Brumby government destroying pre-Columbus old growth forests

The Wilderness Society (Victoria) Inc
Media Release
3 April 2009

In a state first, radiocarbon dating has confirmed that a tree logged and killed by the Victorian government began growing before Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas.
 
“This a monumental find for Victoria.  The carbon sample, taken from a logged shining gum tree at Brown Mountain in East Gippsland, shows that there is a 68% chance the tree started growing between 1435 and 1490 AD.  The tree is well over 500 years old”, said Jill Redwood, coordinator for Environment East Gippsland who commissioned the study.

“The Brumby government must now act to pull the bulldozers from East Gippsland’s forests and protect all our remaining ancient forests - not just as natural relics but as ancient carbon stores”, Ms Redwood said.  “This finding is a key turning point in our understanding of the antiquity of forests. Two hundred years ago we had the excuse of ignorance – Premier Brumby can no longer use this to justify this logging.”

“VicForests, the state based logging agency, is making climate change worse”, said Luke Chamberlain, Victorian Forest Campaigner for The Wilderness Society.  “This significant discovery proves these forests have been storing carbon for over five centuries.  VicForests takes only a few short weeks, to log, burn and destroy them.”

“Victoria’s old growth forests are some of the most carbon dense on earth, and their protection must be part of Premier Brumby’s plan to tackle climate change”, Mr Chamberlain said.

“This old growth forest logging in Victoria has global implications.  The carbon emitted when native forests are logged makes up approximately 20% of the world’s CO2 emissions, yet Australia’s native forest emissions are not measured in our greenhouse accounting system,” said Lindsay Hesketh of the Australian Conservation Foundation.   “ACF welcomes Climate Change Minister Penny Wong’s announcement in New York this week that the Australian Government will actively advocate for the inclusion of measures to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.  The logging here in Victoria by the Victorian Brumby government highlights the need to also recognise and reduce emissions from logging in Australia.”
 
“The Victorian government promised to protect old growth forests in the lead up to the state election in 2006”, Ms Redwood said.  “Since then hundreds of hectares have been cut down. This highlights the emptiness of an unfulfilled election promise that is being sabotaged by VicForests.  What more evidence does Mr Brumby need?”