May 19, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. The Tasmanian Government is investing directly in the security of jobs in the forest industry. As part of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement, signed last week with the Commonwealth Government, Tasmania is pledging $90 million towards funding programs contained in the agreement. Premier Paul Lennon said the State's contribution was specifically geared to building opportunities for the future in Tasmania's forest industries. "The agreement allows us to market Tasmania's forest industry internationally as an environmentally-responsible and absolutely sustainable source of wood products. It sets the scene for Tasmania to be seen as a preferred source of supply for international consumers who are increasingly environmentally-conscious. Our $90 million investment will go a long way towards taking our forest-based industries to world competitive levels in resources, harvesting, processing and technology." Mr Lennon said the Community Forest Agreement fitted within Forestry Tasmania's strategic 20-year plan to progress Tasmania's forest industries in the international market-place. "Forestry is one of Tasmania's biggest employers, accounting for 10,000 jobs and a $1.3 billion component of the State's annual economy. Forestry is also contributing to the growth of the State's tourism industry, through major tourism attractions, notably, the Tahune Airwalk development in the South, the Dismal Swamp maze near Smithton and the Forest Eco-Centre at Scottsdale in the North‑East. The addition of new reserve areas in the iconic Tarkine and North Styx areas will also set the scene for greater tourism development based around the iconic trees they contain." Mr Lennon said the Community Forest Agreement package contained funding to: - improve the capacity of existing regrowth forests and plantations to meet sawlog and veneer log commitments; - facilitate the upgrading of and retooling of hardwood sawmills to enable those mills to use plantation and re-growth logs; - improve forest road infrastructure; - provide training which will build skills for Tasmanian forest workers; - and provide funds for tourism infrastructure. "The significance of this agreement cannot be over-stated. It represents the biggest single step forward in Tasmanian forest practices in more than 50 years. It is an opportunity to move forward from the divisions of the past – to accept the major reforms it introduces as genuine progress and to recognize that we can protect jobs, build our regional communities and protect our old-growth forests."