270,000 m3/yr intense woodchipping of South Coast/Tumut native forests for 20 yrs
After further analysis of the NSW government "Southern Forest Decision", NSW Campaigner Tom McLoughlin for environment group Friends of the Earth, Sydney (FoE) said today:
* "270,000 m3/year chip logs: As a result of the decision for 90,000 m3/yr sawlogs (42,000 m3 south coast, 48,000 m3 Tumut/Tumbarumba) combined with the legislative scheme blocking enforcement of the Threatened Species Act, Wilderness Act and other green laws, FoE expects at least 270,000m3/yr of logs for woodchips assuming a conservative 3:1 ratio of chiplogs to sawlogs. (Around Eden the ratio is an extreme 9:1 i.e. 9 out of every 10 trees cut are woodchipped.) Total logging for chips and sawlog will top 360,000 m3/yr of native forest destoyed. The 20 year logging guarantee pre-empts the social trend towards complete transition into the massive plantation stockpile.
"Put another way - the nation's yearly woodchip quota of over 6 million tonnes will be intensively sourced just from the south coast/south west slopes region [excluding Eden] in the miniscule period of 20 years. The decision brings to over 1 million hectares public forest released for logging over the last 5 years."
* "Market forces will still close down the native forest sector: Plantation products in the existing stockpile will replace native forest logs despite out-dated claims by a vocal minority of loggers (e.g. Col Dorber). The pine stockpile is producing 550,000 tonnes of throughput from Oberon alone and can supply most uses. Market pressure already exists now to clearfell native forests for woodchip and convert to monoculture tree farms resulting in massive loss of natural heritage. The government's map legends are already merging "hardwood plantation" with "native forest" e.g. A regional forest agreement for Southern NSW information kit NSW Dept Urban Affairs & Planning 1999.
* "Carr's decision lacks scientific credibility: The so called "three years of intensive scientific process" (Premier's statement page 1, second paragraph) has:
- no context as only 5% of Australia is forested and all of it has significant conservation value;
- no open scientific peer review or requisite fauna studies over four seasons;
- no endorsement from the national ecological science body i.e. the Biodiversity Council;
- no respect for macro invertebrates, frogs, medicinal plants and rare species like gliders and tiger quoll in icon areas to be logged (Badja near Cooma, Buccluech near Tumut, Deua near Moruya with its mossy treeferns, Wandella link north of Narooma).
- been misleading without industry reform out of native forests.
* "Job losses will follow: With no vision for forest reform compared with SE Qld or recent industry developments in WA, Carr has ensured significant job losses in tourism and niche agriculture as water supplies are degraded by forest conversion to plantations. Mechanisation ensures woodchipping increases with less sawlogs. New jobs in the plantation stockpile will be delayed by unsustainable native forest sawlogs.
* "Misleading and deceptive funding claims: Carr's claim (at page 4 of his statement) "In 1995 the NSW Government introduced a $120 million Forest Industry Structural Adjustment Package in conjunction with the Commonwealth" is deceptive. $40 million of Federal money has been withdrawn. $60 million was NSW environmental project money hardly designed to prop up continued woodchipping of natural forests" concluded Mr McLoughlin.
For comment: Tom McLoughlin 0410 558838, 02-9517 3900