At a time when forestry has been recognised as our best chance to mitigate climate change, it’s disappointing that some doctors are calling for it to be shut down, says Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA). Source: Timberbiz
FWCA managing director, Justin Law, said the call contained in a media release by Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) today was a rehash of erroneous anti-forestry propaganda.
“We share DEA’s support the push to halt deforestation, but DEA seems to have been misled in what deforestation actually is,” Mr Law said.
“The native timber sector replants every one of the four trees in 10,000 harvested each year in the tiny portion of the forest where it operates.
“This is NOT deforestation, which is the permanent removal of forests for other use on the land such as urban development and agriculture.
“By repeating this falsehood, DEA shows that it has not properly looked into how forestry in Australia works and is simply taking the word of self-interested activist organisations.”
Mr Law said the impacts of closing the native timber sector would be devastating for timber communities.
“In Orbost alone, 36% of direct and indirect jobs in the town will be lost,” he said.
“That is a devastating impact on the town’s population and the services, including medical, not to mention the mental health issues suffered by people facing an uncertain future.
“Surely doctors would be concerned about the health of these people?”
Mr Law also pointed to the economic value of the sector in Gippsland’s Wellington Shire where it contributes $311 million in direct output and supports 1092 jobs.
“On top of that, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change states: ‘A sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit.’ (IPCC 4th Assessment).”
The Victorian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2020 showed that forestry contributed to a -25.3% share of emissions, absorbing 21.1 megatons of carbon.
“The products made from the timber and fibre extracted from the forest store carbon. The regrowing young trees absorb carbon at a faster rate than mature trees,” Mr Law said.
“These are irrefutable facts so it’s bewildering how members of a respected profession which relies on accuracy can get it so wrong.”
“DEA is absolutely right to be concerned about the environment and should be supporting forestry instead of contributing to the misery of our members by falling into lockstep with contradictory activist rhetoric.”
