A strange weather phenomenon over central Australia in January and February influenced SE Australia’s hot dry season. This, coupled with the January lightning storms across Victoria created another serious fire season this summer. The mid January storms saw 770 lightning strikes, slightly up on the 30 year average of around 600. Many of these self-extinguished …
Large parts of habitat critical to the survival of the endangered south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo have been burnt, as part of planned burning programs by the state’s environment department. Fewer than 1500 of the cockatoos are left in the wild. The bird is perhaps better known as ”Karak”, the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games mascot. The …
Electricity generation from biomass waste is more polluting and worse for the climate than coal, according to a new study by an environmental advocacy firm. The report, put together by the Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI) and delivered to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), concludes that biomass power plants emit more pollution than omparable …
Last week the annual International biomass industry conference was held in Orlando, Florida. Industry executives from around the world attended to learn about the latest technologies, discuss biomass “supply chains” and network together. This year’s event featured a special “pellet supply chain summit” where the topic of discussion was the rapidly escalating export of southeastern …
Hoolee Doolee ! We always knew fungi were critical components of a forest – but this talk shows fungi having talents way beyond soil/nutrient makers and holders. ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_worldThis fast talking guy’s info is mind-boggling. Well worth the 17 minutes of watching.
This research counters the logging industry argument that a young post-logging regrowth forest (and plantations) accumulate more carbon than a natural mature forest. It highlights the importance of old large trees in the carbon cycle. Read the research PDF at 2014_March-tree-growth_Nature.pdf
Environmental scientist Grant Harris has written up a paper on our sightings of Spencer’s Skink in very large, old Eucalyptus regnans trees in the Central Highlands. During March 2012, whilst undertaking an aerial survey of an overmature Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans in Toolangi State Forest, a Spencer’s Skink Pseudemoia spenceri was observed in the canopy …
The Victorian Agriculture Minister, Peter Walsh, has issued a formal apology to an environment group. Environment East Gippsland successfully challenged the State Government’s forestry laws in the Supreme Court in 2010. The group has twice settled out of court in its favour, securing greater protection for threatened flora and fauna. On Wednesday, Mr Walsh posted …
The carbon content of Australia’s soil has been mapped in incredible detail for the first time. Carbon levels have been measured across every 90 square metres of the country using soil sampling data and some sensory technology and modelling. Lead researcher on the CSIRO project, Dr Raphael Viscarra Rossel, says this is the first time …
Released in December 2013, the report into VicForests operations (the government’s logging monopoly), condemns its lack of protection of environmental values but excuses the drain it puts on the state’s finances. There’s no market for woodchips so trees are incinerated where they are felled. So why are they cut down? Among many other shocking findings, …
