Forestry bill shadow over Tas Lib birthday

Tasmania's Liberal government is celebrating three years in office while having to bat away criticism of its proposed logging expansion scheme.

The administration came to office in 2014 promising to rejuvenate the forestry and mining sectors and its latest bill tabled in parliament proposes the unlocking of an extra 356,000 hectares of wilderness to logging.

"It's true to say we've come a long way from where we were three years ago," Premier Will Hodgman told parliament on Wednesday, as his government defended its forestry legislation against criticism including from the Forest Industries Association.