Owl Protection Case Correspondence

EEG wrote to Ministers Walsh and Smith in April requesting an urgent review of owl zones, but the environment minister refused. Read the letter (PDF) sent to Ministers Walsh and Smith in April 2014 Read Ryan Smith’s reply (PDF)

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Smoke and errors

So why isn’t the Government accepting recommendation 5 of the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry? Peter Ryan claims it’s just too difficult to get carbon monoxide monitoring equipment to a site within 24 hours. Yeah? How long does it take to drive a hand held CO monitoring device from Melbourne to Victoria’s far ends? 6-7 hours …

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Effects of Logging on Fire Regimes in Moist Forests

Does logging affect the fire proneness of forests? This question often arises after major wildfires, but data suggest that answers differ substantially among different types of forest. Logging can alter key attributes of forests by changing microclimates, stand structure and species composition, fuel characteristics, the prevalence of ignition points, and patterns of landscape cover. These …

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Welfare industry robs the public

Will Napthine hand VicForests $18M from our pockets next year to log East Gippy forests? This is despite their being no market for the bulk of the trees they cut down. The East Gippsland community could do so much more with that money. It could kick start more useful and more healthy, growing sectors – …

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Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity

This research paper from 2009 looks at a number of tipping points where we could see a point of no return for continents and the globe. Our planet’s biodiversity loss, climate change, ocean acidification, ozone damage and fresh water use are just some of the serious environmental threats these scientists look at. It is even …

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Will our forests be burnt to warm tomato crops?

This seemingly good news story could be a disaster. Energy development company HRL and two other companies are planning 60 ha of hydroponic greenhouses heated by 220,000 tonnes of wood ‘waste’. Coincidentally, it’s the same amount the government is currently trying to find a buyer for to save the ailing East Gippsland logging industry. This …

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Victoria leads in logging – but is still in decline

This story appeared in Saturday’s Age and exposes the most ‘entitled’ industry our taxes have ever propped up. Victoria has become the largest producer of wood from logging native forests in the country, following a dramatic contraction in Australia’s native timber industry over the past decade. The industry’s decline, and Victoria’s rise to the top, …

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5% burn targets questioned by govt monitor AGAIN!

The 5% burn target has again been questioned by Neil Comrie himself “the 390,000 ha target may not be achievable, affordable or sustainable.” (from the latest BRCIM’s 2014 annual report). The Bushfire Royal Commission’s Implementation Monitor’s 2012 Final Report advocated that the State reconsider the planned burning rolling target of five per cent and replace …

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