TASMANIA'S timber industry representatives have abandoned the forestry peace deal, declaring "the world has moved on''.

After four years negotiating and implementing the Tasmanian Forests Agreement, it took less than a week for the new Liberal government to force industry to change its mind. 

Speaking after a meeting with premier-elect Will Hodgman yesterday morning, Forest Industries Association of Tasmania chief executive Terry Edwards stopped short of endorsing the Liberals' policy. 

``The TFA itself is no longer relevant because we have a government that was elected to tear it up,'' Mr Edwards said.

``Today was an exchange of ideas, it was an extremely positive exchange of ideas but there were no agreements reached about what the future looks like.''

Wilderness Society spokesman Vica Bayley, a signatory to the deal, was waiting for formal notification that the industry was pulling out before announcing its next steps if the deal was dead.

``We all know what the ramifications are,'' Mr Bayley said.

``Clearly our main focus is the forests, our main focus is protecting the forests so our priority will be defending the rollback of the World Heritage area and continuing to push for new national parks and reserves.'' 

The industry backflip all but guarantees a return to open conflict between loggers and activists. 

Environment groups and the union representing workers were shut out of yesterday's meeting.

Mr Edwards said the new government had a mandate to implement its forestry agenda.

``We have to respect that even if we don't want to,'' Mr Edwards said. 

Mr Hodgman said it was an encouraging conversation.

``Today was the best opportunity to sit down together and talk about our plan,'' Mr Hodgman said.

Details of the plan presented to industry will be kept under wraps until cabinet holds its first meeting, which may not be until the start of next month.

Mr Edwards is pushing the government to act quickly on its alternative.

``Policy vacuums are very dangerous places to be in for an industry. It is destabilising for our market place, it is destabilising for our workforce, it is destabilising for our community,'' Mr Edwards said.

Mr Hodgman confirmed legislation would be required to unravel the deal and reopen to logging 500,000 hectares of forests earmarked for protection under the TFA.