If the Tasmanian Legislative Council supports the Liberal Government’s plan to open up 356,000ha of reserved forest for clear-felling and burning this week, then we will have to put up with even more “regeneration burns” and cop the unacceptable impacts they have on the climate, our environment, people’s health and our industries for many years to come.

It’s up to the Legislative Council now to vote against opening up more forests for clear-felling and “regeneration burns”. Forestry Tasmania’s have now commenced their planned 230 “regeneration burns” across the state including the forests in takayna/Tarkine.

I am not only concerned about the increased fire risk, environmental impact and carbon emissions of the “regeneration burns”, but the impacts they’ll have on health and the agricultural sector, particularly the wine industry whose grapes are very susceptible to wine taint. Furthermore, the impacts on tourism and Tasmania’s brand from this smoke are incalculable.

To be very clear, “regeneration burns” are very different in both intent and nature to “hazard reduction”, or otherwise known as “fuel-reduction” burns. Hazard reduction burns, which the Greens support, remove vegetation to result in less intense bush or grass fires. Each up to 100ha in size, regeneration burns are designed to be hot burns to get rid of carbon left over from clear-fell logging operations and create an ash bed for new eucalyptus trees to grow. These new trees will replace what was before logging – often mixed age, mixed species forest – forests which have not seen a fire for centuries. In essence, many of these clear-felled forests were fire resistant and will be replaced with even aged even height fire prone ecosystems.

Asthma Tasmanian advises that children, the elderly and people with heart conditions and/or breathing problems are the first to feel the effects of smoke pollution and should stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.

Why should Tasmanians have to put up with what can only be described as “world’s worst practice”? Is this really what we want to set up for our children, the next generations and for Tasmania’s future? It’s up to the Legislative Council now to vote against opening up more forests and locking in the increased fire risk, environmental impact and carbon emissions caused by the “regeneration burns”.
Emma Anglesey – Greens Endorsed Legislative Council Candidate for Launceston