A report from the Department of Environment has revealed VicForests’ contractors needlessly destroyed rainforest canopy in East Gippsland The department visited the area last month to investigate claims VicForests had illegally logged rainforest on the Erindurra Plateau. The report, released by the Government on Friday, reveals the investigators were unable to conduct a proper physical …
Production has finally begun at Australian Paper’s $90m Maryvale recycled paper mill, aiming to help drag the embattled company into profit by the end of the year. Maryvale’s opening comes two months after the company decided to shut down the Shoalhaven specialty paper mill with the loss of 75 jobs, and launched a wide-ranging turnaround …
Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked with brain shrinkage. Not surprisingly, a US study shows that with only a small increase in fine particulate matter pollution (known as PM2.5) a clear association was evident of brain damage linked to impaired cognitive function. Anyone who had to endure the Morwell mine fire smoke, or the …
In 2011, a downed power line sparked the massive Las Conchas wildfire that roared through homes and scorched 156,000 acres of forest in the Jemez Mountains. And that was just the beginning of the damage. In the weeks that followed, rains washed tons of ash and sediment off the blistered slopes into the Rio Grande, …
Environmental scientist and author Haydn Washington just published a book called Demystifying Sustainability. Much has been said about sustainability, but what does it all mean? Haydn Washington aims to demystify sustainability, so that the lay person can understand what the issues are. Listen on the ABC website Transcript David Fisher: Some words become fashionable. They …
An environment group has accused VicForests of illegally logging rainforest in East Gippsland. The Goongerah Environment Centre alleged the state-owned timber company had logged about one hectare of rainforest on the Errindura Plateau. The group’s spokesman, Ed Hill, said according to the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, any rainforest areas bigger than 0.1 of a …
If you haven’t been paying attention, I don’t blame you for at first not believing this. After all, companies go to great lengths to greenwash their image and present themselves as progressive and environmentally responsible, even while they turn your land to deserts and your oceans into dead zones. Unfortunately, as Mark Twain once famously said: …
A NEW method of fuel reduction, physically removing trees, shrubs and undergrowth on public land, will be trialled across Victoria as part of bushfire prevention. “Mechanical fuel reduction” is widely used in the US and Canada as a move away from solely relying on burning off during winter. Prime Minister Tony Abb¬≠ott last week announced …
For almost two decades, the management of forests in parts of Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales has been underpinned by state and federal Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs), defined as “20-year plans for the conservation and sustainable management of Australia’s native forests”. The broad aim of RFAs is to “provide certainty for forest-based …
The future of the Renewable Energy Target remains in the balance, with no hint of a final compromise. But a long running argument over burning waste and residues from Australia’s native forests threatens to undermine the prospects for any peace deal on the RET. In addition, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has backed trials for another …
