A private landowner who wishes to undertake forestry operations on their land may apply to have the land declared a private timber reserve under the provisions of the Forest Practices Act 1985. A private timber reserve, once gazetted, attaches to the title of the property in perpetuity unless revoked at the request of the owner or, in certain circumstances, by the Forest Practices Authority.
Private timber reserves were created by the Tasmanian Parliament in 1985 to enable landowners to have their land dedicated for long-term forest management. The legislation provides that forestry activities on the land are subject to a single, consistent, state-wide system of planning and regulation through the Forest Practices Act 1985, rather than to variable systems that may be applied under different planning schemes through the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993.
Private Forests Tasmania processes private timber reserve applications from landowners under a delegation from the Forest Practices Authority. A landowner interested in applying for a private timber reserve over part or all of their property can contact any office of Private Forests Tasmania for advice and assistance. The current application fee is $437.50 ($448.00 from 1 July 2008). The Crown Solicitor charges an additional fee to register the private timber reserve on the title. This fee will be $55.00, or $110.00 where whole title and part title are included in the one application.
