Ancient forests of my heart
My last post
Perhaps for me there will be some revery
But not for the fallen
who lost their lives
Lest we forget that we are a small part of nature
We are doomed to do it all again
This is an example of the emails i have been sending for a few years now to NGs Ministers and senators regarding
Native forest logging and pine plantations
I am an Ecologist and retired Biology/Science teacher .
I spent much money and over 10 years(2001– ) trying to protect, what I called ,’original native forest ‘ or ‘ancient forest’ in Tasmania, when at the time I went there these were being called ‘old-growth’ by people wishing to conserve them.
Of course I am completely opposed to any logging of predominately Original Native forests ie ancient forests where most trees are over 200 years old.
My concerns with regard to preventing any kind of logging in native forests would be that STERILE MONOCULTURES OF CONIFEROUS FORESTS (NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA OR EUROPE) WOULD PROLIFERATE ,ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY AVAILABLE FOR TREE PLANTING DUE TO CARBON OFFSETS ETC.
Coniferous forests native to the northern hemisphere may seem natural to some ,but Europeans have done enough terraforming in Australia to make it feel more like home . Ending Native forest logging in Northern Europe for example, Sweden ,would end felling of any tree there ,since they are all NATIVE trees !
These areas of monoculture plantations ,while largely free from predation by native animals , being a benefit for maximising tree growth ,exclude Australian native animals and plants.
If Eucalyptus species are used in plantations, they are likely to be genetically modified or from another region of Australia such that when due to be ‘harvested’ are not classifiable as native forest .
I have seen someone on social media pushing for an end to native forest logging and at the same time calling for more plantations ..What species ,where ? WE HAVE ENOUGH PINUS elliottii and P., radiata. Pinus sp., here displace native animals and acidify the soils .
Whereas NATIVE TREE SPECIES (particularly mixed species, if suitable) would provide habitat and food for native animals and cohabiting plants even if only for 30 -100 years ,before felling .
IF FORESTS OF NATIVE SPECIES CANNOT BE USED they may seek to plant pIne trees on farm land or other cleared land where restoration of native habitat is called for.(THERE IS GREAT INVESTMENT PRESSURE FOR THIS WITH MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INVESTED IN TREE PLANTING AS A CLIMATE CHANGE CURE/SALVE.
I believe that tree planting, especially from carbon offset money should be used to restore degraded or removed native forests where the land is not needed for food production .
“The big scrub” in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland was once, huge , stretching from beyond the border ranges ,behind Lismore and down to the coast from Byron Bay to beyond Ballina ,it is now reduced to a few remnant ,separated hectares, this in my opinion would be a wonderful area to start to restore, along Creek lines through farmlands from the mountains down to the coast.
There must be many degraded areas in Australia which were once wonderful forests !!
Jetstar has or had genuine restoration as part of their carbon offsets ,I don’t know about others .
Let any tree planting for climate change, be for Nature not for financial return in x years .
Maximum carbon absorption (growth rates) will be in high rainfall subtropical and tropical areas like the big scrub and the north Queensland coast
A reiteration but I see continued effort to end native forest logging which may seem good but could do a lot more harm than good if not very carefully phrased and monitored.
If farm land planted over with Exotic trees is needed in the future and fossil fuel powered machines cannot then be used to remove tree roots left in the ground, we may have to spend our lifetimes removing them by hand as our ancestors did ?
I have concerns that the Forestry industry will be led *to planting ONLY EXOTIC PINE TREES, IN PLANTATIONS, which acidify the soil and do not provide food or habitat for native species. *out of fear that in 30 or 50 years they will be prevented from logging native species.
NO NEW ALIEN PINE PLANTATIONS PLEASE, IF ITS A MUST THEN PLANT SILVER BIRCH AS A BALANCING COMPANION SPECIES
ANCIENT ORIGINAL NATIVE FORESTS NEED PROTECTING , but if all of the forest is regrowth then surely it is better to log these in a more Ecologically Sustainable way, than to keep planting foreign species, creating an Ecological desert of monoculture . eg felling coup size reduced to 1-5 ha with wildlife corridors always being left and 5m+ buffers from creeks -rivers unless true ecologically sustainable selective logging methods are used instead .
I am keen to know what safeguards are proposed to ensure that the Exotic Plantation scenarios outlined above do not occur.
To make it clear I am only concerned that if all Native Forest logging is stopped Australia wide we will end up with massive areas of EXOTIC PLANTATIONS devoid of life and am seeking assurance that this will not happen ?
Sincerely
Edwin Jensen
* PS Perhaps some people are so out of touch with nature that they prefer a sterile environment where no native animals can survive, than to see some ,after many generations, die when an area is cleared ??
PPS Lack of local knowledge can also make some believe that a tall tree is an old one ,this is not the case with fast growing Eucalyptus species in ideal environmental conditions, trees may reach 50 metres in 50 years !
PREVIOUS FORST CONSERVATION EFFORTS
I have a very scientific yet creative mind and having taught senior biology and chemistry for some years and am an Ecologist by training and inventor by nature I feel that I am very suitable for a position as CONSULTANT or other type by negotiation . Please see my website naturetrips.com.au
Also I have been an inventor 30 years and have accumulated much knowledge in many areas including IP.
I am a 64 yo male yet I believe that I am well qualified for a position having also done much unpaid ECOLOGICAL WORK locally and globally since resigning from 10 years as a Biology teacher and having worked within the Queensland forestry department for over 7 years whilst studying part time for my Science Degree at QIT in Brisbane .
I have also become quite familiar with Tasmania her original people and Ecosystems ,especially her ancient and beautiful forests ,These efforts are detailed s follows–My Forest Conservation Efforts
This is a summary of my efforts to help save ancient forests in Canada and Australia.
Whilst on holiday in Canada in the summer of 2000 , I joined the Western Canada Wilderness Committee in efforts to raise awareness about the clearing of virgin forests including 400yo Douglas Fir trees by American company
Interfor ,later while based in San Francisco I raised awareness of the issue
again .
From 2001 to 2009 I spent considerable amounts of my own money and time in raising awareness of the issues involving the clearing of ancient original native forests in Tasmania .The following are some of the ways I did this.
Before leaving my home in Byron Bay to help in Tasmania I bought the Tasmanian situation to the attention of local radio in Byron Bay .
I purchased considerable quantities of second hand clothing and placed photographs of the Tasmanian trees, their remains and maps of the remaining and cleared forests on them. These were given to people and sold in the Byron and Huon valley environment centre
I approached Olivia Newton John who later went to the Styx valley in Tasmania and her efforts including television advertisements also helped.
I wrote to the ABC about the prospect of doing a documentary on the issue after having seen their rainforest and symphony videos .
I approached the manager of Jimmy Barnes several times to see if he could do a rendition of lay down your Gunns and surrender .Though he did not do this he later went the the styx valley.
I commissioned a life sized sand sculpture of a stump of a recently felled Eucalyptus regnans tree by Steve on the main beach of Byron Bay and spent some days distributing wilderness society postcards showing the same tree.
I obtained information on the distribution of the very tall original native forests of Tasmania including cool temperate rainforest , superimposed the reserves over these to show that the tall Eucalyptus forests were almost totally outside of the world heritage area along with other information I published the above as a brochure and distributed these at my own cost. —SEE BELOW
As shown clearly in my brochures of 15 years ago the E. Regnans (red) and E.delegatensis and E. Obliqua (blue) were almost entirely outside of the world heritage area. Cool temperate rainforest is shown in Blue
In trying to raise awareness of these issues I printed these maps on particular items of clothing .
To try to show the non tree value of these ancient forests I took many photographs of forest fungi and a CD of these was given to the cradle coast authority.
In trying to raise awareness of these issues I printed these maps on particular items of clothing .
To try to show the non tree value of these ancient forests I took many photographs of forest fungi and a CD of these was given to the cradle coast authority.
I took part in many rallies and events in Hobart and the Styx valley and after exhausting my ideas on how to help more in Tasmania I sent all of my maps of Tasmanian forests along with other information to Mark Latham (labor opposition leader in 2004).
I then decided to travel to England for a year to raise awareness of the Tasmanian forest issues during this time I gave lectures including powerpoint displays to Greenpeace at Reading met and discussed the issues with the London greens and royal horticultural society .I distributed Dvds of the forest issues in Tasmania to be shown at Glastonbury and other festivals in the solar movie show.
I helped distribute greens how to vote cards at London house during the 2004 Australian government election.
I also travelled to France (easter 2005) to raise awareness in Paris of the issue of logging and destruction of French ruins at Recherché Bay south of Hobart.
Because the crown princess of Denmark was born in Hobart I took this opportunity to Visit Denmark and to send the royal prince and princess ,seeds from Tasmanian forest trees, my brochure(extract above) ,dvds and other information in 2004 and 2005 .I sent them a further 1 kilogram of seeds in 2008 .I have no idea if this had any good effect, though I did receive replies and thanks .
Some years later I wrote to the UN regarding the then prime minister Tony Abbots’ proposal to adjust the world heritage area to remove 176,00Ha from the Florentine valley region ,I sent them my brochure and comparisons with the so called minor adjustment being equivalent to 140 central parks in New York ,They wrote back and thanked me for the information .Tony Abbots proposal was subsequently rejected . TWS attended the UN meeting I know perhaps the is what made the difference ?
I am currently in Sydney but have heard about the clearing still going on in the Florentine and have been raising awareness up here a little and on facebook etc .,
My casual science teaching work which used to fund my efforts has now ceased and so I need to find funds from somewhere so that I can keep focussing on these and other important Ecological issues
Commune with you soon
Edwin Jensen. B, App. Sc Bio, Grad Dip T