Findings: Subsidized wood power plants actually emit more carbon than burning coal An important new report issued overnight in London has demolished the assumption that forest biomass should be considered a carbon-neutral source of energy. This has major implications for climate policy in Australia, where native forest biomass energy was controversially included into the Renewable …
Hundreds of timber industry job losses could be offset with $45 million in government and private investment into a new national park in eastern Victoria, The Wilderness Society says. The 500,000 hectares of forest, east of Melbourne, is home to the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, but also provides timber for Australia’s largest hardwood processor at …
We must return federal environmental protections to native forests. Last Friday was a chance to restore balance to the way our native forests are managed — a chance that was wasted. Over the past 20 years, areas designated for logging have been exempted from Australia’s national environment laws. Even open cut mines don’t get that …
The first of the controversial Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) to expire has been extended for 12 months. The agreements were signed by state and federal governments between 1997 and 2001. A 20-year old East Gippsland Regional Forest Agreement was set to expire on Friday, but will now continue for one year to allow for further …
The owner of Australia’s largest hardwood processor has asked the Victorian Government to fund a $40 million refit of the mill. Australian Sustainable Hardwoods employs 250 people at Heyfield in Gippsland, but is threatening to close the mill due to a cut in native timber supply. The company said it could access younger regrowth forest …
People collapse, buildings collapse, economies collapse and even entire human civilizations collapse. Collapse is also common in the natural world – animal populations and ecosystems collapse. These collapses have the greatest impact on us when they affect resources our industries depend on, leaving ecosystems in tatters and sometimes ruining local economies. In a new paper, …
In 2010, economist Judith Ajani wrote about the forest wars that have besieged us over the last 40 years or more, the bad decisions made and what needs to be done. This is still as relevant today – in fact even more so as the industry is set to collapse due to overcutting but with …
Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have called for the transition from native timber harvesting to plantation forests with the biggest mainland sawmill in Australia under threat of collapse. Professor David Lindenmayer from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society called for the Victorian Government to intervene quickly to minimise the impact of …
Hundreds of jobs are on the line at a sawmill at Heyfield in Victoria’s east if it does not get access to a long-term supply of timber, the ABC understands. Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), which employs about 250 staff, processes about 150,000 cubic metres of timber each year supplied by state-owned logging company VicForests. Spokesperson …
Feral population of up to 6.3 million, at a density of one cat for every 4 sq km ‘underlines how potent they are for wildlife’ Feral cats cover 99.8% of Australia at a density of one cat for every four square kilometres, according to new research. The research was published in the journal of Biological …
