Forest Logging

It is believed that the Queensland Government is spending too little on protecting its forest and too much on destroying it. ‘Community groups are sweating to planting trees while government bulldozers are clearing them away’ (3) The rate of forest destruction to planting in Queensland is 10:1. The ACF (Australian Conservation Foundation) Executive Director Don Henry says ‘… $76 million has been spent on fencing off and planting about 130 000 hectares while more than ten times that amount has been …

…small trees.’ (4) Destroying old trees releases ‘lots’ of CO2 and planting new young trees absorb only ‘a little bit’ of CO2. Therefore, there is a ‘net loss’ of carbon stocks in the forests. REFERENCES: 1. - 2. Media Release, 5th March 2000 - ‘Prime Minister Must Support Queensland Farmers’ 3. Media Alert, 18th February 2000 - ‘PM has chance to save 940 million regional Australians’ 4. http://www.acfonline.org.au/campaigns/forests/briefings/infopaper.htm 5. ‘Jungle and Forests’ by Clint Twist