What is going on in Tasmania?

[felixe]

Bloody hell there I go again, sorry everyone.

Again, Woodbe I apologise, at no time was I insinuating or do I believe you are a tree hugging hippy. Sorry for jumping down your throat.


But I have to ask this, everyone gets upset about the clearfelling of trees in Tasmania's forests, but no-one complains about the massive land clearing (for example between Brisbane and the GoldCoast) and urban sprawl which is much more prevelant in NSW, Vic and Qld than in Tasmania.

Why?

I don't want to take on the world, but I agree with Sheddie!!

Not another word I promise!

[dazzler]

come on, just one more

I think people are biased about tassie cause it is such a lovely place

no more, I promis

[Clinton1]

1080 laced carrots - Isn't 1080 banned, I am sure it is!

No, still in use and is the poison of choice as it does not build up in the environment, just kills what eats it.
See this DPI Tas paper.

Ahhh, glad to see someone raised the issus of Forestry and land clearing, and land clearing for urban sprawl.

Solution? Implement a vermin control program for humans, bloody population is in plague proportions wrt land degradation impacts.

Edit: and I do believe that the intense burns carried out for planting a 'selected species' or monoculture 'forestry' regeneration is designed to rid the ground of competing 'weed' species... ie get rid of the seed bank in the soil. sad.

[dazzler]

You still alive...........no darts or rocks in the head

[woodbe]

Felixe,

At no time did I set out to confuse the issue, but it is irresponsible to take a picture of a cloud in the sky and based on "word of mouth" (unless woodbe would like to clarify he went to the source of the cloud) and start making rash statements about clearfelling and burnoffs!!

Enough shooting the messenger. It's NOT a cloud. If it concerns you that I claim to have seen this stuff so much, all I can ask of you is that you ask yourself one simple question:

What if woodbe is telling the truth and this really is happening?

I'm not a scumbag mate. We had perfectly clear skies that day, made camp early at about 3PM. One of our group pointed out a large mushroom cloud in the east above the forest line, and we all sat there watching it. Later on we found someone to explain what it was, and that's when I took the photo. By then the mushroom had collapsed. I'm not exaggerating, it was massive. Awe-inspiring in speed of generation and size.

It was also clearly not cloud. By dusk, the smoke had covered the whole sky, and you can see that it was rolling past Barn Bluff as you can see in the second photo. The smell of woodsmoke in the air in the morning was also pronounced.

I can tell you about 12 people who saw it, and none of them made the slightest suggestion it was cloud. And no, I didn't go to the source, it was probably 20+ kms away. Others here have explained what is apparently going on independant of my description.

For what it's worth, it sounds like the game has changed significantly since you were there. For starters, it's not Forestry Tasmania, it's private enterprise...

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
Mark Twain

woodbe.

[ernknot]

Doesn't look like much, does it. Bit of a fire. It's taken from Lake Windermere on the Overland track a week or so ago. What you see is the result of a firebomb application to the bush just outside the world heritage area. It's apparently standard practice for preparing native forest for planting in Tassie, and here's how I understand it's carried out:

The site is logged of ‘useful’ timber; Helicopters fly in and ignite the area using a Napalm type of substance that creates a very intense inferno in the area to be cleared. The fire quickly consumes available local oxygen, and there is a large inrush of air from the surrounding area which drives and supports a massive column of smoke and ash. Once the burn is complete, bulldozers move in and push the remnants into windrows. The fire germinates many native plant species which are then eliminated with herbicides. New species of fast-growing pulp-able timber is planted, and Native animals are actively poisoned (carrots laced with 1080) to prevent them from damaging the newly planted trees.

If carbon trading ever gets off the ground, I can’t imagine how this practice could continue. It appalls me that magnificent timber and wildlife is trashed in this fashion. If you search the web, you’ll find that most of the timber taken lands up as woodchip.

While I was away walking the Overland Track, the Federal government announced some plan to spend money preventing de-forestation in third world countries, and the Tasmanian government pushed through a fast-track approval of a new pulp mill that will apparently double the amount of timber chipped in the state.

This all seems terribly hypocritical, and in the curent climate of global warming and general eco-awareness, it's a bit frightening to see such disregard for the land and native animals. Maybe I'm wrong, and this process is a positive, but I'm at a loss to see how...

The smoke filled the sky by dusk, and made for a colourful sunset:



woodbe.

Are you a woody or a tree hugger? if you are a tree hugger - bugger of if you are a woody - get real.

[ozwinner]

Rightho kiddies, settle down..

Al

[Grunt]

Solution? Implement a vermin control program for humans, bloody population is in plague proportions wrt land degradation impacts.

Absobloodylootly.

[ozwinner]

Grunt and the Princess Grunt!!

Step forward, you have been chosen for termination, congratulations.

Al

[woodbe]

Are you a woody or a tree hugger? if you are a tree hugger - bugger of if you are a woody - get real.

I can't imagine why those options are mutually exclusive.

This is not about me, seems that I have raised a prickly subject though.

I was appalled with what I saw and heard in Tasmania, still am.

The discussion against what I have shown seems to revolve around 2 premises:

Either

1) It isn't happening, woodbe is lying or horribly misinformed.

2) It might be happening, but it doesn't matter because it's good for Tasmania.

Happy to continue discussing it if people can lay off personalising it.

woodbe.

[scooter]

Happy to continue discussing it if people can lay off personalising it.

Agree, play the ball not the man.

[Grunt]

Yes, it's amazing how many people on these forums have posted that they hate 'Greenies' and 'Tree Huggers' and other derogatory terms for those who actually care something about the world we live in.

I'm with Kermit, it isn't easy being green.

[Grunt]

Grunt and the Princess Grunt!!

Step forward, you have been chosen for termination, congratulations.

Al

I've always thought I'd be the first with my back to the wall when the revolution comes.

[Iain]

I spent two years with Constipation Forest and Lands in Vic and we used to have burn offs prior to re seeding, aircraft used to drop ping pong balls load with potassium permanganate injected with antifreeze into the regen area and hopefully start either a regen or fuel reduction burn (which we all know grow into massive uncontrollable bushfires).
Before this trees are felled and the 'gumnuts' seed pods were removed and placed on racks in a drying room, looked like single bed frames without the mattress, the rooms were heated to about 80c for memory for a few days to open the seed pods then the frames were shaked violently, the seeds would fall to the floor.
When all the rascks were done they were removed and a special machine was used to pick up the seeds (a broom, shovel and rubbish bin) and the seeds were then coated with an anti fungul goo.
After the burn these seeds were handed out to workers who would stuble through the rough terrain tossings seeds all around and then wait for a new forest to appear, don't forget a cut lunch as it takes a while.
There were also what was known as reference areas, a dfark secret and never shown on maps, but these areas had to remain untouched so species could be observed by scientists.
In the national parks were some examples of government filth, some of the vilest tips I have seen including a large rock crevice with a stream flowing below into which all sorts of the workers camp waste was dumped, but God help you if you tossed a can out of your car window.

[felixe]

'scuse me Sir- Mr Ozwinner, may I say something.................