Wilderness Society ‘welcomed to the real world’

ERIC B. JOHNSTON
The Wilderness Society has, at long last, admitted that plantation forestry and pulp/paper mills offer rural jobs and income to Australia, while addressing the problems of climate change by sequestering carbon.

For too long, the Wilderness Society has treated our industry like pariahs, in the mistaken belief that our activities and our industry were working against Earth’s ecological system.

Now, they have finally realised that it is the forestry industry that offers hope to a beleaguered planet and that the best solution to Australia’s job, financial and climate problems is offered by us.

Of course, the Wilderness Society’s support is based on particular types of pulp mill but, as most will realise, the Wilderness Society isn’t expert in the technical aspects of mill selection and operation, while our industry is. We are sure that with issues this important the Wilderness Society will leave the details to we experts.

What is important is to support the expansion of plantation forestry in Australia coupled with the establishment of multiple pulp and paper processing facilities around the country. Not only can we sequester carbon in the growing trees, we can lock it into paper, cardboard and wood products thus making space for more quickly growing, young trees. At the same time our pulp and paper operations will reverse Australia’s trade deficit in fibre products.

With carbon prices set to rise and our trees growing constantly, Australia’s plantation estate will earn more each year, eclipsing the income of other land uses and setting our economy free.

We recommend that Australians everywhere learn from the Wilderness Society’s turnaround in consciousness to recognise the essential contribution that forestry does, and will, make to Australia’s fortunes.

Australia’s greatest economic and environmental success was the sale of $50 billion of natural gas to China. We, in forestry, intend to complement that success by selling Australia’s timber and fibre products overseas.

Once again we, in the forestry industry, welcome The Wilderness Society back into the real world by their decision to support pulp mills and the expansion of plantation forestry in Australia.

Eric B. Johnson

Senior Partner
Johnson & Associates
Forestry Consultants