THE community has been asked what they think of forestry practice following a series of articles and letters since 7th August when Forests Corporation NSW congratulated itself on repairs to a walking track in Burrawan State Forest to showcase ‘not logging’ Old Bottlebutt as proof that they have ‘World’s Best Practice’ logging.
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To get to the facts behind this claim the public can do many things. Here are two for a start.
First: Look at logging now occurring along Bago Road. Note the size of the trees being cut and how few are large trees remaining.
How many hollows (needing old hundred or so years old to develop) are there for wildlife to breed and shelter in ? And note that Bago Road is being cut moderately compared to the clear felling that occurs away from public view.
Second: Consider independent reports and/or opinions of state judges and legal organisations on how Forests Corporation is logging. Here are extracts from an ever growing body of informed concern.
1: The Audit Office of New South Wales. (Performance audit) April 2009 into forestry practice, entitled: Sustaining native forest operations: Forests NSW To meet wood supply commitments, native forest managed by Forests NSW on the north coast is being cut faster than it is growing back. This is especially the case for Blackbutt species. This does not mean that the forest will not regrow but there will be a reduction in yield in the future.
Forests NSW continue to look for new sources of hardwood timber to meet existing commitments from private property and leasehold land.
Given that native forest operations ran at loss of $14.4 million in 2007-08, continuing to service wood supply licences raises concern re the financial burden of loss on Forests NSW. (i.e. the tax payer)
For the North Coast, where more than two thirds of all sawlog volume is obtained, yield modelling assumes a high level of cut for 20 years in order to meet wood supply commitments agreed by the Government. This means there will be less timber available in the long term.
2: Justice R A Pepper, NSW Land and Environment Court, 8 June 2011 Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water v Forestry Commission of NSW ‘In my view, the number of convictions suggests either a pattern of continuing disobedience in respect of environmental laws generally or, at the very least, a cavalier attitude to compliance with such laws.’
3: ‘It is clear that native forests are not being managed in a way that complies with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management and the conservation of biodiversity.’ Hammond-Deakin, N. and Higginson, S. (2011) If a tree falls: Compliance failures in the public forests of New South Wales, Environmental Defender’s Office (NSW) Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
Murison McCrae, Lorne Valley