In a controversial forest policy backflip, the Victorian Brumby government released its revised Timber Industry Strategy in December 2009 that includes the archaic plan to burn native forests for power generation. The revised TIS includes ‘a proposal to allow the use of forest residues for power generation’. The plan claims only ‘forest residue’ will be …
The burning of our native forests to generate electricity (to power our air conditioners!) is being supported by the Liberals and ALP and assisted by State and Federal legislation. This will be the next major threat our forests face.For more information visit www.noforestfurnaces.org.au
Recent checks by EEG of VicForests corporate reports have found examples of VicForests blatantly misrepresenting its environmental performance in a recent corporate report. VicForests has boasted in its 2008 Corporate Plan Highlights report that there had been “measurable improvements in the environmental performance of forest management operations on State forest.” VicForests has boasted in its …
The government has three zones outside of National Parks in East Gippsland – Special PROTECTION Zones (SPZs) where identified conservation values are not to be logged, Special MANAGEMENT Zones(SMZs) where important forests can be logged in a special sort of way (clearfelled specially) and then General Management Zone (GMZs) where logging occurs. These zones are …
Environment East Gippsland has welcomed the final orders in the Brown Mountain landmark trial handed down in the Supreme Court on the 14th September. “VicForests must pay 90% of our costs, as well as all their own costs, for this very long and expensive trial. “DSE will need to undertake a series of surveys for two species …
The momentous announcement by Tasmania’s logging giant Gunns, to move out of all native forests should have a major impact on Victoria’s and Gippsland’s logging future. “Just as the woodchip industry is suffering its biggest downturn in decades, just as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of endangered wildlife protection over logging, Victoria’s largest sawmiller, …
This map showed the unparalleled mapping of logging coupes planned to wipe out an entire landscape. VicForests plotted these coupes on the map just after the Brown Mt Court case in 2010. If we didn’t know them any better we’d say this was an act of revenge. This area is just to the west of …
Will Michael O’Connor, powerful forestry division secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, block an effective Australian response to climate change? It’s a worry for our economy because O’Connor is a key figure behind the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and soft left factional allies Martin Ferguson and Penny Wong – who, for one …
Remarkably, Australia’s native forests store more carbon pollution than any other forests on Earth. If we protect them, we can immediately reduce emissions and store the pollution from nine coal-fired power stations every year. There now is a once in a generation opportunity to protect our native forests–a crucial lifeline for our climate. But to …
In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court has found that the government has a responsibility to look for and protect endangered wildlife before logging in the contentious Brown Mountain forests of East Gippsland. This judgment has implications for all native forests that are set to be destroyed by logging,” said EEG spokesperson Jill Redwood. …
