Forester marching to the beat of his own drum
An ‘eye opener’. That’s how Stephen Clarke might best describe his past year.
The northwest local works for Midway Tasmania, providing technical support to the delivery of the business’ carbon farming programs statewide. He said his current position is simply an extension of the best parts of all his past jobs rolled into one.
“My role with Midway is to expand the eucalypt and pine plantation property management business for new carbon plantation development,” Stephen said.
“I talk to farmers and together we look for tangible opportunities to build alternative revenue streams into their operations.”
Zimbabwean born, Stephen studied forestry in South Africa before crossing the Indian Ocean to work in New Zealand, before settling with his family in Tasmania.
“Tasmania is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” he said.
“I think the Tasmanian forestry industry is very industriously immersed in itself, which is a good thing. However, its intolerance of rivalry or unfaithfulness is also the industry’s Achilles heel.”
Stephen believes ‘groupthink’ and conformity is all too common in our local industry.
“I guess this is a predictable outcome when you have influential leaders working for the same organisation their entire career.
“Loyalty shouldn’t cost you your voice.”
The devoted husband and father is widely known across industry for his depth of knowledge, warmth, commanding stature and booming, infectious laugh. It was early in 2024 that Stephen and his family faced the very real and confronting challenge of his cancer diagnosis.
With the support of his workplace, family, close friends and a skilled care team who administered targeted treatment, Stephen rang the ‘victory bell’ in August signaling a new chapter.
“I’m grateful for this enlightening and humbling experience, and I’m optimistic for the future,” Stephen said.
The life lessons of 2024 extended professionally, too.
“Reflecting as a forester, it has become evident to me how ‘western’ and different our ‘by numbers’ approaches to forest practices—and culturally biased perception of the landscape—are to Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
“We really are slow learners,” he said.
Listening and learning is key to Stephen, and he asserts there is much to be gained from examining other countries’ management practices.
“Instead of a top-down approach that is often out of step with community expectations, we could decentralise public forest ownership and let communities, maybe at LGA level, decide how they want their forests to be managed and utilised, realising the true value of forest resources as perceived by the people who own them.”
Stephen believes there are a great many challenges facing private forestry, and several factors which play into a landowner’s decision to consider planting more trees on their property.
“Some of the barriers to private forestry are the intersection of geographical facts, colonial and convict history, the north/south divide, distance to markets and lack of domestic processing,” Stephen said.
“And then of course there’s the influence of industrial land ownership monopoly and the handful of self-interested timber barons. The ‘old boys/old school network’ really is enduring,” he elaborated.
Stephen said Midway Tasmania responds to and navigates these circumstances in an individualised and considered way, offering farmers nuanced solutions to their specific challenges, whether that’s plantation wood offtake, plantation re-establishment, carbon farming, regrowth native forest management or environmental plantings.
He said the land sector plays a key role in achieving Australia’s net-zero goals, storing carbon naturally and sustainably.
“Midway offers nature-based carbon solutions, partnering with farmers, landowners and land managers in Tasmania to access carbon offsets through plantation forestry.”
Stephen farewelled 2024 with the pristine white sand of Boat Harbour beach sliding between his toes, and welcomed in the new year with a bang (…or was it a boom?) performing as bass drummer in the Burnie Highland Pipe Band.
He is venturing into 2025 eyes wide open.
“I’m ready for what’s to come, and I like to remember that all around us are people quietly battling enormous personal struggles yet responding with love, grace, humour, wisdom and compassion,” he reflected.