“The Liberals will allow logging in unprotected old-growth forest areas to supply selected species timber to high-value industries. But we will not allow clearfelling.’’

With that bald statement then Liberal leader Bob Cheek hoped to reap an unlikely harvest at the recent state election – the votes of Tasmanians disgruntled and disaffected by the Bacon Labor Government’s absolute commitment to clearfelling and the forest practices of Australia’s biggest woodchipper, Gunns.

Cheek had signalled his policy initiative within hours of assuming the Liberal Party leadership, declaring he wanted an end to clearfelling of old-growth forests … but he was heavied and forced to publicly declare his and his party’s commitment to the Regional Forest Agreement.

But being a tenacious individual with close in fighting skills honed in the ruck for Clarence Football Club, Cheek did not let his policy quietly fade away.

He worked assiduously to find a way to honour the RFA – and end clearfelling.

And he believed he had found it

He wrote The Liberal Vision for Old Growth Forests which in summary concluded that that it was possible “to find the right balance between maintaining the asset that our old-growth forests are, for tourism and for future generations to use and enjoy, and allowing sustainable use of that asset for timber and timber-related industries’’.

Cheek concluded that the areas of old-growth forests that are not currently protected under the RFA needed to be better managed.

He believed that selected native species of old-growth forests could be better used by niche industries such as wooden boat-building, and furniture manufacture.

“These businesses also need a long-term, secure and sustainable supply of selected species of Tasmanian timbers – including blackwood, huon pine, myrtle, sassafras, celery top pine and others.

“All of these species are contained within currently unprotected old-growth forests.

These species are obtained at a sustainable level through selected logging. Such logging does not destroy the surrounding forest area, as is the case with clearfelling.

“Properly managed, single logs can be taken whilst maintaining the diversity and sustainability of the surrounding forest.

“The Liberals will allow logging in unprotected old-growth forest areas to supply selected species timber to high-value industries.

“But we will not allow clearfelling.’’

Cheek promised that the Liberals would achieve this halt to clearfelling of old-growth by using the mechanisms set out in the RFA.

“We’ll use the definition of old-growth forest that is set out in the RFA; that is, forest that has been substantially untouched by human operations. Plantation and re-growth forest will not be affected in any way by this policy.”

He then set out a plan whereby areas of unprotected old-growth would be placed in Special Timber Management Units - consisting primarily of rainforests, wet forests and swamp forests.

“A harvest age of at least 70 years is applied in blackwood areas; in other units, a harvest age of at least 200 years will be applied. Silvicultural treatments are applied following harvesting to achieve adequate regeneration that replaces harvested trees.”

Cheek said the management of the reserves would be undertaken by Forestry Tasmania with the strict criteria that they must not be clearfelled.

And he concluded:

“Under this policy, the Liberals will allow the sensible use of our old-growth forests for high-value timber for centuries to come.

“It will protect jobs today, it will provide jobs in the future and it will protect one of the greatest assets that our state has.’’

It was breathtaking stuff coming from the conservative end of town; the party that once was led by former premier Robin Gray – now happily ensconced on the Gunns board and glorying in Gunns’ latest profit result.

But it was never to take root. The Liberal machine led by now-leader Rene Hidding dynamited it from the party platform.

And even as another conservative - former Hobart Lord Mayor John Freeman - announced that he too had seen the light and wanted to see an end to clearfelling, Cheek himself was clearfelled - and his fledgling tilt at the mighty log-train of established foresty industry power, became a footnote to Tasmanian political history.

But the question remains … if a conservative free-market Liberal politician could see a way to end clearfelling without compromising the RFA, why does the industry juggernaut and its greatest champion, the Bacon Labor government say it is impossible?

So, how was he going to do it?