Reporter: Pip Courtney First Published: 20/06/2004 The
leatherwood tree is only found in Tasmania. Its blossom contains
the nectar responsible for the "in your face", aromatic honey,
so sought after around the world. These slow-maturing trees
flower at between 10 and 20 years of age, but don't produce
commercial amounts until they're in their 70s. Leatherwood's
worth nearly twice as much as other honeys, and, as it's three
quarters of the state's production, logging of the tree they're
so dependant on has left beekeepers fearful their industry is on
the way out. Simon Pigot, of the Tasmanian Beekeepers
Association, said that as the resource has been clear felled and
burned, it has forced beekeepers out to the edges of the
district and essentially now they are forced to use leatherwood
that is much less reliable. "It is usually at a much higher
elevation, itís affected by cold. The flowering is not as
reliable, so yes beekeepers have been forced out to the edges of
the districts and the effect on the resource