[Huon Forests] Update from Huon Valley Environment Centre - Today's Events

[jenny weber]

1. Forest Industry Worms - Protest Today
2. NAFI Dangerously Wrong on Wood Fired Power



Media Release
FOREST CONSERVATIONISTS TARGET TASMANIA’S ORGANISED INDUSTRY WORMS

Today, conservationists from Still Wild Still Threatened and the Huon
Valley Environment Centre staged a theatrical action at Forestry
Tasmania’s Hobart headquarters to highlight the fact that now is a
crucial time to protect the wild forests of southern Tasmania,
including the Styx, Upper Florentine and Weld Valleys.

Conservationists scaled the roof of the building, displaying a banner
reading “Rotting Tasmania to the core”. A giant rotting apple was
erected on the footpath outside the office, representing Tasmania. Six
giant worms with the familiar faces of Evan Rolley, Bob Gordon, Julian
Amos, Terry Edwards, Hans Drielsma and Ken Jeffreys wriggled out from
the rotten core of the apple.

“Our community wants to see a solution to the ongoing destruction of
Tasmania’s world-class native forests and the forest industry crisis.
Unfortunately, a small and powerful gang of ‘worms’ are rotting the
core of our beautiful island” said Still Wild Still Threatened
spokesperson Ula Majewski.

“These old-school cronies with insidious influence are actively
working to swing a giant wrecking ball through any attempt at a forest
solution by continuing to promote destructive logging practices that
are environmentally and economically unsustainable” said Ula Majewski.

“A unique opportunity exists to protect Tasmania’s native forests,
which could be derailed by this small gang of people who are hell-bent
on keeping the status quo and continuing to destroy our carbon rich
forests” Ula Majewski said.

“The Australian community wants to see the logging industry exit from
native forests now.  A recent poll found that 90% of Australians want
to see Tasmania’s high conservation value forests protected in
National Parks. 77% of Australians also want to see a halt to the
logging of native forests” said Huon Valley Environment Centre
spokesperson Jenny Weber.

See attached photos of the giant rotten apple and worms.

MEDIA RELEASE  21st June 2010
Huon Valley Environment Centre Inc.

NAFI dangerously wrong on burning wood for energy
US study shows biomass is a climate threat

Today’s claims by the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI)
regarding the climate benefits of burning native forests for power are
contradicted by the findings of a recent, major US study into the
carbon emissions profile of biomass energy, says the Huon Valley
Environment Centre.

“NAFI’s suggestion that generating power from the burning of timber
from native forests would help Australia to meet emissions reductions
targets is simply, and dangerously, wrong,” said HVEC spokesperson
Will Mooney.

“A recent study commissioned by the Government of Massachusetts into
the carbon emissions profile of burning wood for energy has shown
that, for at least fifty years, burning wood to generate an equivalent
amount of energy would create more emissions than burning coal,” Will
Mooney said.

The Manomet Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy Study, conducted
over six months, found that using wood for energy results in a “carbon
debt” because burning wood releases more CO2 into the atmosphere per
unit of energy than fossil fuels (oil, coal, or natural gas).

The study found that “For biomass replacement of coal-fired power
plants, the net cumulative emissions in 2050 are approximately equal
to what they would have been burning coal.”

“The findings of this major, government-commissioned study demonstrate
that if Australia is to meet crucial targets to reduce carbon
emissions by 2050, then burning wood for energy will be a hindrance,
not a help,” Will Mooney said.

“Australia’s political parties must act to remove so called “wood
waste” from the list of eligible renewable energy sources in the RET
legislation, before this polluting industry is allowed to undermine
attempts to chart a low-carbon future,” Will Mooney said.

Attached: Executive Summary of Manomet Biomass Report

Contact: Will Mooney, 0404 163 700
--
Will Mooney