Getting the public onside

We regularly comment on the absolute need of painting the industry in a positive light – particularly to the wider community. The downside of not communicating the significant benefits of forestry and wood products – both financially and environmentally - is significant. There is general agreement, head nodding and then the questions start to arise – what are the messages the wider sector wishes to communicate, who's going to take the lead and then the major issue, how's it going to be funded and who should be contributing to any wider campaign.

In Dunedin this week forestry or wood transport has taken a battering. Yet another logging truck was involved in an accident – this time the trailer loaded with logs detached itself from the front unit and ended up in the ocean. Luckily no one was hurt but the aftermath to the industry has been significant. As well as photos front page of local newspapers of logs strewn around a section of the harbour, a cartoon - see over - was placed in the region’s main newspaper.

So the main question is still there – can the forestry industry continue to sit on its hands and not dedicate adequate resources to communicate all of the benefits of our industry to the wider public? We’d be interested in your comments.

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