Mr Milham is being tricky and misleading in a way that is disappointing but not unexpected. It is typical of responses favoured by some public institutions these days relying on public relations spin and magical thinking, not based on science.

Contrary to what Mr Milham says Forestry Corporation operations show plenty of evidence of “increases”. Increased clear-cutting of larger and larger areas of forest, increase in timber cutting cycles over shorter and shorter time periods, increasing likelihood of wildlife extinctions and now increased wood chipping to supply fuel for power stations, leading to increasing CO2 emissions at a time when we need to be reducing them. 

Residue harvesting will be at least 1 million tonnes per annum. (DPI North Coast Residues report, 2017). The furnaces that produce electricity will need large volumes of wood on an ongoing basis and this comes directly from forestry logging operations. Interestingly the term “waste” is no longer used. “Residue” is anything other than high quality sawlogs. They will wood chip high quality pulpwood – whole trees of small diameter, which would otherwise grow into mature forest. 

What is this all for: The sawlog part of their business is not making a profit and is heavily subsidised. Chipping and pelletising wood seems to be their answer; processing large volumes of wood to be burnt for producing electricity, either here or overseas – the main game, in countries such as China, Japan, and Europe and other parts of the world.  

The latest scientific opinion and evidence is that wood is not the “clean and green” renewable energy source they say it is. When burnt it produces as much CO2 as coal, increasing global warming. The trees in our forests should be allowed to grow to maturity to fulfil their important role as carbon sinks as well as providing habitat for forest dependent plants and animals.

Koala populations in our area are on the verge of collapse according to the expert opinion of Steve Phillips, koala ecologist. And could be extinct by 2050 in our region. The Koala is a sentinel species very dependent on forests -if it is in trouble, as it is, then so are many other plants and animals, contributing to Australia’s unenviable record rate of animal and plant extinctions.

The public needs to know the fine print of the contract being offered in relation to the forest they own. The Murray Darling River Basin fiasco and more recently the Banking Royal Commission show the failure of government to control excesses and illegality and the importance of proper oversight. Do you trust the Forestry Corporation? Can you believe what they say? The reputation of corporate Australia is in tatters. We need a fully transparent, independent review of the forest industry and its regulators in this state.

Frank Dennis, No Electricity from Forests