Water bandits
‘If the logging industry was an irrigator they would be charged millions for using this water’
Melbourne’s catchments are empty, so we’re looking at the skies searching for rain. Right idea, but wrong direction. Look at the Thomson dam, and ask why we still allow clearfell logging in its catchment, then look at Steve Bracks and ask him.
Logging our forested reserves creates muddy run-off, incredibly thirsty new tree crops, and cheap woodchips for paper pulp. Natural mature forest sits there quietly filtering rainwater, while it produces wildlife habitat, clean air and breathtaking beauty.
We have a choice between water restrictions for us, or logging restrictions for the makers of Reflex paper.
PaperlinX takes most of the trees from Melbourne’s water catchments to make Reflex copy paper. Political influences (and donations) form PaperlinX has caused successive governments to turn a blind eye to catchment destruction and loss of water.
Clearfelling creates vast areas of fast growing young trees. Young trees soak up much more water than a mature forest. For over 50 years the water yield from these areas is reduced by half. Then the trees are planned to be cut down again. This sentences our water catchments to permanent drought.