save the Blue Tier

2008/05/11 - Flowering this week on Blue Tier: Corybas sp. (aconitiflorus?) - Helmet Orchid

2008/05/02 - The Australian: Challenge against Gunns pulp mill gets go-ahead

friends of the blue tier present case against pulp mill

The Gunns proposed pulpmill, should it proceed, will impact on all our lives ... from the dangerous situation on our narrow winding roads (with the increase in log trucks) to the loss of our native wildlife, loss of forest biodiversity, damage to water systems, air and soil - as well as the lifestyle which brought us to the area in the first place.
below is some information which may be useful when lobbying for the protection of the natural environment ... now is the time to speak out ... for us and for generations yet to come ...

The northeast forests cover the municipalities of Dorset and Break O'Day and are referred to as the Bass District. The Bass Forests have roughly 250,000 hectares of unprotected State forest, which is public land - Forestry Tasmania 'manage' these forests on behalf of the people of Tasmania - they do not own them ... we, and generations yet to come do ... if anyone does!

The recent Community Forest Agreement failed to protect the northeast forests ... State wide the Community Forest Agreement added almost 11,000 hectares to Formal Reserves - none of this in the Bass district. The agreement also added 47,000 hectares to Forest Reserves - of this the northeast gained just 1,700 hectares.

The current plan for these magnificent forests is to convert them to pulp ... the Gunns integrated impact statement states that the pulp mill will be 80% reliant on native forests initially - the vast majority to be sourced from the northeast forests. A 20 year agreement has been reached with forestry Tasmania to supply millions of tonnes of trees from Tasmania's native forests ... the public release of the details of this agreement is protected through commercial in confidence provisions. The effect this will have on future generations will be devastating - and they have been given no say whatsoever in this process.

As well as the devastation of the native forests the establishment of plantations on private farmland is having a huge impact on rural communities. Numerous farms in the northeast have already been purchased by plantation companies ... traditional farmers cannot compete with the big dollars that managed investment schemes companies are able to pay. Plantation establishment is driven by 100% tax breaks and guarantees, a massive land grab at taxpayer's expense. No other industry attracts these tax breaks.

Plantations draw significantly more ground water than mixed age native forests; this results in siltation and erosion of watercourses due to accelerated flow from the removal of ground cover and under storey. Plantations rely heavily on chemical use - herbicides, insecticides, fertilisers and fungicides are aerially sprayed and 1080 poison is still used on private land. This results in contamination of soil and water ... plantations introduce weeds, and possibly diseases. Plantations result in destruction of humus and organic matter from initial and subsequent burning. Plantations emphasise low value products and are much less labour intensive due to mechanisation. Removal of native forest results in loss of species habitat and is increasing the risk of extinction of native species. Forests provide an irreplaceable environmental service by protecting, filtering and purifying water and air. All watercourses need the full protection of intact ground cover understorey and canopy to maintain and regulate flow and temperature so that the minute aquatic life that keeps water clean can thrive.

Once the tree crops begin to grow they draw up to 40% more ground water than a mixed-age native forest. With a plantation many thousands of trees are planted at the same time, growing at an incredible rate, and taking much more water from the catchment than is sustainable.

As a result of vast plantation establishment many water catchments are over-committed - the George River catchment is over-committed, with much of the headwaters and catchment area established with Eucalyptus nitens plantation over the past 10 years.

The subsequent chemical regime further degrades the water quality with herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilisers entering the waterways directly through aerial spraying (from spray drift) and also after each rain episode as residual chemicals are washed from the soil. Native animals are still poisoned with 1080 on private land and often die in or near watercourses.

How you can help

save the Blue Tier

friends of the blue tier present case against pulp mill

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