NATIVE FOREST BIOMASS AND WOODCHIPPING
Native forest biomass is inextricably linked to the continued existence of the woodchipping of native forests. The question that needs to be asked is not whether or not biomass power is a suitable product for Australia, but whether a product that depends on woodchipping our native forests should be considered for production at all.
The woodchipping industry has long claimed to use only the ‘waste’ (heads and butts) from high value logging of native forest trees, but in reality it uses only whole logs, with 2000 logs a day or 1 million tonnes of logs per year felled and woodchipped in the SE forests of NSW alone. Usually the ‘waste’ left after logging for woodchips is then burnt on the ground, and it is this ‘waste’ that the industry now wants to use for biomass energy.
85% of Australian native forest logs are woodchipped and those woodchips are exported to Japan for the paper industry. Many native forests are now being logged on 20 year cycles, sometimes less, even though it takes approximately 150 years in Australia for a tree to form part of a mature ecosystem. The logging of trees on such short cycles here thins out the canopy, and causes the forests to dry out. Mature trees absorb little water, while regrowth needs much larger quantities. Drier forests are more fire prone, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that the fierce and devastating fires such as the recent Black Saturday fires are made worse by the continued logging of forests.
Intensive logging also destabilizes the earth and hillsides, causing erosion and siltation of water catchments. Countless animals are destroyed, either by tree strike or by loss of habitat and food supplies. Numbers of native animals are in serious decline and even the koala is now a threatened species.
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The woodchipping industry has long claimed to use only the ‘waste’ (heads and butts) from high value logging of native forest trees, but in reality it uses only whole logs, with 2000 logs a day or 1 million tonnes of logs per year felled and woodchipped in the SE forests of NSW alone. Usually the ‘waste’ left after logging for woodchips is then burnt on the ground, and it is this ‘waste’ that the industry now wants to use for biomass energy.
85% of Australian native forest logs are woodchipped and those woodchips are exported to Japan for the paper industry. Many native forests are now being logged on 20 year cycles, sometimes less, even though it takes approximately 150 years in Australia for a tree to form part of a mature ecosystem. The logging of trees on such short cycles here thins out the canopy, and causes the forests to dry out. Mature trees absorb little water, while regrowth needs much larger quantities. Drier forests are more fire prone, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that the fierce and devastating fires such as the recent Black Saturday fires are made worse by the continued logging of forests.
Intensive logging also destabilizes the earth and hillsides, causing erosion and siltation of water catchments. Countless animals are destroyed, either by tree strike or by loss of habitat and food supplies. Numbers of native animals are in serious decline and even the koala is now a threatened species.
.
a href="http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/say-no-to-woodchip-power.html">Online petition - Say No to Woodchip Power
Other countries are now struggling to rectify some of the mistakes of the past in using biomass for power. Dr. David Lindenmayer, professor of environmental studies at ANU and Dr Brendan Mackey from ANU Centre for Resourses & Environment Studies have written the following on the subject of burning forests to create electricity. "The bottom line is that the sort of intensive wood product harvesting we are doing now created major ecological problems in North America and Scandinavia ... Those countries are now spending huge amounts of money trying to fix bad decisions."
It is clear that policy makers and forest managers in Australia have not learned from the mistakes made in many other countries and they appear to be oblivious to the problems that flow from intensive large scale industrial projects such as charcoal mills and power plants based on burning wood from native forests.
Forests importantly absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, and recent studies have shown that Australian mountain ash forests are amongst the highest in the world at absorbing CO2. Scientists now agree that Australia could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 10%, roughly equivalent to the emissions from the manufacturing and construction sectors, simply by stopping woodchipping.
While plantations offer a very viable alternative to native forest woodchipping, the native forest industries have consistently resisted the idea of switching to plantation timbers. They have a continuing cheap source of timber in native forests and can offer our forests at prices that plantation owners, with the need to make a profit, cannot match. In fact, the tax payers of NSW last year subsidized the woodchipping industry by $14 million.
It is clear that policy makers and forest managers in Australia have not learned from the mistakes made in many other countries and they appear to be oblivious to the problems that flow from intensive large scale industrial projects such as charcoal mills and power plants based on burning wood from native forests.
Forests importantly absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, and recent studies have shown that Australian mountain ash forests are amongst the highest in the world at absorbing CO2. Scientists now agree that Australia could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 10%, roughly equivalent to the emissions from the manufacturing and construction sectors, simply by stopping woodchipping.
While plantations offer a very viable alternative to native forest woodchipping, the native forest industries have consistently resisted the idea of switching to plantation timbers. They have a continuing cheap source of timber in native forests and can offer our forests at prices that plantation owners, with the need to make a profit, cannot match. In fact, the tax payers of NSW last year subsidized the woodchipping industry by $14 million.
SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION
http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/31814.html
<a href="http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/say-no-to-woodchip-power.html">Online petition - Say No to Woodchip Power</a>
http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/31814.html
<a href="http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/say-no-to-woodchip-power.html">Online petition - Say No to Woodchip Power</a>
More Information on Biomass power
Green Nightmare: Burning Biomass is Not Renewable Energy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-gibbs/green-nightmare-burning-b_b_395553.html
During simulated timber harvest, on-site carbon storage is reduced considerably and does not approach old-growth storage capacity for at least 200 years.
Turns out as long as trees are alive they are growing and storing CO2 in roots, branches, trunks and leaves. It makes sense that a one-ounce seedling cannot replicate the carbon uptake of a multi-ton tree, not for centuries anyway. Second growth can seem vigorous because the replacement trees mine the nutrients from pervious generations of trees stored in the soil. And after the third or fourth cutting? All bets are off.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-gibbs/green-nightmare-burning-b_b_395553.html
During simulated timber harvest, on-site carbon storage is reduced considerably and does not approach old-growth storage capacity for at least 200 years.
Turns out as long as trees are alive they are growing and storing CO2 in roots, branches, trunks and leaves. It makes sense that a one-ounce seedling cannot replicate the carbon uptake of a multi-ton tree, not for centuries anyway. Second growth can seem vigorous because the replacement trees mine the nutrients from pervious generations of trees stored in the soil. And after the third or fourth cutting? All bets are off.
| biomass_for_trailer5.pdf |
We are not alone!
Plans afoot for biomass burning in the USA - see
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2298
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2298
Draft Letter - Don’t Burn Forests for Electricity Coalition
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The Hon Kristina Keneally
Premier of NSW
Level 40
Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Premier Keneally,
Don’t burn forests for electricity
Environment groups, sustainable industry players and forward thinking electricity suppliers (see attached) oppose the burning of native forest biomass for electricity generation. The NSW definition of renewable energy that excludes native forest harvesting residue should be retained and the proposed wood-fired power plant for the Eden woodchip mill should be rejected.
Due to public concerns, energy retailers will not purchase native forest wood “waste” Renewable Energy Certificates (RECS). Issuing RECs from burning native forests would become a public relations disaster for the renewable energy industry.
Energy distribution companies don’t want power from forest biomass. The limited amount of RECs should not be taken up by unacceptable native forest biomass sources and should go to solar and wind instead.
The NSW Government should safeguard the reputation of their renewable energy policy by rejecting plans to burn native forests biomass for electricity.
South East Fibre Exports currently proposes a 5MW wood-fired power station to burn about 50,000 tonnes of wood primarily from native forests that would be located at the Eden woodchip mill site. Conservationists have no confidence in the planning process for this precedent setting proposal that is expected to go in exhibition shortly. The assessment is likely to adequately address the impacts of the proposed power plant, or the broader issues related to sustainability and the carbon economy, such as the loss of native forest biomass.
Logging “waste” if left in the forest continues to store greenhouse gases for decades and improves soil fertility for the regrowth forest. When burned for power it becomes carbon dioxide instantly. Recent research has revealed that native forests store vastly more carbon than previously supposed.
Logging of native forest biomass could never be considered a source of “renewable” energy. Even accounting for forest regrowth, wood-fired power plants release far more carbon into the atmosphere per kilowatt hour than coal-fired plants. The removal of native forest biomass, particularly through woodchipping operations, significantly depletes the carbon sequestered in and under native forests.
Native forestry biomass would undermine Australia’s efforts toward meeting its renewable target through genuine renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. It would also mean the government could forego greater economic returns if it allowed managed native forests to regrow and the additional sequestered carbon in them to be traded in the new carbon economy.
When the woodchipping industry began in the 1970s, it was claimed to utilise the “waste” from logging. History has proven that a lie, as up to 90% of logging product has ended up as woodchip. Native forests should not produce “waste”, but store mega-tonnes of carbon, yield giga-litres of freshwater and provide secure habitat for our native forest wildlife.
Yours sincerely
Keith Muir
for the groups
Mail to: The Colong Foundation for Wilderness, 2/332 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
Environment Groups:
Colong Foundation for Wilderness
The Wilderness Society
Total Environment Centre
Canopy Native Forest Committee
Chipstop
Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Climate Centre (Victoria)
ParraCan
450ppm
Friends of the Earth
Retailers committed in NSW:
AGL
Country Energy
Origin
Australian Power and Gas
Retailers committed in Vic - need to confirm that this would be a national, not state, commitment:
Country Energy
Energy Australia
Red Energy
Origin Energy
Simply Energy
Victoria Electricity ("intention not to purchase")
The Hon Kristina Keneally
Premier of NSW
Level 40
Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Premier Keneally,
Don’t burn forests for electricity
Environment groups, sustainable industry players and forward thinking electricity suppliers (see attached) oppose the burning of native forest biomass for electricity generation. The NSW definition of renewable energy that excludes native forest harvesting residue should be retained and the proposed wood-fired power plant for the Eden woodchip mill should be rejected.
Due to public concerns, energy retailers will not purchase native forest wood “waste” Renewable Energy Certificates (RECS). Issuing RECs from burning native forests would become a public relations disaster for the renewable energy industry.
Energy distribution companies don’t want power from forest biomass. The limited amount of RECs should not be taken up by unacceptable native forest biomass sources and should go to solar and wind instead.
The NSW Government should safeguard the reputation of their renewable energy policy by rejecting plans to burn native forests biomass for electricity.
South East Fibre Exports currently proposes a 5MW wood-fired power station to burn about 50,000 tonnes of wood primarily from native forests that would be located at the Eden woodchip mill site. Conservationists have no confidence in the planning process for this precedent setting proposal that is expected to go in exhibition shortly. The assessment is likely to adequately address the impacts of the proposed power plant, or the broader issues related to sustainability and the carbon economy, such as the loss of native forest biomass.
Logging “waste” if left in the forest continues to store greenhouse gases for decades and improves soil fertility for the regrowth forest. When burned for power it becomes carbon dioxide instantly. Recent research has revealed that native forests store vastly more carbon than previously supposed.
Logging of native forest biomass could never be considered a source of “renewable” energy. Even accounting for forest regrowth, wood-fired power plants release far more carbon into the atmosphere per kilowatt hour than coal-fired plants. The removal of native forest biomass, particularly through woodchipping operations, significantly depletes the carbon sequestered in and under native forests.
Native forestry biomass would undermine Australia’s efforts toward meeting its renewable target through genuine renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. It would also mean the government could forego greater economic returns if it allowed managed native forests to regrow and the additional sequestered carbon in them to be traded in the new carbon economy.
When the woodchipping industry began in the 1970s, it was claimed to utilise the “waste” from logging. History has proven that a lie, as up to 90% of logging product has ended up as woodchip. Native forests should not produce “waste”, but store mega-tonnes of carbon, yield giga-litres of freshwater and provide secure habitat for our native forest wildlife.
Yours sincerely
Keith Muir
for the groups
Mail to: The Colong Foundation for Wilderness, 2/332 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
Environment Groups:
Colong Foundation for Wilderness
The Wilderness Society
Total Environment Centre
Canopy Native Forest Committee
Chipstop
Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Climate Centre (Victoria)
ParraCan
450ppm
Friends of the Earth
Retailers committed in NSW:
AGL
Country Energy
Origin
Australian Power and Gas
Retailers committed in Vic - need to confirm that this would be a national, not state, commitment:
Country Energy
Energy Australia
Red Energy
Origin Energy
Simply Energy
Victoria Electricity ("intention not to purchase")
Without 1 million tonnes of logs used for woodchips each year, there would be no 'waste'.
