Over a three year period, the estimates volume of logs dropped by 98%! Have the department’s claims been miscalculations or gross fraud? The calculations for the Wombat forest was given the highest score of any forest area. They got a 4 out of 5. Considering it’s the tiniest forest area (36,000 compared with 1 million …
Workers take exit and re-enter packages Many workers who have chosen to pack up and leave the logging industry have taken up to $90,000 off the government under the exit packages offered. However, with this cash in hand many have also walked out the door, turned around and walked straight back in to get back …
About 90% has already been logged over the past 25 years, but before the November 2002 State election, Bracks promised no more woodchipping the Wombat – never ever. Some logging will continue – around 8,500 m3 a year. Congratulations to all who helped get the chippers out. BUT – the Minister was unwilling to say …
Reopening the 63 km rail line from Sale to Bairnsdale for passengers has been a political promise for years – and it’s finally happening. But the down side is that 44,000 Redgum sleepers are to be used for the upgrade. The patronage on the current bus service is very low so the passenger line might …
The huge Daishowa export woodchip mill at Eden in NSW seems to have had some trouble with plastic and other contaminants getting into their chip pile last year. They of course blame conservationists but it could be the workers lunch wrappers for all we know. When the contaminated chips get to Japan, they can cause …
In late August, Minister in charge of logging, Sherryl Garbutt, announced the intention to offer Victorias 58 sawmill owners money in return for their promised allocation of logs (didnt we hear this same thing six months ago?). However, the offer ignores the woodchip licences. The government is still operating under the illusion that chips are …
Two out of three East Gippsland residents want an end to old growth logging.This was the sentiment expressed when an opinion poll was carried out in April after the Goolengook camp was raided and the forests logged. East Gippsland has traditionally been a very conservative region. Politicians have cultivated and pandered to this image for …
Just in the last 6-8 months the logging industry has received $800,000, $42.6 million, another $80 million and most recently $9 million has been given over to tart up logging towns that might lose out due to the cut-backs. Before Christmas, Daishowa announced they would be more fussy about the quality of wood theyd take …
OVERLOGGING – NOW UNDERPRICING For the past two years, CROEG has been working to get figures released under FOI to show what prices our forests are going for. After many refusals, delays and denials of the existance of documents, the papers were finally released in late February. As we expected – the Department of Natural …
Using East Gippsland as an example, a reduction in sawlogs does not mean an equal reduction in woodchips – f’rinstance, while there’s been a 20% drop in sawn timber (from market forces), the chip volumes have increased 100%! In Tambo forests next door, they’ve had a 700% increase in chips! Next year’s plans for log …
