So what difference can we expect to see from the spanking new Premier Napthine? So far we don’t quite know. We do know he has done away with the position of Parliamentary Secretary for Forests which the logging industry man Gary Blackwood held. We also know that in his electorate, people want wind farms and …
Ground logs are incredibly important in a forests’ ecosystem. They add to the complex habitat for flora and fauna. They are used for nesting and shelter, are fantastic places for invertebrates and therefore feeding stations for reptiles and ground birds, are cosy hibernation hide-outs, are used as above ground ‘highways’ across thick understorey, provide moss …
VicForests’ logging contractors are currently INSIDE a protected National Site of Significance for Rainforest. A small group of protesters have been holding up logging since last Thursday. The blockade was broken up today. We haven’t heard back from any of the protesters yet. This could be the start of another court injunction! Proposed logging of …
Even if you ‘reuse’ your throw away plastic bags, we should all adopt the habit of avoiding them whenever possible. They are another growing crisis: plastic pollution in our oceans. Plastic litter in our waterways, on our beaches and in the ocean is deadly for nearly 300 marine species, including sea turtles, whales, seals, fish, …
Queensland was the only state that managed to do away with their clearfelling of native forests as a result of the RFA. It also has no woodchip industry, but Campbell Newman now wants both by the looks. The Queensland govt gave the go ahead in February to log almost 2 million hectares of forest and …
Nippon, owners of the Eden woodchip mill and the Maryvale pulp and paper factory that makes Reflex paper, recently announced it will be building a cellulose nano-fibers production facility using wood pulp as the raw material. These fibres are supposed to have special qualities like high elasticity, barrier performance to gas, including oxygen, can be …
This is fascinating new research. The idea that forests bring the rain, and cutting them down can affect local weather patterns, is not new. But Russian physicists Makarieva and Gorshkov argue forests also create winds that sweep rain inland, allowing forests to grow far from the coast.The theory runs that Australia is so dry in …
WA’s endangered Quokka is as precarious as our own Long-footed Potoroo. ‘Find and destroy’ is also the WA govt’s plan. These friendly little characters are known to survive on Rottnest and Bald Islands off the coast of WA (both cat and fox free), but there are also a number of small populations on the mainland …
CSIRO research funds given to logging lobby group We recently asked the CSIRO to cancel its $10,000 membership to Australia’s national logging lobby group, Australian Forests Products Association (formerly NAFI) as it was inappropriate and against the charter for the CSIRO. The CEO refused. We took the issue to the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s office. It also …
If VicForests was a private company it’d be financially (as well as morally) bankrupt. VicForests’ 2012-13 Annual Report is out. A small ‘profit’ was made this year – as a result of not having to pay big legal bills they said, but still no dividend paid to the public (government) for their use of, or …
