Bunnings Under Pressure Over Tasmanian Tree Fern Sales
Bunnings, Australia's largest nursery retailer, is facing mounting calls from conservationists, including the Bob Brown Foundation, to cease the sale of Tasmanian tree ferns. This follows the harvesting of approximately 30,000 wild tree ferns from the Tasmanian bush last financial year, which were subsequently sold to gardens globally.
Bunnings' Sourcing and Certification
Bunnings states it only sources ferns from licensed suppliers, ensuring each fern carries individual government tags. The company also requires suppliers to be certified as sustainable by an independent scheme.
Bunnings states it only sources ferns from licensed suppliers, with individual government tags, and certified as sustainable by an independent scheme.
The retailer confirmed it sells tree ferns and related products sourced from sites approved by The Forest Practices Authority (FPA). Furthermore, Bunnings mandates that ferns harvested in Tasmania must originate from third-party PEFC-certified forests. The company also highlighted that its suppliers utilize off-cuts and by-products to ensure minimal waste.
Conservationists Allege Permanent Damage
In contrast, the Bob Brown Foundation argues that removing these centuries-old, slow-growing ferns inflicts permanent damage upon Tasmania's old-growth forests. Provided photos depict harvested ferns both within bushland and in shipping containers, prior to their processing into garden products, including pavers and mulch derived from offcuts.
The Harvesting Process and Harvesters' Perspective
Harvesting operations are conducted under the government's Forest Practices Authority (FPA) program, often taking place before clearfelling operations.
Harvesters involved in the industry present their work as a form of conservation, claiming it prevents ferns from being destroyed during subsequent logging. They argue that critics often misunderstand the industry's practices.
The Nature of Tasmanian Tree Ferns
Tasmanian tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) exhibit an extremely slow growth rate, typically between 2.5 to 5 cm per year. Large, mature specimens can be highly valuable, potentially selling for over $2,500.
The Sustainability Debate: Misleading Consumers?
The Bob Brown Foundation asserts that the presence of government tags on ferns from native forests creates a deceptive impression of sustainability. They contend this practice misleads consumers into believing they are purchasing products from salvage operations, rather than contributing to what they describe as destructive clear-felling practices.
The Bob Brown Foundation contends that government tags on ferns from native forests create a false impression of sustainability, misleading consumers into believing they are buying from salvage operations rather than part of destructive clear-felling practices.