Forests
Forest Issues
Why Use Ethical Paper
A short film showing photo's taken mainly over 2011 demonstrating the beauty of Melbourne's forests and devastation of pulp forestry and fires. Recently visiting forest ecologist Professor Jerry Franklin from the University of Washington, who has advised the White House on forest management, compared the condition of Victoria’s mountain ash forests to over-logged areas of south-east Asia and South America. Story here
There really is no excuse not to pledge to use ethical copy paper.
Ethical Paper
Make the ethical paper pledge for organisations or individuals now ...
For update and white paper on the background of this campaign click here
No Harvey No Harvey No Harvey No
Harvey Norman is using exported logs from Australia's native forests contributing to extinction, water loss and climate change. No Harvey No Harvey No!
Please let Mr Harvey know what you think about native forest logging
Update and backgound on the Ethical Paper Campaign
Nippon Paper are owners of Australian Paper. They source approximately 20% of their fiber from VicForests who obtain their raw materials from Victoria's native forests. There is so much wrong with VicForests practices its difficult to know where to start but this two page summary at least gives a good back ground to the origins of the community concerns and the resulting ethical paper campaign .
Ethical Paper Background
Ethical Paper - A detailed white paper of the ethics surrounding VicForests
2010 TRP Submission - Time Out!
A summary of issues requesting a review into practices post Black Saturday.
VicForests 2011 TRP Submission
The reasons why the 2011 TRP proposal is a breach of the law and no coupe should be approved across Victoria
1. Regional Forest Agreements. 1
2. Sustainable Yields. 2
3. LAW: 3
4. MAHP—monitoring of annual harvesting. 10
5. STATE FOREST PLANNING Forest Management Plans. 10
6. Comprehensive Adequate & Representative Reserve (CAR). 12
Submissions are due for the Federal Government Timber Industry Inquiry this Friday, 25th March, 2011!
Submission are due for the Federal Government Timber Industry Inquiry this Friday, 25th March, 2011. Even a one line submission online if you can. Other submissions can be read under "Submissions" page.
Here is MyEnvironments submission
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/arff/forestry/subs/sub101.pdf
Opinion Piece - The Central Highlands – Melbourne’s Mountain Forest Sanctuary
Healesville was once (1980’s) sign-posted on the road in from Yarra Glen…
‘HEALESVILLE - GATEWAY TO MELBOURNE’S MOUNTAIN FOREST SANCTUARY’
Road maps used to show (1970’s) the State Forest of the region as the ‘Central Highlands Sanctuary.’
We hope the past sentiments that evidently valued the beauty and natural history aspects of the area will be reaffirmed in the near future.
Our Disappearing Forests Presentations Videos
If you missed the Our Disappearing Forests Meeting in Healesville in June you can now view the videos
VicForests Review by the Department of Treasury and Finance 2010 instead of the Auditor-General
The Auditor-General was supposed to audit VicForests before the next state election, but just as it was about to announce the deadline for submissions, the state government swooped in and the Department of Treasury and Finance (i.e. VicForests' shareholder) decided they would do a review first. The following are a number of submissions made from regional groups Read More
Massive Monarch at Risk
One of the state's, if not Australia's, oldest and largest tree has been discovered adjacent to several large logging coupes in Toolangi. Set amidst the western-most area of Gondwanic remnant rain forest, this tree's massive waistline could break national records. The tree is in a vulnerable part of state forest which is open to logging. Read more
The logging of Mt St Leonard
In 2008 VicForests started a coupe which has recently been completed and is now visible on the side of the mountain. VicForests have now requested to log two more coupes that will be visible from Yarra Glen, School Lane, the Main Street of Healesville and the balcony of Innocent Bystander.
Indicators of Sustainability for Victoria's Native Forest
The major indicators of sustainability for Victoria's native forest logging are: VicForests' financial position, the rate of forest regeneration, the State of the Forests Report, the CAR Reserve System, legislation, alleged breaches Read More
Logging the National Trail
Created as a tourism and environmental icon as part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations, the Australian Bicentennial National Trail (ABNT) is a 5,330 km multi-use trail. Most people are surprised by Environment Minister Gavin Jenning's decision to allow logging of the Australian Bicentential National Trail. Public safety zones around the logging areas make it illegal to use the Victorian end in Toolangi. Other logging in the area is going to impact the recently proposed CJ Dennis Memorial trail that will connect Kinglake and the Monda Track. Read More
Sicforests
SicForests is a new website reviewing the activities of the state government's logging company. The site provides some insights into VicForests - native forest logging company and their business practices.
The Ethics of Timber Forests
Forest Certification is gaining currency around the world, and is now emerging in Australia. So how does the system work – and what does it mean in environmental and social terms?
CAR Reserve - Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative Reserve System for Forests in Australia Requires Immediate Review
The CAR reserve system is an area of landscape representing no less than 15% of all the ecological vegetation classes in forested estates. Outside of the CAR Reserve, the landscape is open to logging. The Regional Forest Agreements are agreements across the forests that permit logging on the proviso that a CAR Reserve is in place, however, since successive Victorian bushfire's, the CAR Reserve is longer representative nor adequate and requires immediate review. At least 10% of the reserve system in the Central Highlands is damaged and/or transformed.
Have your say - Call for submissions on Logging in the Central Highlands
Despite the review of the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) being three years overdue, the state government is committed to allocating extra native forest for wood chipping rather than protecting endangered species' habitat.
Logging Impacts Lake Mountain's Tourism Value
Despite an Alpine 2020 strategy and a section of the code of forest practice that states that “Harvesting operations in native forests should take account of landscape values". A large coupe was proposed, objected to by Myenvironment Inc and then continued by Vicforests. Despite making a net loss of 5 million dollars in 2009,Vicforests is still prepared to sacrifice tourism potential for the area.
Proposed Logging of Rainforest in the Royston Range
Environmentalists who were keeping a close eye on Vicforest operations in the Royston range found that the coupe boundary had been marked to include a rain forest. An independent assessment found that the rain forest was of significance and the coupe boundary was moved.
Regional Forest Agreement - Review 2010
The Review of the Regional Forest Agreement is 3 years overdue which has had a major impact on the sustainability of Victorias native forest.
Two submissions by Myenvironment Inc on the 2010 of the Victorian Regional Forest Agreement
Failings of the Audit of Native Forests on Public Land
The current forest Audit program is being extended following a review of the forest Audit program by SKM. One of the key recommendations of the review was that the forest Audit program focus more heavily on planning element of the process.
Victorian Code of Forest Practice
In the face of an environmental catastrophe fuelled by industry self regulation that would have destroyed Australia’s “clean green image” and Australia’s reputation on the international timber market, in 1989 almost 200 years after the first tree fell by the saw the Victorian Parliament ratified the first code of forest practices for timber production in Native forests. Unfortunately the best intentions of the Parliament in 1989 have been manipulated to condemn our endangered species over wood chipping and are fast destroying Australia’s International environmental reputation.
Baw Baw Report
This report, commissioned by MyEnvironment Inc, outlines the discovery of an extraordinary and deplorable abuse of bureaucratic power to serve the interests of the Victorian logging industry, a pulp mill and the jobs of the state bureaucrats whose existence is predicated on the continued logging and wood chipping of the state’s native forests.
This report shows that the Regional Forest Agreements (RFA's) and the mechanism in place to enforce them are failing to protect endangered species. It offers a compelling reason why the Regional Forest Agreements should no longer be exempted by Section 38 of the EPBC Act. Read more
Forest Action
Australian Paper looses FSC certification for wood sourced from Victorias native forests
After five years of fighting Rain Forest alliance, Accreditation Services International and Australian paper, native forest logging in Victoria is no longer considered low risk
Management Procedures for timber harvesting, roading and regeneration in Victoria's Sate forests 2009
According to the following Management Procedures removal of forest produce from the State forest is not supposed to happen after sunset and before sunrise.
This does not include wood that has already been removed and stockpiled outside of the forests.
So if you see log trucks driving down the street at night you can record their details i.e.
- Street and location
- number plate
- details off the side of the truck such as name (if possible)
- time and date
Ask DSE where they were coming from because the truck drives logbooks should detail all of this.
forest management procedures 2009.pdf 782.55 kB
Inquiry into the Australian forestry industry
On 7 February 2011 the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry asked the Committee to undertake an inquiry into the Australian forestry industry.
The Committee invites interested persons and organisations to make submissions addressing the terms of reference by Friday 25 March 2011.
Forest Resources
Survey of Vegetation and Vertebrate Fauna in The Ada Forest Block
This document was was developed by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources 1995.
It was with drawn from public prior the the Regional Forest Agrements until it was released to MyEnvironment thorugh freedom of information.
As such the information that it contains was not considered during the Regional Forest Agreements and the calculation of sustainable yield
Despite the significant findings of rare, threatend and endanged species the sites have been heavily logged by VicForests and continue to be logged.
Ada Block Report.pdf 6.95 MB
Timber Industry Action Plan
The Timber Industry Action Plan recognises the significant role the Victorian native and plantation timber industry plays
in our State’s economy.
A central theme of the Plan is that for this important industry to have a successful future, it requires greater policy certainty to deliver a secure investment environment. The Victorian Government is providing leadership in this area.
Regional Forest Agreements
Details of the regional forest agreements
On The Ground 2011 - The controversies of PEFC and SFI
International Report Reveals Global Failure of PEFC Forest Certification Standard
Today, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, The Wilderness Society and My Environment have released an international report detailing repeated failures of the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) forest certification standard. The report is being released globally today.
The report, On the Ground 2011
, is a joint project between NGOs in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It uses case studies from the US, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Europe and Malaysia to show that PEFC certified products are being sourced from areas where high value forests are being destroyed and human and community rights are being abused. The PEFC stamp and its Australian affiliate AFS is displayed on a wide range of forest products sold in Australia from toilet paper to timber flooring.
An Australian supplement to the report by Victorian conservation group My Environment also details problems with the ongoing certification of Australian Paper, maker of Reflex paper, under the local PEFC standard the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS).
“Forest certification is supposed to provide assurance to consumers that the products they are buying are sourced from responsibly managed forests,” said Reece Turner, Forests Campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“But as this report shows, behind the green-looking label, the PEFC in many cases signs-off on the destruction of tropical rainforests in places like Chile, Borneo and Indonesia and ignores the concerns and complaints of indigenous and environment organisations.”
“ Certification standards rely on credibility in the market place. It is increasingly clear that the PEFC and AFS logos cannot be trusted by consumers to deliver high environmental and social standards for forest products,” said Warrick Jordan, National Forest Campaigner for The Wilderness Society.
“PEFC and AFS must fundamentally change their approach if they are to become anything other than greenwash for bad forestry practices. If consumers are given the choice, they will choose highly credible certification standards such as the Forest Stewardship Council every time over untrustworthy schemes such as AFS.”
“The PEFC standard is greenwashing bad forestry practices all over the globe, from the tropical forests of Indonesia to the majestic ash forests of Victoria’s Central Highlands,” said Sarah Rees, spokesperson for My Environment.
“In Victoria Australian Paper continues to produce its Reflex paper brand from wood from core habitat of the endangered leadbeater’s possum, and AFS and PEFC have failed to address community complaints on logging and consultation (see attached supplementary report). Our experience is that these standards are not responding to legitimate community concern over destructive logging practices.”
Newly discovered landscape traps produce regime shifts in wet forests
David B. Lindenmayer,1, Richard J. Hobbsb, Gene E. Likensa,c,1, Charles J. Krebsd, and Samuel C. Banksa
aFenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia; bSchool of Plant Biology, University of Western
Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; cCary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, 12545; and dDepartment of Zoology, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
Contributed by Gene E. Likens, August 4, 2011 (sent for review May 28, 2011)