VicForests busted again

VicForests has a chronic habit of illegal logging. This time it has been caught illegally logging protected rainforest near Hensleigh Creek on the western edge of the Errinundra Plateau. It has been investigated but logging continues and the forests need you to act. Email: lisa.neville@nullparliament.vic.gov.auCall: 03 9637 9654Tweet: @LisanevilleMP#LogOutOfRainforest #ProsecuteVicForests The cool temperate rainforest and …

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Demystifying sustainability

Environmental scientist and author Haydn Washington just published a book called Demystifying Sustainability. Much has been said about sustainability, but what does it all mean? Haydn Washington aims to demystify sustainability, so that the lay person can understand what the issues are. Listen on the ABC website Transcript David Fisher: Some words become fashionable. They …

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Goongerah green group fears VicForests illegally logging Errindura Plateau rainforest in East Gippsland

An environment group has accused VicForests of illegally logging rainforest in East Gippsland. The Goongerah Environment Centre alleged the state-owned timber company had logged about one hectare of rainforest on the Errindura Plateau. The group’s spokesman, Ed Hill, said according to the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, any rainforest areas bigger than 0.1 of a …

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Thinning trials could create a ring of bonfires around towns

The $1.5 million grant to trail logging as a means of bushfire mitigation by the Abbott Government is a suspicious attempt to dress up fire control as another logging industry subsidy, says a regional conservation group. Environment East Gippsland says that the Australian Forests Products Association has been lobbying for this for a long time. …

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The government’s own tax-dodger

It is not only hi-tech internationals like Microsoft, Google and Apple that are rorting the tax system to minimise declared profits and therefore pay less tax. Low-tech, state-owned native forest logging corporation, VicForests, has been at it for years. Since  2007 VicForests has posted total revenues of almost $1 billion raised from the sale of …

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Creative accounting – VicForests style

Paper profits for political appearances VicForests Annual Report for 2014 is now available here and they are claiming a profit of $3.4 million this year, but this claimed profit is a mirage, created for political reasons. $2.6m seems to have been generated (on paper at least) by re-valuing “forestry assets”, see Note 3c, p.42 Another $1.1m …

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Forests Forever Easter Ecology Camp 2015

Camp by the Brodribb River with like-minded people at night and be guided by expert biologists during the day. Be awed by 600 year old forests and the diversity of a pristine rainforest. Discover how forests are vital for climate calming, and spotlight for nocturnal wildlife. Learn wildlife survey techniques or take an organic farm …

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Mechanical fuel reduction trial to be rolled out across Victoria

A NEW method of fuel reduction, physically removing trees, shrubs and undergrowth on public land, will be trialled across Victoria as part of bushfire prevention. “Mechanical fuel reduction” is widely used in the US and Canada as a move away from solely relying on burning off during winter. Prime Minister Tony Abb¬≠ott last week announced …

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Forestry agreements need a full overhaul, not just a tick and flick

For almost two decades, the management of forests in parts of Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales has been underpinned by state and federal Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs), defined as “20-year plans for the conservation and sustainable management of Australia’s native forests”. The broad aim of RFAs is to “provide certainty for forest-based …

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