Forests are the largest land based carbon capture and storage devices the planet has, yet are being destroyed globally at an alarming rate. Forests are a major climate moderation solution. All logging of native forests should cease and forest restoration must be a high priority to begin drawing down the hundreds of hears of carbon which is lost when a forest is clearfelled and burnt.

Native forests absorbing more carbon dioxide

New Zealand’s forests and other land areas may be absorbing up to 60% more carbon dioxide than has been calculated, with much of this uptake likely occurring in native forests, NIWA scientists have discovered. New research led by NIWA atmospheric scientists Drs Kay Steinkamp and Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, indicates that New Zealand’s forests absorb much more …

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Vegetation creates rain – true fact

Just because it’s been done before, doesn’t mean it should be done again.  European colonisation brought logging into the Bellingen Shire and throughout Australia. It was the keystone for large-scale development providing both housing and an agricultural base. But more than 200 years later, a comprehensive review of 150 scientific papers on land-clearing and rainfall, conducted by Dailan …

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Clearing Our Rainfall Away

Vegetation creates rain. That’s one of the conclusions of a comprehensive review of more than 150 scientific papers on land-clearing and rainfall, conducted by Dailan Pugh of the North East Forest Alliance. Clearing Our Rainfall Away, released today, summarises the evidence of how land-clearing affects rainfall, and the impacts that land-clearing has had on Australia’s …

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Climate change whacks a worthy target – the CHIPMILL

Mother Nature dealt a 17m ‘Monster wave’ to the Eden woodchip mill’s loading facilities and jetty on 5th June. The east coast low that delivered this hit could be defined as an ‘Act of God’ meaning there might be no insurance payout.  Two massive chunks were taken out of the jetty, the pylons gone and …

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Petition for Ambition: Victoria’s Renewable Energy Targets

The release of the Andrews government’s Renewable Energy Action Plan is imminent. It will set Victorian Renewable Energy Targets for 2020 and 2025.  Please add your voice to the call for the Andrews government to set ambitious targets that match those of other states and territories. Sign the Petition

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Climate change could put eucalypts at risk of death from air bubbles

Extreme droughts could lead to widespread death of eucalypts from embolisms, researchers say. Key points Some trees can shrink the width of their water transport vessels in response to lack of water Eucalypts are not able to do this which puts them at risk of developing air bubbles in their vessels This would make them …

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Secondary forests offer big opportunity to fight global warming

New research shows that some regenerating forests might have an even higher rate of carbon uptake than previously thought, which can help identify the most important conservation priorities. Over half of the world’s tropical forests are not old-growth but naturally regenerating forests, and a large part of that is secondary forest. An international team analyzed …

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Tasmania fires: First images of World Heritage Area devastation emerge, show signs of ‘system collapse’

The first images to emerge from within Tasmania’s fire-affected World Heritage Area (WHA) have illustrated the level of destruction caused by bushfire, as experts warn such incidents are signs of a changing climate. Key points: 11,000 hectares of WHA are incinerated by the Tasmania bushfires Wildlife, including wallabies and wombats, also affected Experts say parts …

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