DEAR News Of The Area,

THE recent desperate measures taken by members of the public in our nearby state forests, highlighting the destruction which is occurring right on our doorstep, is an understandable response given Forestry Corporation’s dismal failure at public relations.

Add t this the industry’s refusal to have a genuine conversation regarding the future sustainability of our native forests and species extinction and we’re in trouble.

While local mature hardwood plantations were always going to be harvested, calls by conservationists and locals for FOC to consider the broader landscape wildlife corridors and future of koala and other threatened species in the area were more than reasonable.

Persisting in sending in destructive heavy machinery to extract a relatively small number of logs from the adjacent native forests including old-growth areas shows arrogance and a total lack of diplomacy.

And that only reinforces the view that plantations are used as cover for continued destruction of areas of extensive biodiversity and prime wildlife habitat.

There is a growing global movement, at least in the developed world, to reduce deforestation and protect species diversity with both genuine ‘plantation timber only’ market certification mechanisms, and an established carbon offset economy valuing and financing conservation of forests.

Given the confirmed ending of native forest logging in West Australia and Victoria, recent revelations of an attempted move to do the same by the previous Liberal government in this state, and the current Labor government’s promise to establish a Great Koala National Park on the mid north coast; one would think the publicly-funded Forestry Corporation would be falling over itself to participate in some meaningful discussions to ensure it has a viable future. They could also restore some semblance of a social license in the process.

Regards,
Dave WOOD,
Boambee.