Forestmedia
INDUSTRIAL LOGGING IN AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC NATIVE FORESTS
There are many reasons to argue for ending industrial logging in public native forests. It is estimated that since 1788 some 60% of native forest cover has been lost. 70% of what is left is in a severely degraded condition.
Australian public native forests have been subjected to decades of systematic heavy industrial logging. Logging these forests over many years has had a profound effect on their health.
All state forests that are managed for logging are degraded in varying degrees. Despite the fact that eucalypts do not mature and form hollows that support wildlife habitat for at least 150 years, native forests are logged on short rotations of 50, 30, 20, 15 and sometimes 10 years – times far too short to maintain ecosystem diversity and wildlife.
Disturbed and unhealthy ecosystems promote the incursion of invasive species, and bell-miner related dieback, a condition that is causing significant destruction in the forests, is recognised by Forestry Corporation as a major problem.
Waterways and catchments are profoundly affected by logging for woodchips. Logging causes erosion and threatens the supply of clean water to some areas.
The logging industry also increases erosion and sedimentation of water catchments which also has a marked and deleterious effect on marine life and down stream industries such as fish and shellfish nurseries in estuaries. Industries like oystering need more protection from logging, not the entrenchment or expansion of current practices.
State controlled logging agencies are often logging bigger areas and clearfelling forests to fulfil contracts. In some cases they are failing to fulfill supply contracts, and there are few sawlogs left.
All the states that log native forests (NSW, WA, Vic and Tas) are losing the taxpayers money. Global prices are down and will continue to stay down, with China leading the way.
There are many native animals under threat or even critically endangered.
The pulp and paper industry is the largest drive of forest destruction and degradation in Australian public forests. The woodchipping industry has been responsible for on-going destruction and degradation of forests and endangerment of species, water loss, soil loss, erosion and increased CO2 emissions since the beginning of the RFA process, regardless of avowed principles of ecologically sustainable development.
Australia now has enough plantations to satisfy all our timber needs.
At the same time the industry is lobbying hard to open up forests for power generation.
The Climate Commission report ‘The Critical Decade’ has stated that eliminating native forest logging is the most important immediate policy measure that could be taken to reduce carbon emissions[1]. Now is the time to end all industrial logging of native forests, and implement a managed transition in Australia into our ample plantation supplies.
[1] http://climatecommission.gov.au/report/the-critical-decade/
Australian public native forests have been subjected to decades of systematic heavy industrial logging. Logging these forests over many years has had a profound effect on their health.
All state forests that are managed for logging are degraded in varying degrees. Despite the fact that eucalypts do not mature and form hollows that support wildlife habitat for at least 150 years, native forests are logged on short rotations of 50, 30, 20, 15 and sometimes 10 years – times far too short to maintain ecosystem diversity and wildlife.
Disturbed and unhealthy ecosystems promote the incursion of invasive species, and bell-miner related dieback, a condition that is causing significant destruction in the forests, is recognised by Forestry Corporation as a major problem.
Waterways and catchments are profoundly affected by logging for woodchips. Logging causes erosion and threatens the supply of clean water to some areas.
The logging industry also increases erosion and sedimentation of water catchments which also has a marked and deleterious effect on marine life and down stream industries such as fish and shellfish nurseries in estuaries. Industries like oystering need more protection from logging, not the entrenchment or expansion of current practices.
State controlled logging agencies are often logging bigger areas and clearfelling forests to fulfil contracts. In some cases they are failing to fulfill supply contracts, and there are few sawlogs left.
All the states that log native forests (NSW, WA, Vic and Tas) are losing the taxpayers money. Global prices are down and will continue to stay down, with China leading the way.
There are many native animals under threat or even critically endangered.
The pulp and paper industry is the largest drive of forest destruction and degradation in Australian public forests. The woodchipping industry has been responsible for on-going destruction and degradation of forests and endangerment of species, water loss, soil loss, erosion and increased CO2 emissions since the beginning of the RFA process, regardless of avowed principles of ecologically sustainable development.
Australia now has enough plantations to satisfy all our timber needs.
At the same time the industry is lobbying hard to open up forests for power generation.
The Climate Commission report ‘The Critical Decade’ has stated that eliminating native forest logging is the most important immediate policy measure that could be taken to reduce carbon emissions[1]. Now is the time to end all industrial logging of native forests, and implement a managed transition in Australia into our ample plantation supplies.
[1] http://climatecommission.gov.au/report/the-critical-decade/
