Neil Smith Background: Mother Cummings Peak … 10 years on
A few of Hector’s messages from the treetop via email
Wed, 4 Mar 1998 12:02:45 +1100 (EST)
(Message sent to The Hon Tony Rundle MHA, Prenier of Tasmania,
and The Hon John Beswick MHA, Minister for Forests,
with copies to all State members of Parliament.)
Dear Ministers,
This message comes to you from 25 metres up a tree (Eucalyptus delegatensis) in proposed logging coupe HU-307 on the Great Western Tiers.
I must protest most strongly at the events of yesterday in this coupe. I am sorely concerned at the devastation wreaked on this hitherto pristine ecosystem, at the way in which this exercise appears to have been engineered to smash totally the conservation movement in Tasmania, and at the blatant disregard for human safety which was part of the exercise.
Not only is this coupe (if I MUST use the term) of outstanding biodiversity significance, containing forest types inadequately reserved in the RFA, but also it is, at 850 metres elevation, silviculturally questionable. The success of regeneration would be anybody’s guess.
For the time being I’m adopting the name Hector. It isn’t my real name, but I want to deflect as much as possible the threats and recriminations which will inevitably follow myself and my family given the questionable standards of behaviour adopted by many involved in the vile forestry industry in this state.
Today a peaceful blockade mounted by environmentalists on Scotts Road, Meander, was broken by a large show of strength involving workers from Forestry Tasmania and the Tasmania Police. Chainsaws were produced and approximately one hundred trees of all sizes were felled along the course of a planned logging road into this coupe. The very first tree felled was one of the largest, only 80 metres from my site, despite the fact that I was located some 500 metres into the coupe. It was felled in my direction and I felt the shock wave transmitted through the ground and up the trunk when the tree fell.
When the saws were briefly silent, I called out to reveal my presence on my platform (which in any case could be assumed probable given that I had revealed myself yesterday, and that other protesters had mentioned that I was there). I also suggested (very loudly) that the workers had a duty to halt dangerous practices like tree felling when there was a possibility of people in the coupe. There were other protesters at various places in the forest and no reasonable attempt had been made to scour them out prior to commencement of work. I informed the workers of the presence of others hidden in the understorey, but they continued with what they were doing. Only after at least twenty more trees had been felled was there a desultory attempt to search the immediate surroundings of the work in hand.
Apart from the first and largest tree, several smaller ones nearby were felled directly towards me after I had engaged the workers in conversation. At least ten police officers stood by while all this occurred. Other sources may be able to state that there were even more.
When all but one of the police and forestry vehicles had left the scene just on nightfall after the two hour display, a single shot was fired from a rifle and the last car left. I can only assume that the shot was meant to scare me. Just after dark, “the noises” began – two or three sinister commando-like characters circling quietly in the bush around me and making fake animal sounds possibly with small electronic trillers or maybe with voice. From this height I can hear every small twig that is broken underfoot, and track the route of the intruders fairly accurately. This activity is a repetition of last night, when such people circled menacingly all night, disappearing one by one to the north-west just before dawn. On both occasions these people have refused to identify themselves when challenged (in the case of last night, by my wife who was herself on the ground alone). We have talked about these people as “the gooks” but their identity remains a mystery.
Tonight I have friends camped on the ground below my tree. Through a third party I requested a police guard since I fear for my safety. A police vehicle arrived and I talked to one of the officers by shouting loudly over the intervening 500 metres. They declined to stay overnight but said they would be around “for a while”. The officer also said it could be “a possum”. I told them of last night’s goings-on including that there was a fixed light marking a supposed camp or rendezvous spot on a bearing of 35 degrees and about 500 to 600 metres from me. I sugested that they might find something there if they looked. The police then departed immediately without fulfilling even their promise to stay “for a while”.
Is this sort of atrocious behaviour – with equal disregard for places of extreme conservation significance and for people’s safety – the outcome of your much-touted RFA which was supposed to bring “peace in the forests”? I can’t see much possibility of peace.
Yours sincerely,
Hector.
Morning report
Thu, 5 Mar 1998 10:40:50 +1100 (EST)
Media release 10:20 am 5 March 1998
from HECTOR (THE PROTECTOR) in a treetop in State Forest above Meander
Good morning everyone,
On my fifth morning in my perch, the forest on this high bench is tranquil. I awoke to a beautiful dawn, and somehow managed to waste two hours in small domestic tasks.
Looking downwards, the forest presents an aspect not usually seen by human eyes. I guess it’s the wiew of the wedge-tailed eagle frm the nest. Three days ago I had the great fortune to see two of these magnificent, rare and endangered birds circling directly above me, checking me out.
The dominant tree species here is Eucalyptus delegatensis, a.k.a. “white-top stringybark”. I see the tops of many of these magnificent trees projecting out of the top of an understorey chiefly of Myrtle (Nothofagus cunnunghamii). In the gaps in the myrtle I can see the brownish-coloured ground, with lots of bark and leaf litter, and the occasional foraging bird. From my days as a ground dweller I remember that here is also a diverse community of ferns as well as numerous flowering plants.
Climbing the trunk of my tree at the 25 metre level are some insects of a sort I have never seen – something halfway between a scorpion and an earwig – presumably a high-canopy specialist, just quietly doing their own thing. There are also a number of very ordinary-looking ants from the ground.
My tree is sited right in the path of the proposed logging road, which, if we allow it to be made, will facilitate the destruction of all this, for the sake of a few million pizza boxes which we’ll buy back rather expensively from the Japanese mills which process the woodchips from our publically-owned forests. Oh yes, and a couple of hundred rich North Ltd investors will get slightly richer, and their executives will get maybe a better brand of Scotch for their Christmas eve present next year.
But at present the only scar on my landscape is the swathe of destruction over towards the creek, cut in a two-hour orgy on Tuesday afternoon. The very first tree cut was one of the biggest – and it was two tree lengths from me, and felled in my direction. The shockwave transmitted up the trunk was interesting. Despite my protests, and the presence of other greenies at various places on the ground, the workers continued to fell trees of all sizes without any attempt to check whether anyone would be hurt. All this while upwards of ten police officers stood by.
Oh well, gotta go now, I’ve heard rumours of upwards of 100 police gathering in the area. Sounds ominous. If I can I’ll keep you posted at least daily on how the world looks from my viewpoint. Check with me after about 1pm today on 0417 xxxxxx (not before – I think I have some urgent work to do.
Cheers,
Hector.
State of play, March 9
Mon, 9 Mar 1998 18:27:21 +1100 (EST)
Hello everyone from Hector up the tree in disputed logging coupe HU307 near Meander in Tasmania, Australia:
I’d like to include you in my postings from this coupe in the next days/weeks? We have a growing movement but are up against a recalcitrant bureaucracy and some very stubborn politicians. We need all the help on the ground, and all the support we can get. We want to protect this pristine high bench on the Great Western Tiers, recognised for its biodiversity values with a protection order under the interim forest agreement but now being given back to the woodchippers. Forestry Tasmania are currently trying to forge a new road. They have not yet managed to get in earthmoving machinery, but are hell-bent on cutting magnificent old-growth trees along the line. It is in one of these trees I have lived for the past week…….
It’s now 12:30. One hour ago a number of vehicles drove to a point near the top of Scotts Road. This place then remained quiet for nearly an hour. Recently several forestry personnel have walked past me, and indicated their intention to “fell a few more” in the area in which they were working last Thursday, ie several hundred metres to my north west. On Thursdsay I could hear the sound of several large trees falling there, but it is outside my viewfield.
There are also several police here, I would estimate about 10, although there could be more. I advised them that there are people in the coupe in the direction of proposed work and asked them (the police) to ensure the safety of all those people.
As I write this there has as yet been no chainsaw started. A helicopter has circled overhead several times.
Please check us out on the World Wide Web. Our page is now up and running at http://www.xxxxxxx. On the page there is a form for you to email us, or better, post your message using the conference facility for all to see.
Messages of protest against logging native forest for woodchips, against the iniquities of the recent Tasmania/Commonwealth Regional Forest Agreement, or more particularly against logging this particularly sensitive high-altitude coupe can be directed to the Minister of Forests, The Hon John Beswick on [email protected] and to the Premier the Hon Tony Rundle on [email protected] (and probably at [email protected]). Please let’s hammer them!
Cheers (still no chainsaws, fingers are crossed, I’m hugging my good friend the tree) Hector.
2:03 pm – still no action from those who would flatten these superb old-growth trees. Hopefully our “black wallaby” activists are getting in the way. Of course there will be many arrests – so, people, please continue to pour in and fill up the breach with our etc etc…. Hector.
4:30 pm: The saw has been active for a minute here, a minute there. They are now managing to fall a few – a little too far away for me to tell how big they are, but the last crash was substantial. I think our “black wallabies” have been fairly successful at least up until now in impeding work.
6:08 pm: I have just had a workout on my exercise bike, and in so doing put back 2 amp-hours or so into my battery. This is the first time I’ve tried – the solar panel so far has kept it topped up – and I find I can keep up a steady 5 amps. I can make 10 amps (ie 120 watts) if I go for it – but I’m going to need to be fitter before I can keep it up for too long! I don’t know what the efficiency is – but there are 3 chains, 5 axles and a V-belt so there’s a bit of friction in there! Since I forgot to bring anything else, the whole lot is lubricated with olive oil.
Sounds as though the workers are going home for the night. There were a couple of arrests among the black wallabies – several others left when told, to fight another day. I’m still waiting to hear the toll of trees which have gone.
More later …..
Let’s talk about animal and bird habitat
Tues, 10 Mar 1998 23:20:19 +1100 (EST)
Proper assessment of the life histories and habitat requirements of numerous fauna species was supposed to be carried out as part of the “comprehensive regional assessment” for the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) here in Tasmania. Also to be included was a study of the impacts of various disturbances on these species – disturbances such as fire, roading, agricultural clearing, and of course logging and its most extreme form, clearfelling.
Why do such studies? Maybe (just maybe) forestry and other practices were supposed to be improved (or even discontinued in certain areas) if the disturbances were found to be serious. Why else bother with such a study? Keep hoping. These studies are reported in RFA Background Report Part C, volume III. And what emerges is that there was no time and even less money to do the job properly. Never mind, produce a fat enough report and the public will be hoodwinked into thinking that the interests of the animals have been looked after.
What was found?
Yes, it’s a nice fat respectable-looking report. But what it contains is virtually no more than a summary of existing knowledge – and a convincing demonstration that present knowledge is absolutely inadequate. Most species have never been studied at all. Of those that have, many are subject to sampling bias. For example, most frog sightings are near roads. Does that mean that frogs like roads?
All that aside (and what a basis on which to base an RFA supposed to give conservation and social and economic factors equal weight), there actually are some findings on the effect of forestry-related disturbances on particular species.
Eagles
Let’s start with that icon endangered species for which the Tiers is supposed to be one of the last strongholds – or is it weakholds – the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, Aquila audax fleayi (the report cited above, p58).
• Population estimate 300-400 (100 breeding pairs).
• Home range 20 km of nest.
• Habitat requirements – wide but requires tall eucalypt forest for nesting.
• Population trend: declining.
• Mean number of clutches per year: one.
• Clutch size: one.
• Impacts (selected by me)
• Logging: Clearfelling or selective logging within 10ha around nest sites significantly reduces breeding success. This effect can last for several decades (Slater 1992, Mooney and Holdsworth 1991). This impact is rated 3, meaning “process is a major threat, which if not checked poses a significant risk to the viability of the species in Tasmania”.
• Roading: Road construction and use around nest sites disturbs adults and reduces breeding success (ranking 2 – “process is a moderate threat, which is likely to lead to some decline of the species, especially if it operates in combination with other threatening processes”.)
• Regimes (buzzword for various combinations of forestry practices): “Clearfell, burn and sow regimes eliminate wedge-tailed eagle from the area – ranking 3”. Damn lucky for the eagles that they are only planning to use 30% canopy retention and a light head burn aint it?
I saw two of these magnificent birds circling over me last Sunday. So they do exist. Couldn’t we keep things that way? By the way, apparently Forestry Tasmania commissions a “wildlife survey” a couple of days before they start logging a coupe. Why? Is it so they can gloat over all they are about to destroy?
A few more species, selected at random:
Long-tailed mouse (Pseudomys higginsi): widely distributed in higher elevations and high rainfall areas throughout Tasmania and Bruny island. Logging: eliminates this species in rainforest habitat (no info for other habitat). Regimes: a clearfell and regeneration burn regime, followed by 1080 baiting for control of grazing by pademelons, eliminated this species from the site -Ranking 3, (Pattemore 1977).
Dusky antechinus (Antichinus swainsonii). Fire: Population may be obliterated, even by fire of low intensity – ranking 3 (Suckling and Macfarlane 1985, Statham 1984). Regimes: A clearfell and regeneration burn excludes the species from the site, still absent 15 years after the disturbance – ranking 3 (Green 1977).
Spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus). Threatened status: national – vulnerable, Tasmanian – requires monitoring. Regimes: Clearfelling, regeneration burning and sowing in wet eucalypt forest excluded species from affected area – ranking 2 (Green 1977)
Northeast forest snail (Anoglypta launcestonensis) (OK, maybe it isn’t here at Mother Cummings, but forestry practices are much the same in its range) – vulnerable. Clearing (forestry and non-forestry) has reduced the number of populations by 95% over the past 10 years – ranking 3 (K Bonham, pers comm, 1996).
(2008 note: Following the sending of this message Dr Kevin Bonham contacted me, initally to upbraid me for misquoting him. He told me that he’d said something similar about one snail species, but not Anoglypta. On checking the report, he found that the misquote was not mine but that of the compilers of the RFA Background Report or whoever had been the recipient of his “pers comm”. Sloppy work indeed, and it only reinforces the impression that whatever was the intent of the report’s publication it wasn’t to advance the cause of conservation to the “equal status” it was supposed to have under the RFA. Timely production and impressive size were more important than accuracy. Concurrently, several of the government’s expert consultants dissociated themselves from the so-called “comprehensive regional assessment”).
Back again to 1998——–
I could go on.
But the inescapable conclusion is that none of those responsible for negotiating the RFA gave two figs for any of these findings. They had their imperative – keep industry pleased no matter what. Don’t worry too much about eagles and antechinus – they’ll eventually go away. And, yep, they are right there. But to cover yourselves, bombard the public with enough paper and they’ll assume you’ve all done the job properly. A technique that never fails.
ESFM?
Oh, and another thing. Post-RFA forestry is supposed to be conducted according to the principles of “ecologically sustainable forest management” (ESFM). What? Those of us who were around and thinking about things when the Orwellian 1984 was still a chilling date way off in the future could perhaps joke about “doublespeak”. But it’s back with a vengeance. To keep the Orwellian metaphor maybe the Forestry Corporation should be renamed the “Ministry of Ecological Maintenance” or MINECMAIN for short.
Ecology is the science of the relationships between species. What sort of “ecology” is going to exist in the brave new world of ESFM? Perhaps an ecology like that of the rats and the cockroaches in the bombed-out remains of Coventry or Dresden.
The road started
Thu, 12 Mar 1998 02:36:19 +1100 (EST)
Hello everyone,
Yesterday (11 March) at Mother Cummings Peak was a day of unprecedented destruction. Protestors were a little thin on the ground, and a large Caterpillar excavator commenced its unholy swathe through the myrtle understorey, moving down from Scotts Road along the path where the trees had been cut down two Tuesdays ago (3/3). Meanwhile, a large crew from Forestry Tasmania carried on with felling much further along the road line.
As the day drew to a close, the excavator had progressed just past the creek crossing about 200 metres from my tree, and had built a sturdy-looking log bridge over the stream. The logs were topped with black plastic, and the excavator then piled and tamped down soil on top of it before retiring for the day.
At about 6 pm, I was informed by the Police that they will attempt to climb to my platform today (12/3) and remove me. They placed one or two large spikes (300 mm long by 12mm diameter) in holes drilled in the trunk. It remains to be seen whether they will use this same technique all the way to the first branch.
I have offered to supply a top rope to the lead climber so that he is not placed in any danger by the need to come up after me. It promises to be a big day.
Yours for the forests,
Hector.
Eviction media release
Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:50:26 +1000
Native Forest Network
c/- 39 George St, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 02-9247-4206 Fax: 02-9247-5945
Media Release
Friday 13 March 1998
Tasmanian Police compromise safety to guarantee Regional Forest Agreement. Tasmanian tree sitter “Hector – the Ecosystem Protector” was forcibly removed by two police rescue climbers from his 25m high, hexagonal wooden platform on Mother Cummings Peak in the Great Western Tiers at 8:30 pm Thursday night.
“Protesters on the ground were alarmed at the risks taken by the police in Hector’s removal,” said Native Forest Network NSW Coordinator Brent Hoare.”
“It appears that North Ltd is running the show and directing police in their operations. Police did nothing to prevent a potentially dangerous situation from trees being felled all the time while protesters were known to be in the area attempting to defend the forest from a useless Regional Forest Agreement (RFA).
“Police took over 12 hours to get up Hector’s tree, saw a hole in the platform and remove him, persisting in dark and windy conditions. Hector, a 52 year old engineer, was extremely concerned that the platform would collapse onto the police under the weight of his gear, including; batteries, solar panels, exercise bike, climbing equipment, food and water,” Mr Hoare said.
An official complaint has been laid by the Native Forest Network to Police Chief Commissioner Richard McCreadie, and over twenty protesters accompanied Hector to the Deloraine police station.
“North Ltd’s Chris Oldfield told protesters that their action had cost North $80,000, and that North will “rip that forest regardless of the costs” – well this is just the beginning” said Mr Hoare.
“For as long as North and Tony Rundle cling to the completely inadequate RFA and trash irreplaceable high conservation value forests, they can look forward to ongoing conflict in the forests, at enormous cost to themselves, the community and the nation. Tasmanian locals and tourists alike are steadily arriving at the blockade, with a lot more action over coming days. Two tree-sitting protesters remain on the planned road into the coupe.
“Europeans who come to see Tasmania’s natural beauties are staggered that these ancient forests are still being destroyed by ignorant 1950’s politicians and greedy companies in Australia in the 1990s.
Further actions are being planned for Friday and into the weekend.
