The appointment of a high-profile conservationist to manage Tasmania's Triabunna woodchip mill has been greeted with dismay by the southern timber industry.

Sorell sawmiller Robert Torenius said he was shocked to hear the former national head of the Wilderness Society, Alec Marr, had been appointed as the mill's manager under new owner Triabunna Investments.

"It'll be the end of any industry involvement with Triabunna woodchip plant," Mr Torenius said.

But Triabunna Investments' Graeme Wood, the millionaire founder of Wotif.com, said Mr Marr had been told to put his personal opinions aside.

Mr Wood said the former environmental campaigner's first job would be to find a new mill operator.

"It won't be his decision alone, he will do the legwork and pass that back to the board," Mr Wood said.

Forestry Tasmania (FT) has lashed out at the sale of the mill to Mr Wood and fellow multi-millionaire entrepreneur Jan Cameron, who plan to transform the site into a tourist hub.

In a newsletter, the head of the state-owned forestry corporation, Bob Gordon, accused Ms Cameron and Mr Wood of plunging forest workers into greater uncertainty.

Mr Gordon said he was not in a position to comment further until there was a decision on how long the mill would stay in the industry.

Terry Edwards of the Forest Industries Association said Forestry Tasmania would not be able to harvest economically when the mill shut for good and that would spell the end of FT.

FT had entered into a profit-sharing deal with Aprin, the unsuccessful bidder for the mill.

One banking analyst said changing bank attitudes may have contributed to Aprin's difficulty in raising finance.

Brian Johnson told 7:30 Tasmania banks were becoming increasingly reluctant to lend to native timber companies.

"Banks are much more carbon sensitive than they used to be with at least one of the major banks having basically committed to the fact they won't do any carbon bad type lending," Mr Johnson said.

"Banks are much more sensitive on their reputational issues than they ever used to be before."