By Debbie McIlroy
BONANG, Vic — The federal government's draft forest policy, released on July 7, states that it aims to protect "major old growth forests and wilderness areas" by the end of 1995. To conservationists concerned about the forests of East Gippsland, this aim is cold comfort.
The end of 1995 is two and a half logging seasons away. At present rates of cutting, there won't be much old growth forest left outside national parks by then.
At the end of 1989, the East Gippsland Coalition organised protests in National Estate forests on the Errinundra Plateau to try to stop planned clear-felling. As a Victorian election was coming up, the federal government intervened with $10 million and the East Gippsland Forest Agreement. Subsequently, some of the National Estate forests were added to national parks while the remainder was committed to timber production.
The Victorian government's Timber Industry Strategy, with its commitment to sustained yield, is in serious trouble. Rotation cycles have already been officially shortened, and roads are currently being cut into the pristine Ellery Creek catchment, known for its National Estate values, catchment integrity and wilderness qualities.
Yet the major product from East Gippsland's high quality forests is low quality woodchips. As the demand for sawn hardwood declines (and the market for softwood sawlogs grows) mills are surviving by the installation of chippers. The state forest managers, the Department for Conservation and Environment (DCE), are unable to calculate the proportions of timber that leave the mill as woodchips and sawn timber, as a Freedom of Information request from Concerned Residents of East Gippsland (CROEG) recently discovered. Some estimates indicate that 70-80% of timber leaves East Gippsland as woodchips.
Nearly all the woodchips are driven across the border to Daishowa's export facility near Eden. A recent stop work and work-to-rule by Daishowa employees had a devastating effect on some of East Gippsland's timber mills.
Quietly, while APPM in Tasmania absorbed all the media coverage, Daishowa was attempting to reduce its work force of 72 in a major restructure. Perhaps the workers are getting the message that their latest sticker is wrong: it is not the greens who cost jobs, but the bosses.
The National Estate coupes which were the scene of protests covered by the media just two and a half years ago were clear-felled after the East Gippsland Forest Agreement was announced. No longer news, the dispute "settled", it was recently discovered that the two coupes are following the pattern of 50% of coupes logged in East Gippsland's
Only 2% regeneration of eucalypts is discernible on one of the coupes, while the other fares better at 22%. Much of the $10 million provided by the EGFA is being spent on "scalping" (scraping off growing vegetation, debris and soil with a bulldozer), replanting and electric fencing on sites logged up to 14 years ago. One area is being replanted for a third time. A typical cost of such measures is $1200/ha.
The poor regeneration over 25 square kilometres in the Bendoc area of DCE's Orbost region is a public scandal. Industry and government claims that clear-felling emulates natural processes are proved false by the scrubby wastelands that cover vast tracts of once rich and diverse old growth forests. Yet similar sites are being prepared for logging this spring and summer. Remember, this is not for the creation of high quality timber, dressed and seasoned, but for export as woodchips.
A recent report produced for the Victorian Conservation Council by economist Judy Clark identifies existing plantations as the future growth areas for the forest industry in Victoria. The future of the East Gippsland sawmilling industry lies in low intensity harvesting of selected trees for seasoning, kiln-drying and further value adding.
If such a shift took place, less than 10,000 cubic metres would need to be harvested, compared with the 174,000 cubic metres of sawlogs the Victorian government is now committed to supplying annually. (This swells to over 500,000 cubic metres when the removal of "lower grade" logs for woodchipping is added.) There is scope for employing all current timber workers in such a value added industry, with appropriate training schemes.
State conservation and environment minister Barry Pullen has a big job ahead of him if he wants to make East Gippsland's forest management sustainable. Groups like Concerned Residents of East Gippsland, Rainforest Action Group, Conservation Council of Victoria, the Victorian National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society are doing their best to make sure he gets the message.
But it seems Alan Griffiths, the federal minister of resources who launched the draft national forest policy, has not yet got the complete picture. If a further three years of clear-cutting of old growth forests is allowed, the industry and the forests will turn to plantations at around the same time.
[Debbie McIlroy, a member of CROEG since its inception in 1980, is currently its secretary. To join or receive CROEG's newsletter, the Potoroo Review, send $12 (paid worker) or $10 (unpaid worker) to CROEG, Post Office, Bonang Vic 3888.]