The destruction of our farms

Bob Loone

Plantation forestry as practiced in Tasmania is unsustainable. The high nutrient requirement results in the soil becoming depleted of its fertility. The so-called crop becomes unsustainable and unviable. Tasmania’s fertile farmland is being destroyed. A look on the website Google Earth and aerial photos recently taken, shows widespread desolation already caused by unsustainable plantation forestry.

The Editor,

Dear Sir,

There are three aspects of the taxpayer-subsidised (to the tune of $3000 per hectare) destruction of our farms by Corporations open to foreign takeover, and converting them to pulp wood plantations, which is and will continue to severely effect the viability of our state.

1. Economic Loss. Economic loss is destroying rural communities by diminishing the income for businesses dependant on rural sales in both country and city. About 25% of our higher rainfall area farms have already gone causing thousands of jobs to disappear and huge economic losses to our communities. I have put economic loss first to get your attention, but really it should be third because as Herman Daily, senior economist, world bank states;

“The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment.”

2. Unsustainability. Plantation forestry as practiced in Tasmania is unsustainable. The high nutrient requirement results in the soil becoming depleted of its fertility. The so-called crop becomes unsustainable and unviable. Tasmania’s fertile farmland is being destroyed. A look on the website Google Earth and aerial photos recently taken, shows widespread desolation already caused by unsustainable plantation forestry.

3. Toxic Pollution of Air and Water. Unnecessary chemical and smoke contamination of air and water from toxic spray residues and burning of green wood is an ongoing health risk for human, animal, bird, plant and marine life. Forestry is a major Tasmanian contributor of the airborne particles and gasses which are causing climate change. Despite what we are told by plantation forestry spindoctors the best scientific evidence we have shows Pulp Plantations neither addresses nor reduces the causes of climate change.

These three factors and irresponsible forestry activities are very evident throughout Tasmania and are causing extra costs and losses to many councils, people and businesses. Amazingly there are plans to try and double the pulpwood harvest. This will doubly compound our economic, environmental and soil fertility losses. Plantation forestry as practiced is heading for a dead end. Unnecessary and disastrous ongoing hardship and losses (including water) are being imposed on many of our communities.

The deception by highly paid and resourced forestry spin-doctors continues regardless of the inconvenient truth being proclaimed voluntarily by many wonderful, knowledgeable, concerned, and dedicated people.

Our politicians have failed us. Ordinary people must wake up, and stand up, for productivity, integrity, accountability and sustainability on behalf of those who gave us our heritage. Otherwise the economic future of our children and of generations to come will be lost.

Bob Loone

Chudleigh

President

Western Rivers Preservation Trust