Vic Premier Brumby puts forest furnaces back on the agenda
In a controversial forest policy backflip, the Victorian Brumby government released its revised Timber Industry Strategy in December 2009 that includes the archaic plan to burn native forests for power generation.
The revised TIS includes ‘a proposal to allow the use of forest residues for power generation’. The plan claims only ‘forest residue’ will be used, but 85% of native forest logged in Victoria ends up as woodchip, waste and sawdust. Woodchipping drives the logging of our native forests. Burning forests for power only continues the destructive clearfelling of forests creating a new reason for the ‘waste’ as the export market for woodchips declines.
The plan reverses a previous policy commitment from 2001 that outright prohibits the burning of native forest wood for power generation.
Burning native forests for power is an insidious plan that is neither clean or green, nor is it renewable. Recent science shows that forests of south eastern Australia are more carbon dense than any other forests globally and that protection of these forests is crucial to both reducing emissions, storing and reabsorbing excess carbon from the atmosphere.
Logging our forests and sending them to forest furnaces to generate electricity is a step back to the dark ages. Victoria’s native forests need to be permanently protected for the invaluable role they play as carbon banks, water factories and homes for native wildlife.
In a poll conducted by the Wilderness Society in 2001, 88% of Australians opposed the burning of forests for power.
Victorian Premier John Brumby needs to act on climate change. Please tell him that his policy to burn native forests for power is out of date and out of touch with community wishes on forest protection. Protecting forests is central to our government’s climate change policy.
Take Action
Write to Premier John Brumby demanding he stand by the Labor government’s previous commitment to prohibit burning native forests for power:
Premier John Brumby
1 Treasury Place
Melbourne Victoria 3002
Please also write to the Prime Minister:
Prime Minister
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Send copies of your emails or letters to:
State Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings Other contact details here
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet For contact details clickhere
Federal Environment Minister Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Tony Burke. For contact details click here
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Joe Ludwig For contact details click here
Also send a clear message to your electricity retailer:
Ask for confirmation in writing that they will not buying any power which is generated using native forest wood – either as standard or renewable energy. Tell them that you will change to another electricity retailer if they buy electricity or Renewable Energy Certificates from any power station that burns native forests.
Meet with your local MP:
Discuss the issue of logging in native forests and why it matters to you. Make this an issue any Victorian government cannot afford to ignore.