13 February 2020
Support required for the timber industry and nature
Any government-funded recovery package for the logging industry must include a short-term moratorium on native forest logging and a timeline for transitioning the industry to source 100% of its timber from sustainably managed plantations. [1]
“The fires have multiplied the risk native forest logging poses to wildlife because so much habitat has been lost, including almost 25% of all koala habitat in NSW. [2]
“We fully support calls for a government assistance package to help the forest industry and its employees through this very difficult time,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
“In addition to that, the fires have created an unrivalled urgency for the industry to transition away from native forest logging.
“As part of an assistance package, the industry should be required to commit to working with all stakeholders to develop a plan to transition from native forests to plantations.
“Such a plan must include a just structural adjustment package for contractors, mill owners and employees.
“Industrial logging harms wildlife habitat through soil compaction and erosion, removal of hollow-bearing trees that take over a hundred years to develop, and creation of single-aged stands.”
“This crisis highlights the true costs of native forest logging and the opportunities of converting state forests to conservation reserves that could support sustainable recreation and tourism industries in regional areas.
“Even before the fires, the native forest logging sector of the industry was unsustainable. It has been responsible for steadily degrading vital habitat for millions of native animals, including koalas, for many decades.
“Ecologists reported this week that 113 native species need urgent attention after the bushfire crisis to pull them back from the brink of extinction, 88 of which call NSW home.” [3]
An alliance of conservation groups wrote to Premier Gladys Berejiklian last week outlining urgent measures required to minimise the impacts of the fires on nature, including:
- Ruling out logging in the national parks reserve system;
- Opposing salvage logging of native forests across all land tenures (except in plantations);
- Conducting a comprehensive and transparent assessment of the impacts of the fires on species and habitat;
- Pausing logging operations in all native forests until an impact assessment is completed and logging operations are amended in accordance with recommendations from the assessment.
- Supporting logging industry workers affected by the bushfires by providing alternative employment options and/or financial assistance, as is occurring for other affected businesses.
REFERENCES
[1] Timber industry to call for new support package following devastating fires, SMH, 13-2-20
[2] Understanding the impact of the 2019-20 fires | NSW Environment, Energy and Science, 10-1-20, Office of Environment and Heritage
[3] Expert panel says 113 species need urgent attention after Australia's bushfires, The Guardian, 11-2-20
Tags
Forests and wildlife
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