Dr Frank Nicklason
Thus around 40% of Tasmania’s greenhouse gas release is a result of regeneration burns and how easy it would be to reduce our emissions footprint by this percentage.
AN estimate is possible of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of forestry regeneration burns using research work of Forestry Tasmania (FT) scientists which was published in December 2001 in the journal TasForests.
The FT scientists studied three wet eucalyptus coupes at the Warra long-term ecological research site in Southern Tasmania. They made measurements of carbon on the coupe pre and post burning.
The study found that about 60% of the organic carbon left on top of the ground after harvesting was lost to the atmosphere with burning. This comprised an average of around 200 tonnes per hectare.
Converting the carbon measure to CO2, and using the figure of 6000 hectares of FT managed forest coupes burnt this last Autumn, an estimate of CO2 release into the atmosphere of over 4 million tonnes is obtained.
CO2 release to the atmosphere from the soil as a result of burning was not measured in this study nor was the release of other important greenhouse gases such as methane. Further greenhouse gas emissions, of the same order, are as a result of private companies using the clearfell and burn regime.
The Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) estimated that Tasmania’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 was 11 million tonnes.
CO2 emissions as a result of clearfelling and burning are not accounted for in either AGO figures nor in the Kyoto protocol.
Thus around 40% of Tasmania’s greenhouse gas release is a result of regeneration burns and how easy it would be to reduce our emissions footprint by this percentage.
Dr Frank Nicklason
West Hobart
