Economy
Green groups hope rule change curbs logging
What a difference a couple of weeks make – and how do communities feel about continuing to pay for pesticide polluted water, and plantation managements that are basically the same as they are now?
Or are we about to believe in the tooth-fairy? Or the leopard that can change his spots?
Is no-one aware of fscwatch http://www.fsc-watch.org/
and the Ecologist Sept 2009 article http://www.fsc-watch.org/archives/2009/09/22/_FSC_Friday___1___Ca
and in Australia – http://www.fsc-watch.org/archives/?country~=Australia
Take a good hard look at the practices in Victoria (An independent observer of the Forest Stewardship CouncilFSC Certified operations fast losing credibility in Australia)
http://www.fsc-watch.org/archives/2007/03/26/FSC_Certified_operations_fast_losing_credibility_in_Australia
What wonderful game is in play here, folk? But this is no game – it does affect us all in Tasmania, make no mistake about it.
Dr Alison Bleaney
Green groups hope rule change curbs logging
By Felicity Ogilvie for PM
Posted Mon Feb 1, 2010 10:45pm AEDT
Environmental groups are hoping that rule changes will soon force the Tasmanian timber giant Gunns to end old growth logging.
Their hopes are based on the interest that Gunns has shown in getting certification from non-profit organisation the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
The council does not allow companies to take timber from high-conservation-value forests and the process would force Gunns to negotiate with environmental groups.
Gunns, which has made millions selling woodchips to Japan, will not say if it plans to stop logging old-growth forests.
But the Japanese no longer want to buy woodchips that are not certified by the FSC.
Swedish company Sodra is also saying it will only invest in Gunns’ Pulp Mill if the company becomes FSC certified.
Gunns is still trying to raise the $2 billion it needs to build the pulp mill.
Michael Spencer, the chief executive of FSC in Australia, says the council has endorsement from major environment groups, as well as social and community groups and leaders in the industry.
He says old-growth forest certification does not occur in the FSC system.
“FSC works on the concept of high conservation values – that’s the sort of thing that would be tested through a certification process,” Mr Spencer said.
Working with conservationists
In order for Gunns and Forestry Tasmania to get FSC certification, the companies will need to consult environmentalists like the Wilderness Society’s anti-pulp mill campaigner, Paul Oosting.
“What we’re going to need to see is fundamental changes in Gunns’ operations,” he said.
“In particular, we need to see immediate protection of Tasmania’s special native forests, such as our rainforest and old growth forest,” he said.
Gunns has already promised its pulp mill will be plantation based, but it will not say if it plans to stop wood chipping old-growth forests.
The old-growth forests are managed by Forestry Tasmania and executive general manager Hans Drielsma has no plans to stop logging.
“There’s nothing in the standards that refers to old growth,” he said.
“What the FSC standard does talk about is high-conservation-value forest and those values are things that need to be assessed.
“We assess those already under the Australian Forestry standards and so it’s really not anything new – it’s the sort of bread and butter of our business.”
Pulp mill consideration
But Adam Burling is another environmentalist who thinks FSC certification will end old growth logging in Tasmania.
He is a Greens candidate and until a few days ago was being sued by Gunns for protesting against the company.
But on Friday, Gunns decided to settle the so-called Gunns 20 case out of court and paid the environmentalist’s costs.
The company says it was a commercial decision but Mr Burling says Gunns is thinking about its pulp mill.
“You can make a lot of guesses about why Gunns specifically have dropped the case,” he said.
“But with them publicly saying that they want FSC certification, then you think dropping this case, which has been a public disaster in terms of PR, would be another one to mark off their checklist,” he said.
For its part, a spokesman from Gunns says FSC certification is more about securing its markets then securing the finance it needs to build its pulp mill.