John Howard says his plan preserves jobs and trees. He should have done ten times as much to preserve old growth forests since he became PM... His plan of "sustainable" forest limites preservation... The fact that the industry is not "happy" with his decision — a deplorable decision for the conservation lobby — smell a bit of managed smokescreen to make it appear "reasonable" to the rest of the average punter...

Australia's $1.4-billion plantation woodchip industry has been dragged into the US-China trade war, with a number of shipments to the Asian economic powerhouse cancelled in the fallout from the dispute.

Key points:

• Australian timber exporters have been hit by falling demand from Chinese paper mills for woodchips
• Three Aussie woodchip shipments have been cancelled or deferred since July
• The industry says demand has decreased since the US put tariffs on Chinese paper products

 

Amid fading hopes of a speedy breakthrough in the trade war, timber exporters have been hit by falling demand for woodchips from Chinese paper mills, which have become the industry's biggest customers.

Since July, at least three ships that were supposed to take Australian woodchips to China have been cancelled or deferred, and there are fears further consignments could be affected.

While shipments from Albany on Western Australia's south coast have been hit hardest, it's believed other woodchip export hubs in South Australia and Victoria have also been disrupted.

The setbacks have put the brakes on an industry that had been enjoying sustained growth since a wave of turmoil brought on by the failure of the managed investment scheme scene a decade ago.

 

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-06/us-china-trade-war-impacts-on-aus...

 

Competition from organic bamboo and sugar-cane loo paper as well?