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 …
Australian Paper which manufactures REFLEX paper from the Central Highland ash forests, is Victoria’s major user of natural gas. The price of gas is set to rise astronomically due to increased sales offshore. This will be a serious financial burden for this Nippon owned pulp and paper mill. As a result it is pleading for …
Bill Gammage has become a cult figure for many people who believe we need to burn the bush ‘as Aborigines did’. He has even convinced quite a few environmentally concerned people through his book The Biggest Estate on Earth that regular burning is needed. However, what we rarely hear above the unquestioning accolades are the …
Once the landscape was well endowed with mature large trees and the wildlife that evolved to make use of these trees were numerous. Now they are extremely rare and becoming more threatened with every burn, with every logging operation and a government fearful that a falling tree could mean litigation. We all know that rare …
Lyrebirds are but one aspect of our forests’ natural army of ‘fuel reducers’. Bandicoots, Potoroos, and other small diggers, hoppers and scratchers are all extremely important in turning over the forest’s compost daily. Add to this work force the insects and their larvae, termites and fungi that are constantly devouring leaves, twigs and even logs. …
Australian Paper mill at Maryvale in the Latrobe Valley could close if it can’t find a way to make a profit. Australia’s biggest forest-devouring pulp and paper mill has been losing money for years. The Japanese owners have said: Japanese paper manufacturer Nippon Paper Industries (NPI), shares the long term vision of continuing to manufacture …
There will be a review of the 5% burn target, with the report delivered by the end of March (6 weeks)! The Minister’s media release says: “The review will examine a risk-based approach to bushfire fuel management against the existing hectare-based performance target program. The Inspector-General for Emergency Management has been asked to deliver his …
This is something to watch. In a Productivity Commission draft report cited in early January 2015, the suggestion was that more needs to be spent on bushfire mitigation exercises (to save on disaster relief and recovery). Sounds reasonable? But this suggested $200M mixed with the lobbying influence of the Australian Forest products Association (AFPA), and …
In April last year NIPPON announced it would not renew the woodchip licences after December 2014. VicForests has not been able to find another customer for its booty. Nippon owns the chipmill and export facilities at Eden in NSW where millions of tonnes of EG forests have been shredded and shipped for over 40 years. …
