The Victorian Renewables Bill allows the clearfelling of native forests to burn for ‘renewable’ energy. A Greens amendment to prevent this was defeated on the 9th of August when Labor, Liberal and National MPs voted to allow native forests to be thrown into furnaces. Greens MLC, Greg Barber, said that in the run-up to the …
The scientific principle behind biomass is the carbon cycle. When they grow, plants absorb carbon dioxide – one carbon and two oxygen atoms (CO2 ). The carbon (C) builds tissues and feeds the plant while the oxygen (O2 ) is released. When plant material is logged and burned, or rots, the carbon recombines with oxygen. …
Way back, long before 1750, the planet supported eight billion hectares of forest. These were vast, healthy carbon soaks and storehouses, rain makers, weather moderators and, of course, mega-rich biological systems. Since that time, humans have destroyed 6.3 billion hectares, leaving only 1.3 billion hectares of forest. Naturally (or unnaturally), this has vastly reduced the …
After three years as the new semi-corporate arm of the government logging agency, VicForests was going down the economic gurgler. For the first two years after its creation, VicForests was given an easy run with DSE picking up the tab for many costs, but year three was to see it ‘off the dole’ and making …
The Victorian Government classifies logging the bejeezuz out of killed or semi-scorched ash forests recovering from fire as ‘bushfire recovery’. As part of its ‘Bushfire Recovery Package’, it has handed over $34 million of our taxes to help the logging and woodchipping industries fast track so-called ‘salvage’ logging of ash at ten times sustainable rates.
26,000 kms of roads in forests. Victoria has 3.4 million ha of forest. East Gippsland has 1 million ha of that, but this region only covers a tiny 4% of the state. Throughout all of Victoria’s forests, there are over 26,000 kms of tracks and roads! No wonder we have weed and fox problems.Stats from …
As a cheap and easy option to reduce their contribution to global warming, many companies and governments have been looking at ‘carbon offsets’. But offsets in the form of planting new trees only helps cancel out emissions from forest destruction and fossil fuel burning that’s already occurred – carbon that’s already in the air. They …
The logging industry is currently in overdrive trying to make logging look like a positive effort in the fight against global warming. Forests are one of our greatest carbon stores. They have taken hundreds of years to amass the 700 -1,200 plus tonnes of carbon per hectare. Cutting them down only secures about 3 to …
Offsets equals guilt free pollution As a cheap and easy option to reduce their contribution to global warming, many companies and governments have been looking at ‘carbon offsets’. But offsets in the form of planting new trees only helps cancel out emissions from forest destruction and fossil fuel burning that’s already occurred – carbon that’s …
Australia will need to create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to move to cope with the effects of global warming. The impacts of climate change should be less severe in systems that remain intact and healthy. The 2,800-kilometre climate ‘spine’ has been approved in principle by state and national …
