If a private land owner was to destroy native vegetation without a permit, they would be fined and forced to rehabilitate up to 15 times the same area that was destroyed. This is now part of the Native Vegetation Management Framework drawn up by The Department of Sustainability and Environment. But the department which is …
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE – what a misnomer!) approved the logging of a mapped and protected Superb Parrot Special Protection Zone. The 30 hectares logged at Grinters Ridge in the Barmah Forests was about 60% of the SPZ and about 15% of the total habitat that the bird has left. This parrot …
The latest bundle of propaganda to come from VicForests, in mid August, announced the new Sustainable Forest Management System Project for Forest Certification. Don’t all those big words sound impressive? Sadly, its just another expensive publicity fraud. Haven’t the Government propagandists and spin-doctors realised yet that the word Sustainable is way past its use by …
To help with expansion plans of the Paperlinx (Australian Paper) mill in the Latrobe Valley, the Bracks government has committed $50 million towards a $150 million water recycling plant. The Morwell plant will recycle domestic and industrial water using basic treatment to take the smell out of the water before it is released. The stink …
What we see going on with Tasmanian woodchips could well set the scene for the rest of us battling to save our forests. When a 10% drop in orders for Tasmanian woodchips was announced, green groups were blamed. The reduction and subsequent job losses are squarely the result of green groups telling lies to overseas …
DSE logging plans from July 2004 to June 2005 show 4,700 ha to be clearfelled in East Gippsland. Much of this is old growth or mature forest. This will supply 149,000 m3 of sawlogs and 385,000 m3 of chip logs. Consider that a saw log averages 30% recovery (at least 60% is chipped as round …
Us lot of simple folk shouldn’t know this but … The logging industry is worried they might lose their access to old growth forests. To avoid this “loss” they helped establish a secret plan to carry out dodgy technical trials- with a predetermined outcome. It’s called the East Gippsland Project and is an attempt to …
Less than one week after the government says it can’t and won’t prosecute anyone over the Yalmy looting, a DSE media release came out saying they will get tough with firewood getters who don’t pay their $7 permit (royalty per tonne). The maximum penalty is one year in jail or $5,000 fine with equipment seized …
There’s ever bigger, tougher, meaner machinery that can wipe out half the planet in a tenth the time with less overheads and smooth handling. One lot operating in East Gippsland and the Central Highlands boast one-machine-does-it-all (feller buncher) that has a saw bar 55 inches long and can cut over one metre wide trees. We’re …
A new US style front group was launched on World Environment Day 2005 – calling itself the Australian Environment Foundation. Clever manipulation of the ACF’s name. This is the classic confusion tactic. Remember the Forest Protection Society? It was forced to change its name to Timber Communities Australia after it was challenged as misleading. This …
