QUICK FACTS
Forest Facts
- East Gippsland occupies only 5% of the state of Victoria yet its forests
contain 273 rare and threatened plant species and 43 rare and endangered
animals.
- The area is unique and served as a refuge for plant species during the last ice age. There are some remnant patches of these Gondwanan forests still surviving on the Errinundra Plateau and there are also many plant species that are at the limit of their southern or eastern range in
Australia and are therefore vital for the maintenance of evolutionary processes.
- Many of these beautiful, heritage value forests are currently being
clearfelled and burned. 800,000 tonnes of timber per year is wasted through the
practice of clearfelling.
- The forests are "managed" by the Department
of Natural Resources and Enviroment (NRE). Much of this threatened forest is
in water catchments that are not protected in National Parks, with some of these areas bordering National Parks.
- It takes greater than 120 years for hollows to form in eucalypts.
- DNRE research shows that 2 -13% of tree ferns survive clearfell logging.The use of heavy machinery has been shown to create severe problems with soil compaction, water absorption, erosion through runoff and seedling survival . However, the results of this unpalatable DNRE study are being ignored.
- One study has shown a regeneration failure rate of 79% in high altitude forests after clearfell logging.
- In order to overcome the problem of regeneration failure the DNRE is using 1080 poison to destroy native animals, but "ash bed deaths" are the prime reason seedlings are not growing back.
- DNRE have concocted their own definition of rainforest which contradicts all other non-government ecological definitions. This enables DNRE to claim they do not log rainforests.
- DNRE's declared National Biological Sites of Significance are now being logged.
- Recent legislation changes ensure that the sawlog commitment easily overrides endangered species protection.
- Forest managers have minimum population targets for endangered species. Only 500 pairs of Long-footed Potoroos (Victoria's most endangered mammal) will be protected once identified - preferably in existing Parks or Reserves and not necessarily where they are found.
- The Code of Forest Practices sets vague environmental guidelines for logging. It is consistently breached and breaches are unfailingly overlooked by DNRE forest managers.
Woodchips and Economics
- From DNRE's own documents, it is calculated that only 10 to 20% of trees felled in old growth forests end up as sawn timber. The rest is woodchipped or burnt as waste.
- The Public subsidises the timber industry between $10 and $40 million a year.
- Leaked documents show that the timber industry pay royalty rates as low as 9 cents a tonne. If the government had the courage to make the industry pay its way, royalties would have to be dramatically increased.
- Despite DNRE policy which states that rotation lengths for clearfelling should be between 80 and 120 years, under the new Intensive Forest Management Agenda forests which were knocked over as recently as 20 years ago have logging coupes planned in them already.
- There have been eight incidents of down-grading of high quality logs in recent years. Thus, quality sawlogs can be obtained at throwaway rates or as freebies. The DNRE system for log checking is abysmally inadequate.
- Large areas of logged forest are being scalped, ripped and mounded, planted with the commercially desirable eucalypt species and treated with pesticides and fertilisers. A plantation by any other name?
Alternatives
- Make use of existing plantation base to meet the current demand for forest products.
- Develop opportunities for processing of alternative fibres such as hemp for paper.
- Promote eco-tourism in East Gippsland.
- Implement new technologies to improve the efficiency of saw milling, such as radial sawing.
- Promote genuine high value-added wood products from non-endangered hardwood species.
- Alternative building products such as steel roof trusses, concrete slabs and pine, are now taking over tradition uses of hardwood for building.
CONTACT US
|