On Tuesday 14 September members of the West Wellington Protection Group (WWPG) made a preliminary evaluation walk-through of logging coupe RU051A above Judbury and Crabtree, which is due for clearfelling by Forestry Tasmania in 2010.

As part of the Forest Practices Planning process, the WWPG will be undertaking its own analysis of the coupe and presenting its findings to Forestry Tasmania at agreed intervals.

This coupe is viewed as an important precedent for other coupes in West Wellington, as it directly borders Wellington Park, is at high elevation and is on the watershed between the catchments of Judbury and Crabtree. The Tasmanian Trail, now turned into a logging road, goes directly through RU051A.

Visit http://wwpg.info for more information.

image
• An aerial view of West Wellington from above Huonville. The large red area comprises the West Wellington coupes. The three marked coupes including RU051A are due for clearfelling in 2010-2011. Two coupes in this area have already been clearfelled. West Wellington is at high altitude, adjoins Wellington Park and links it to the western wilderness. It is an oasis of native forest between rural townships and comprises the water collection and storage area for the catchments of Crabtree, Lucaston and Judbury.

image
• Coupe map showing RUO51A and other coupes scheduled for clearfelling in Forestry Tasmania’s 3 year plan.

image
• Some of the group of WWPG members who walked into coupe RU051A on Tuesday 14 September including Huon Valley Councillor Liz Smith (far right).

image
• Tasmania Trail marker: the Trail goes directly through RU051A and many of the other logging coupes in West Wellington.

image
• One of pair of wedge-tailed eagles seen soaring above the coupes, photographed from just outside RU051A.

CALL ON FORESTRY TASMANIA TO CEASE NATIVE FOREST CONVERSION

As Promised in 2007
Kim Booth MP
Greens Forest spokesperson

The Tasmanian Greens today recognised International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations, and called on Forestry Tasmania to recognise the serious issues associated with monoculture tree plantations and scrap all plans to convert native forest to plantations immediately.

Greens Forests spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the monocultural plantations invite insect infestations which require excessive use of pesticides to repel, they require massive use of Triazine herbicides during establishment, and the director of Public Health has made it quite clear that he is uneasy about the health risks associated with the ongoing aerial application of Triazines in particular.

Mr Booth also noted that Forestry Tasmania was supposed to cease the conversion of native forest to plantation in 2007.

“On this International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations I am calling on Forestry Tasmania to acknowledge the serious issues associated with monoculture tree plantations, and to immediately cease the planned conversion of native forest into plantations,” said Mr Booth.

“Monocultural tree plantations encourage insect infestations that require huge chemical inputs to repel, and those chemicals are being implicated in the contamination of waterways across Tasmania.”

“Forestry Tasmania announced in 2007, to a huge fanfare, that they were ceasing the conversion of native forest into plantations, and on this International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations I am calling on Forestry to immediately cease the conversion of native forests into plantations, a practice that they have continued since their big announcement in 2007,” said Mr Booth.

NOTICE OF MOTION
21 SEPTEMBER 2010
Kim Booth MP on tomorrow (Wed) to move –
That the House:

1. Recognises that today is the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations;
2. Recognises that the Tasmanian Greens have warned about monoculture tree plantations in Tasmania because:
a. the Tasmania Government still allows aerial spraying of very toxic pesticides including the endocrine disruptor Dominix Duo along with a mixture of hydrocarbons, latex and alcohol ethoxylate (known to be toxic to respiratory systems) onto plantations in water catchments where people live, from helicopters at 45 meters above ground level;
b. The Tasmanian Director of Public Health Roscoe Taylor is reported in The Weekend Australian in April 2009 that he was uneasy about these health risks and about ongoing aerial spraying of triazines in water catchments;
c. Plantations do not support complex ecosystems which endangered species such as the Tasmanian Devil need in order to survive. The destruction of their habitat for plantations is contributing to the species extinction;
d. Plantations continue to reduce available water at an unmonitored rate and that based on calculations done in 2003 by the Manager of Hydraulic modelling and systems at the Launceston City Council, plantations were using free of charge, $1.2 million worth of water per annum in just the Council area alone; and
3. Moves that: Forestry Tasmania be directed to halt all current conversions and scrap all plans to convert Native Forest to plantation effective immediately.

MINISTER MUST EXPLAIN WHY NATIVE FOREST CONVERSION IS CONTINUING
Kim Booth MP
Greens Forests spokesperson

The Tasmanian Greens today called on Forestry Minister Bryan Green to order the rogue agency Forestry Tasmania to cease converting native forest into plantations, and to explain why this practice has continued despite Forestry Tasmania claiming in 2007 that it had ceased.

Greens Forests spokesperson Kim Booth MP said this deceitful behaviour places current talks aimed at resolving the future of the forest industry at risk, as well as damaging Tasmania’s international reputation and brand.

“Minister Green must explain why Forestry Tasmania claimed in 2007 that it was ceasing the conversion of native forest into plantation, when in fact this practice is continuing in late 2010, and the Minister must also order this rogue agency to cease this primitive practice immediately,” said Mr Booth.

“If Mr Green cannot or will not order Forestry Tasmania to cease converting native forest into plantation, then he must explain why not.”

“Once again Tasmanians discover that Forestry Tasmania cannot be trusted to tell the truth about its own practices.”

“The Greens are calling for a full explanation from the Forestry Minister, and for the Minister to order the rogue agency Forestry Tasmania to immediately cease the conversion of our native forests into plantations,” said Mr Booth.

Reference: Native forest coupes listed by Forestry Tasmania for conversion into plantations in 2010/11:
• Huon Coupe FN026B – 25 hectares of State Forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11;
• Derwent Coupe FO006C – 35ha of State Forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11;
• Mersey Coupe KA006H – 7 hectares of State Forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11;
• Huon Coupe KD043C – 6 hectares of Native forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11;
• Bass Coupe RR186G – 35 hectares of State Forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11;
• Mersey Coupe ST204G – 12ha of State Forest to be converted to Hardwood Plantation in 2010/11.

Download: Google Earth Coupe Images, compiled by Pete Godfrey:
Sep22_2010-11_Forest_Conversions_K_Booth_ATTACH.pdf
On Tasmanian Times HERE

THREATENED SPECIES NEED HABITAT PROTECTION
Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Environment spokesperson

The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Labor and Liberal parties to support the adequate protection of habitat for threatened species such as the Tasmanian Devil and the Wedge-Tailed Eagle through the implementation of a system of secure reserves ensuring long-term stable habitat conditions for threatened species.

Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said the tragic death of Cedric the Devil has highlighted the need to increase efforts to save the Devil from extinction, and the prioritisation of habitat protection in areas where healthy Devil populations have been recorded is an obvious start.

Ms O’Connor also praised the Raptor and Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania, which has successfully rehabilitated and released two Wedge-Tailed Eagles over the last two months, and noted that the major threat to the Eagle’s survival is the loss of breeding habitat, and a lack of genetic diversity.

“The hard work being done by the Raptor and Wildlife Refuge, which recently successfully rehabilitated two Wedge-Tailed Eagles, highlights the need for more habitat protection for Eagles, which are specifically threatened by the ongoing loss of their breeding habitat through logging,” said Ms O’Connor.

“The Auditor-General has identified that Tasmania’s threatened species are in trouble, and that successive governments have not done enough to protect these species in the past, so the Greens are calling on the Liberal and Labor Parties to support the implementation of a system of secure reserves ensuring long-term stable habitat conditions for threatened species.”

“The Greens are calling on the Labor and Liberal parties to acknowledge that many of our threatened species need our sustained and committed assistance. The implementation of a system of secure reserves ensuring long-term stable habitat conditions for threatened species is the best way forward at this time,” said Ms O’Connor.