Several recent letters to the editor have given details of NSW government and Forestry Corporation plans to heavily log forests along our north coast using a large percentage of what is harvested, to be wood chipped and turned into pellets and burned to generate electricity.
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I have no problem with thinning some forests for saw logs, but I must say I strongly object to a proposal to waste timber by burning it for electricity.
After reading letters where new regulations are going to allow 200 acre blocks to be completely logged, (that is clear felled) I decided to make some inquires.
It appears our water catchments at the heads of rivers and creeks will be targeted also.
Trial cable logging has been taking place in the Coffs Harbour area, ready for regulation changes, so the last untouched big trees in valleys of catchments can be winched out and harvested.
What will happen to these creeks? Those on the land know how critical the big trees in catchments are to keep creeks flowing in dry times; the trees drawing ground water up providing water for land users down the valleys.
Logging out catchments will expose soils to major erosion and silting up of creeks.
There are much cheaper ways to generate electricity. The progress with solar is going ahead in leaps and bounds and as the cost has continued to drop, and whole communities are creating their own networks, storing base load in batteries and selling back to the grid.
In five years’ time the existing electricity generators will have plenty of base load
electricity from community renewable solar and wind projects. The sooner we all go down the genuine renewable power road the better off we will be.
This forest clear felling strategy to source wood to burn for electricity appears to be nothing more than a huge con by government and Forest Corporation.
They clearly do not care about wild life, or the health of rivers, creeks and people.
To propose to waste timber resource in this way is bordering on criminal. Forestry used to have signs up “stating your forests are in safe hands”; I agree they are our forests, but as far as being in safe hands, no way, and unless we the public, raise our combined voices, NSW government and Forestry corporation are going to sell our forest to foreign countries to burn for electricity, wildlife and all. Burning trees is now approved as renewable energy, what a scam! We tax payers will pay for the destruction of own native forests.
Heather Bray
Bulga forest
