forestry. These plantations are
mostly Pinus radiata or Eucalyptus nitens.
Fernmania is Government licenced to harvest under those conditions
and adheres strictly to them.
There is much mis-information regarding the status of
Dicksonia
antarctica tree ferns. Opinions that they are endangered or vulnerable
are wildly incorrect as they are so prolific in Tasmania that numbers
growing in the wild are in the tens of millions and widespread in
Tasmania. From a species conservation point of view harvesting
will have no effect on their status.
However most of the forests that support this tree fern are very
beautiful areas and a watch must be kept for illegal harvesters who
don't have respect for the controls that limit harvesting as outlined
above.
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