he endangered Long-footed Potoroos have been discovered by an EEG volunteer in mixed rainforest scheduled for clearfelling in the Bonang River headwaters on the Errinundra Plateau. This should give the area short term protection. Ben, an intrepid, winter-hardy EEG volunteer, discovered the animals during a survey of the forest islands in the clearfelled catchment in …
“With all due respect, I do not think this was the biggest bushfire in 100 years I think it’s the biggest back-burn in living memory”Quote from Charles Slade, Channel Nine reporter in the Federal enquiry into the 2003 fires. Read more here
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) has suddenly become concerned for water catchments. It tells us that fast growing eucalypts that come back after a fire, suck up precious water and need to be cut down (all that loverly ash forest in particular). They quote science and figures that we’ve been using for years. …
While the country faces an ever increasing water crisis, governments are realising that something must be done. Competing users include irrigators, plantations and regrowth areas, industries, domestic households and of course the environment. Until now, the environment has never been seriously considered as a legitimate user. Even with major rivers such as the Murray Darling …
Over a three year period, the estimates volume of logs dropped by 98%! Have the department’s claims been miscalculations or gross fraud? The calculations for the Wombat forest was given the highest score of any forest area. They got a 4 out of 5. Considering it’s the tiniest forest area (36,000 compared with 1 million …
In 1996 the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) provided figures to the public about its ‘success’ of growing back trees after forests are ravaged by clearfelling. Seven years on and DSE has released a new report to the public. This report covers regeneration attempts during the period 1993/94-1996/97 and has been delayed for years …
An EEG investigation into the auditing of a tiny percent of logging coupes for adherence to environmental logging regulations has shown there to be huge abuse of the system by DSE foresters and overseers (or gross incompetence). This is not shown in the publicly available audit findings. DSE has released the results of another audit …
This deceptive new brand invented by a desperate old industry is claiming environmentally friendly credentials while still clearfelling. Part of the eco-Select propaganda shows a dainty cello player singing a forest to sleep. But next morning the loggers come along and wipe it off the face of the earth (that’s the bit they don’t show). …
Neville Smith Timber Industry or NSTI, is a name we should all take note of. It’s based in Heyfield, Central Gippsland and is painting itself as ‘forest friendly’. NSTI are involved in: Ads depicting beautiful forests, furniture and musical instruments, implying native forests don’t suffer a broken twig in their making. Investment in …
Last issue’s front page story was of the needless logging of a 70 km swathe through the Snowy National Park during the January fires under the direction of a logging company boss seconded into the Department to help with fire fighting management. He was put in charge of this back burn line. Findings from …
