There could be even darker hidey-holes for political donations if John Howard’s gang gets its proposed electoral changes through. It will allow anonymous donations of up to $10,000. This means that each state, territory and federal branch of a political party could receive $10,000 each, totalling $90,000 all up – and all in total secrecy. …
A global study has shown the obvious – that timber plantations have a mixed effect on the environment. While they can help to counteract greenhouse gas emissions, stabilize soil, and moderate strong winds, they can also stop streams flowing. Dairy and sheep farmers in the Green Triangle area of Victoria and South Australia say they …
A global study has shown the obvious – that timber plantations have a mixed effect on the environment. While they can help to counteract greenhouse gas emissions, stabilize soil and moderate strong winds, they can also stop streams flowing. Dairy and sheep farmers in the Green Triangle area of Victoria and South Australia say they …
A new US study of fire damaged forests in Oregon shows that allowing trees to naturally regenerate works as well or better than logging and replanting. Salvage logging actually reduced regeneration by 71%. The study also showed that undisturbed forest areas may be at lower fire risk, as logging adds to the material that would …
In response to public outrage by yet another case of approving unlawful logging by DSE, Minister for the Environment, John Thwaites, has asked the EPA to look into several cases and report back to him. However, the EPA is only to look at where the failings are in the system and make recommendations. No doubt …
People might remember our expose — of the secret “East Gippsland Old Growth Project” in winter 2005. Well, the DSE have come out at last to sell it as a positive project. You might remember we reported its purpose was to try and convince the public or the DSE Minister (or both) that old growth …
The agriculture and economics bureau that crunches numbers and writes reports on Australian industries (ABARE) says that exports of woodchips rose in the last financial year. However they don’t differentiate between native forests and plantation woodchips. They didn’t say that more than 1.5 million tonnes, of the nearly 9 million tonnes of hardwood woodchip exported, …
The government has agreed to trial the sheep farmers’ ‘solution’ to wild dog attacks, which is to drop poison baits across the forested landscape from the air like hundreds and thousands. However, Environment Minister John Thwaites, is showing sensible caution and trialling dummy baits first to test the uptake by other species. Since banning cows …
Gippsland has Australia’s largest processor of native hardwoods. The Neville Smith Timber mill at Heyfield, north of Traralgon, is losing sales due to consumer preference for pine. A plan to find new markets for its Mountain Ash timber has seen it unveil a stamp called GoodWood. They even hired the National Gallery of Victoria for …
It was a crazy plan to appease the cheap-lease farmers who have run their cattle over the Alpine National Park for over a century. Satellite-controlled electric shock collars were the only idea Federal Environment Senator Ian Campbell could offer to “protect the Alps” and keep the cattle’s owners happy. The three year, $15 million plan …
