(not to be confused with the ‘whoops’ factor) If only I had the negotiating skills of VicForests when I was growing up, I would never have had to eat my vegetables. I could have argued that Mum said, “You should eat your vegetables”, rather than “You must eat your vegetables”. This is the reasoning used …
First we had the Bracks government, via the DSE/VicForests, doing a trial to see if they can log old growth more slowly (the Old Growth Project), then in late February, the Minister for forests, John Thwaites, announced a new six month consultation process with the logging industry in East Gippsland to work out how many …
The Tambo or Gippsland forests, north of Bairnsdale, first suffered a 700% increase in woodchipping after its RFA was signed in 2000. On top of that, they were burnt in the 2003 fires and have been “salvage” logged at eight times the legally sustainable yield level since then. Salvaged to death Since they lie in …
A quick click on the Environment Protection Authority’s website, and one is presented with an echidna claiming litterers are “going to get stung”, because littering damages the environment. Click a little further and you find another report about damage to the environment. The report is an audit by the EPA entitled Timber Production on Public …
Conservative British MP Norman Baker, has sent a message to the Bracks Government, hand delivering 2000 postcards from forest supporters. The postcards call on the Premier to stop logging in Victoria’s old growth forests. Mr Baker, the Liberal Democrats environment spokesman, visited Australia in late February to tour Tasmania and Victorian forests. His previous anti-logging …
STATE agencies guilty of logging breaches that felled protected trees and threatened endangered species have escaped punishment despite the environmental watchdog finding systemic problems in at least one forest district. A special Environment Protection Authority audit found three breaches by VicForests near Cann River in East Gippsland, home to threatened species including the long-footed potoroo. …
In response to public outrage by yet another case of approving unlawful logging by DSE, Minister for the Environment, John Thwaites, has asked the EPA to look into several cases and report back to him. However, the EPA is only to look at where the failings are in the system and make recommendations. No doubt …
People might remember our expose — of the secret “East Gippsland Old Growth Project” in winter 2005. Well, the DSE have come out at last to sell it as a positive project. You might remember we reported its purpose was to try and convince the public or the DSE Minister (or both) that old growth …
The government has agreed to trial the sheep farmers’ ‘solution’ to wild dog attacks, which is to drop poison baits across the forested landscape from the air like hundreds and thousands. However, Environment Minister John Thwaites, is showing sensible caution and trialling dummy baits first to test the uptake by other species. Since banning cows …
The Victorian Liberals have begun to unveil their forest policy. And so far so good. Smaller landowners in rural areas would be offered cash incentives to grow firewood and sawlog crops on their blocks. This would suit many small back-to-the-landers, reduce the impact of large scale plantations on communities and water catchments and lead to …
