The union is also concerned that the Esperance office could be shut down, with the loss of 3.5 jobs.

In late January Agriculture Minister Terry Redman said the FPC would take on a redefined role and return to focusing on its core business of supplying wood to the forestry industry.

A taskforce was established to look at the possibility of a sale of the fee-for-service and share farming division of the FPC to the private sector and was expected to report back by the end of March.

CPSU assistant secretary Jo Gaines said up to 62.5 jobs throughout the south west were under threat if these divisions of FPC were sold.

“Mr Redman is saying there are people in private industry that do this, we’re saying there isn’t,” she said.

Ms Gaines said the Esperance FPC office had been responsible for the planting of 5300 hectares of plantations since it was established.

She said it had multi-purpose leases for land with 59 different landowners in the region.

The trees being planted took about 40 years to grow and were used for construction and furniture making.

Ms Gaines said private companies were more interested in plantations that had a shorter harvesting time frame for harvesting crops like woodchips.

She said the Esperance office also provides fire-fighting support, which is supplemented by personnel from Albany when required, as was the case last week with large fires burning in the shire.

“That fire fighting function would go because that’s an additional service FPC provides that wouldn’t be picked up by private companies,” Ms Gaines said.

Ms Gaines said she was concerned the Esperance office would either be privatised or closed.

A FPC spokesperson said it was too early to comment on the task force review, other than to say more than two options would be considered.

“If there is no sale we’ve still got maintenance and those sort of things that need to happen,” she said.

“So there probably are a couple of other options that are in there that I’m sure the task force will be looking at and then the State Government will make that decision.”