‘Forest management claims lack credibility’
If Forestry Corporation's logging (Narooma News, 17 Sep) is an “excellent example of sustainable forest management”, it would qualify for Forest Stewardship Council certification, but it doesn't.
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Reasons for the failure can be found in every harvesting plan.
At Corunna, Forestry claims the soils are not dispersible. This contrasts with the credible soil landscape mapping finding the soils are dispersible and sodic. This limitation is due to the reduction of native species, like the southern brown bandicoot, necessary for maintaining soil fertility. Coupled with the negative impacts of logging and burning, reduced soil fertility means many tree species do not grow back after logging. Those that do are stunted and unlikely to produce a saw log.
According to Forestry's own research, the forest is like most on the South Coast, subject to extensive canopy die back, associated with dry weather and drought. This threat, also due to reducing soil fertility, explains the large areas of lantana in the compartment.
An independent review into the key threatening process, bellminer associated dieback, found a reduction in leaf and canopy cover, from dieback or logging, led to an increase in plants like lantana and pittosporum that provided increased nesting opportunities for bellminers.
None of this matters to the corporation, its state regulators or the state government. Rather, because National Parks are managed in a similarly unsustainable manner, the idea is to log them, when the timber resource is totally exploited in state forests.
Robert Bertram, Bermagui
Call for panel reviews
Readers may be interested to know Eurobodalla Shire Council has backed down and agreed to change its proposed handling of a complaint by Stop Arms Fairs in Eurobodalla (SAFE).
SAFE’s 65-page complaint, detailing alleged breaches of legal requirements and guidelines over a period of years by the council, was initially forwarded by the council to an external reviewer, who was the subject of part of the complaint.
SAFE had to point out to the Council the inappropriateness of this action, and was supported in this opinion by the reviewer. The council then sent the complaint to another reviewer. Part of SAFE’s complaint relates to the council’s continued use of a single external reviewer, rather than the recommended panel.
The council’s apparent disregard for due process, in proposing that the subject of a complaint should also be the reviewer of that complaint, underlines what SAFE is concerned about in relation to this council’s conduct. There is far too much lack of transparency and failure to ensure proper process in making important decisions.
Shire residents deserve better. I note another Code of Conduct complaint has been made following the council meeting of August 28. I suggest the Council use this opportunity to adopt the “panel of reviewers” approach to dealing with such matters, as set out in the Office of Local Government’s “Procedures for the Administration of the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils”.
Heather Irwin, SAFE Inc. President
YDrive to the rescue
My daughter Jaimee has just completed the pilot program of YDrive, run by Eurobodalla Shire Council.
She now has her licence, which will make looking for work much easier. This fantastic program helps young people get their hours up for their driving test. It is for kids who don’t have access to a car for lessons, the money for lessons or someone to teach them. These wonderful people have (our) heartfelt thanks. Jaimee is an anxious young lady and their patience, assistance and friendship have truly been a blessing to her. I am so happy the program will continue.