Ian Mott, a contributor to this blog, has noted in a comment at an earlier post that:
The Queensland Cabinet is currently considering “phasing out” private native forestry on freehold land. And for all the families that have not only protected forest but actively expanded it over the past 70 or more years, when the bulldozer has reigned supreme, this is deeply, deeply offensive.
Bood Hickson from the Australian Forest Growers Association has written:
The Beattie Government is considering phasing out selective logging of native forest species on freehold land through a cabinet review. This decision comes despite the Government having spent the last year developing a Code of Practice for Native Forests, which did not even raise this ban during the public consultation process.
If Peter Beattie decides to ban selective logging on freehold land it will have the unintended consequence of stopping many would be foresters from growing mixed species native forestry in future, for fear that the government could lock them up as well.
It is not appropriate to ban selective logging in freehold native forests for the following reasons:
1. Ecological reasons.
Appropriate levels of disturbance in fact increase species diversity; help reduce the primary threat to our forests of climate change, by locking up sequestered carbon and reducing methane emissions; and decreasing the import of clear-felled rainforest timber.2. Social reasons.
It will discourage people from planting native trees; export existing and future employment opportunities, and makes a farce of the State government’s alleged support for ecological sustainable development.3. Economical reasons.
It will make many properties financially unviable; cost the tax payers an unnecessary compensation bill, and reduce the economic diversity and resilience of our economy.
So what exactly is driving the deliberations? Why would the government want to phase out private native forestry?
…………..
I now have my own website www.jennifermarohasy.com that lists many of my newspaper articles, a few of my publications, and I will also endeavour to get more speeches up there. The website also gives me a capacity to send out a monthly newsletter to everyone who subscribes, click here.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.