Logging – a WASTE of forests

The Australia Institute has released a brilliant new infographic on what ends up as waste and woodchips from a Tassie forest. It’d be similar here. Shame it only counts trees, and not the entire make-up of a forest though. Trees can be 50% of a forest’s biomass – so the sums on what’s wasted and …

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Chipmill pellet plant scrapped

Great news! The Eden chipmill has scrapped their plans to turn forests into pellets to fire up electricity furnaces (to run the world’s TVs and air conditioners). The Eden export woodchip mill plan to convert our forests into fuel to burn for electricity has failed. Likewise its wind farm project and the pellet plant to …

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Mt Jersey Giants – not giant enough

In March 2011, VicForests was crowing about its new giant tree protection policy (read our 2011 article here). VicForests said their new policy on giant trees will also “see every effort made to protect trees which are greater than 3m in diameter”. That’s 9.4 mts circumference. Protesters at Mt Jersey’s old growth forests currently being …

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Vicforests gets special treatment from government

The recently released report from the Auditor General on the State’s finances again raises questions about why VicForests was not required to pay a dividend again this year. The report shows how the State Government demanded most Government businesses like Melbourne Water and other water authorities were all squeezed for additional dividend payments to help …

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How much did the grazing ban appeal cost Victorians?

So how much did it cost the Victorian tax-payer to cover this huge legal challenge just so the government can keep in good with the small number of cowmen wanting free agistment in a National Park? EEG has applied for this cost under FOI. The Federal Court handed down its decision in January that cattle …

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Prospectors free to dig up National Parks

The Baillieu Government directed the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) to determine which areas of eastern Victoria’s National Parks prospectors and fossickers will be allowed into. VEAC isn’t to look at IF prospecting should be allowed but where. Fossicking includes metal detecting, digging holes and panning for gold, all detrimental activities especially to stream sides. …

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Half-baked plan on environmental powers falls over

Late last year the Business Council of Australia almost forced the Gillard government to hand over most Federal Environment powers to the states. This would have been an unimaginable disaster for Australia. After a combined campaign form Australia’s enviro groups Gillard back stepped in early December. Even the normally apolitical Sir David Attenborough made a …

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Harrietville fire

The Harrietville fire that was started by lightning on the border of the park and burnt towards Mt Feathertop, raced through previously burnt areas from the 2003 and 2007 Alpine fires. The area has also had extensive prescribed burns carried out. Back-burns are now sandwiching any wildlife that has managed to flee the fire edges.

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Firefighters are now demanding real climate action!

“We want to see less people losing their homes in bushfires, not more. Real climate action means: – An end to the billions in fossil fuel subsidies– An end to the billions in “compensation” polluters get via the carbon price– A stop to the expansion of our coal and gas mining and exports– Starting the …

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Fuelling the bullshit fire

So much for claims that the Aberfeldy fire started in the national park. This photo shows the Aberfeldy Range and looks north, the Thompson dam is on the left there and the Baw Baw National Park is the other side of the dam and 15 kms upwind of where it started! This area currently on …

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