Nativeforest

Tasmania’s ancient forests are calling out to all artists, dancers,  musos, freaks, circus mob, gypsies, burlesque beauties and performers of all persuasions to take part in the outrageously and spectacularly fantabulous Be My Florentine Cabaret. Join Tassie forest activists and magnificent gypsy death core 8 piece The Barons of Tang in a 3 day festival extravaganza held at a longterm blockade in the outstanding old growth forests of the Upper Florentine Valley, which are under immediate threat from industrial scale woodchipping interests. Contact stillwildstillthreatened@gmail.com for more info about performing, art installations or volunteering at the event.

Environment groups highlight forest carbon value as Climate Change Minister opens logger’s climate conference

A new report, titled ‘Green Carbon’, was released today by Australia’s ANU and Professor Brendan Mackey. Prof Mackey and his researchers have spent over ten years gathering data on the carbon value of Australia’s forests. Previously data used to rate the carbon value of these forests, as used by the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), rated the carbon value of native forests as 217 tonnes per hectare, this new report has found that forests such as the eucalyptus regnans can hold as much as ten times as much at around 2000 tonnes per hectare.

Green Carbon also found that plantations and other commercially logged forests contain up to 60% less carbon than unlogged native forest. This is largely because of the loss of soil carbon and the short rotation times involved in regrowth and plantation logging. This directly contradicts logging industry claims that new growth of plantation far offset the loss of carbon from logging old growth forests. Hopefully this report will bring a new perspective to the importance of these ancient places.

Media statement from the Huon Valley Environment Centre on the report:

“Today’s report by Australian National University’s Brendan Mackey is another pressure point to those with the power to protect ancient forests in Tasmania, protect them now as a real response to effectively addressing climate change,” Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.

“In Tasmania’s southern forests the Weld, Middle Huon and Picton Valleys have large stands of wilderness forests threatened by immediate plans for commercial logging and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions. They are not only important for wildlife habitat and intrinsic values, but according to the ‘Green carbon’ report these ancient forested wilderness areas are significant stands of carbon rich stocks holding up to 60% more carbon than areas that have been commercially logged,” Jenny Weber said.

 ”It’s time for Prime Minister Rudd and Tasmania’s Premier Bartlett to address a real solution to climate change and protect Tasmania’s ancient and threatened forests, such as those in Tasmania’s South West. Rudd and Bartlett remain climate change criminals when proposals such as a new logging bridge over the Weld River that will access thousands of hectares of untouched wilderness forests is imminent.” Jenny Weber said.

The local community of Evandale, in Northern Tasmania, has beaten off a Gunns Ltd proposal for a major veneer plant and sawmill in the area. Local residents were opposed to the development because of the potential pollution to the South Esk river, 24hr operation bringing noise pollution to the small town and large volumes of log trucks on the roads.

A 100 strong crowd at a local meeting on Wednesday night, hosted by the newly formed Perth-Evandale Region Community Association, was shocked by the news that Gunns Ltd had decided to pull out of the project, citing community opposition as the major reason. The news was delivered by local Liberal politican, Rene Hidding, who has been given the scoop. This is the same politican that sold his hardware business to Gunns Ltd. The next day Gunns Ltd chairman, John Gay, confirmed that the project was not going ahead in the region. He was quoted as saying ” If the residents don’t want us out there and don’t want us to provide jobs for the area and look after the business that we’ve got there, we’ll shift it somewhere else..”

The president of the Community Association, Kay Thompson, said that “If Gunns had consulted properly with the community in the first place they would have realised that this project would be a non-starter.”

read the ABC online report with audio from a Gunns Ltd spokesperson.

One Gunns Ltd project down, Pulp Mill next?

Finance for the largest pulp mill in the Southern Hemisphere, owned by logging giant Gunns Ltd, looks close to completion if this article in Business Spectator is true (if you ignore the false claims about the pulp mill not sourcing its feedstock from old growth and native forests). The article claims that Gunns ltd has found European backers for its polluting and forest destroying mill. This adds to rumours that two German banks and a Finnish pulp mill company have agreed to back this risky project. Writer, economist Robert Gottliebsen, also states that there may have to be an Australian bank to conduct the financial transactions and its identity is yet to surface, although once more rumours are saying that Macquarie Bank may be willing.

The only major obstacle (besides mass non-violent direct action) now appears to be the securing of the water pipeline route. Gunns Ltd claims that it cannot be built without the purchase of an easement along some 30 properties in the Longreach area.  Legal advice on the Gunns offer shows Gunns are not just trying to do over the Tasmanian forests with this project but also local land owners. The offer is some 20-30% above current government valuation (which is much lower than market value) and only will be paid for the 20m wide section that the pipeline runs. This easement will be permanent and landowners must provide 24hr/7 day a week access with no need for Gunns to give notice, forever. Gunns only has to ‘minimise’ the impact on the owners land, removing anything in the way of the route, placing signs and fences where it wants and not even been required to compensate or fix anything it damages. There already has been at least 10 owners voicing their concerns as well as protests by Gardening Australia personality, Peter Cundall. Let’s hope that farmers hold their ground and halt this massive pipeline and the mill, or else its people in front of bulldozers time.