Mr. Tim Cullinan:

I thank Senator Boyhan. I have seen this first hand. I have been on a number of forestry plantations where there has been serious damage done by the ash dieback. If somebody is going to replant, obviously there is a major cost involved in the clearfell and in getting the wood removed. As I have highlighted, there is also a health risk involved in the sawing of the timber. Point number one is that there is a substantial cost.

Point number two is that we have to look at income forgone. These people thought they would have an income from harvesting the trees at the end of 15 year. That is not going to happen. If they are to reconstitute or replant again, and if they do not get a premium, then this will be another 15 years gone with no income. That is very clear from our point of view.

On the third point, if a person is fed up of this, has gone through the system, has done the work of planting broadleaf trees and then decides "I want out of this and I want to get back into grasslands" then he or she is owed that opportunity. These are people who complied with the obligation of putting in hardwood. In some cases, people went over that obligation and put in more hardwood than required. This is where they are at now and these are reasonable asks. I ask that this committee would take those on board.