I wrote and sent this letter and got zero replies from the State Govt. on this issue.
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To
The Hon Lily D'Ambrosio,
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change
Level 17, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, VIC 3002
Phone (03) 9637 9504
Fax (03) 9637 7580
lily.d'ambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au
Sender :
Mr. T. On Snow shoes
name and address supplied.
5.3.17
REGARDING: The logging of Old Growth Mountain Ash forests in Victoria.
Dear Minister
I am deeply concerned about The logging of Old Growth Mountain Ash forests in Victoria.
On February 8th 2017 I went and visited the Rubicon state forest. It is being clear felled and logged at an alarming rate and the Royston range in particular is being turned into a wasteland denuded of vegetation.
I was shocked and saddened by what I saw. The sight of numerous logging trucks was unsettling and the sounds of chainsaws echoed throughout what should be an unspoiled and peaceful place.
The Old growth Mountain ash forests of Victoria and in particular of the central highlands need to be protected by the creation of a Great National park listing.
These beautiful old eco systems cannot be allowed to be clear felled until there is nothing left.
Melbourne’s water supply in part is derived from these areas. Removal of large tracts of old growth forests in what is Australia’s most heavily deforested state ( Victoria) cannot have a positive effect on the water supply or habitats for natural and endangered flora and fauna.
The state faunal emblem , an endangered species ,the Lead beater’s possum inhabits these areas but not for long it would seem.
The climate will also suffer as necessary areas of old growth forest capture pollution , carbon dioxide in particular and convert it into oxygen. The result will be that fewer dense old growth forests that remain intact then the hotter and drier these areas will become.
The Mountain Ash tree is the tallest flowering plant on Earth. They are a natural wonder.
Once these forests are logged they do not grown back the same way and they take over 300 years to return to something that is more or less what was there before they were logged. The bush quickly becomes scrubbier and more prone to fire.
Sadly the planet does not have another 300 years for today’s people in power to see that all this destruction must stop if we are all to survive at all.
Melbourne is growing and urban density and urban sprawl is increasing. Having beautiful old growth mountain ash forests close to Melbourne can only be a positive thing for all people who need to retreat to somewhere natural, serene and peaceful and interact with nature for maintaining good mental and physical health.
This ties into the eco-tourism potential in the mountain ash forests that are close to the North East of Melbourne that is being destroyed. It seems to me that as long as the trees along the roadside of the Black spur and Dom Dom saddle scenic drive remain intact , then the rest can be all chopped down.
My friend and I walked along the old Rubicon aqua duct and tramway. This sort of easy and scenic forest walk could easily be part of a greater tourist plan to preserve the old growth mountain ash forests for low environmental impact recreation. Our day with nature left us feeling both revived and incensed about the destruction of the old growth forests in the area that spans from Healsville to Lake Eildon.
Later I looked into this matter and found that the State Government of Victoria is both the conservation legislator and is a financial backer of the firm known as “Vic Logging”.
What is more the old growth logs are being sent to Japan to make paper.
Furthermore the Japanese own a large share of the company that is logging the old growth mountain ash forests of Victoria and particular in the Rubicon state forest .
This is a clear conflict of interest when examining the state government of Victoria’s approach to preserving our living treasures of the natural world.
In effect it is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
This is a travesty. This is sickening. This is wrong! .
I am telling people to see the Rubicon state forest or what is left of it now , before it is all gone. Once it is clear felled then it will be gone for good since you and I will not live 300 years to see it grow back and nor will our planet!.
This is also aboriginal land which is the home of many traditions and stories of importance to the indigenous Australians of the area . Their ancestral home is being turned into a wasteland just add insult to over 200 years of injury and dispossession .
I urge you as minister not give into bellicose and blinkered unions who jump up and down on the spot about job losses in 19th century environmentally exploitative industries that clear fell old growth mountain ash forests. These people could all potentially retrain and get a job in eco tourist areas if there is any forest left for them to make the vocational transition from logging and saw milling old growth forests into a sustainable range of employment possibilities.
The only ethical and environmentally sustainable decision any sane person could make regarding this matter is to include and gazette all remaining old growth mountain ash forests of Victoria into new national parks, national Parks that will be properly funded so that these living treasures can be preserved for posterity.
Yours Faithfully
Mr. T . on Snow shoes."