CAMP FLORENTINE OUT OF EXCLUSION ZONE

Over 90 wrongful trespass charges

Conservation group Still Wild Still Threatened have today revealed that the Camp Florentine protest camp has never been in an exclusion zone. The protest has maintained a constant presence in the area since 2006. Forestry Tasmania has consistently stated that the camp is illegal and is situated in an exclusion zone.

Surveyor’s maps of the area clearly show that the protest site and all associated tree sits and other sites of protest activity fall outside the exclusion zone.

Last week it was revealed that Forestry Tasmania had bungled the mapping of the exclusion zone meaning a large area where the majority of protest has occurred in the last three years is outside the exclusion zone. The first arrests occurred in February, 2007 and since then Still Wild Still Threatened estimates that there has been over 90 charges of trespass laid against community members. In light of the exclusion zone being mapped incorrectly all of these people may now appeal against their conviction. "Forestry Tasmania’s incompetence and the inaccurate information they gave police means that the protest site is not in the exclusion zone and not a

single trespass charge against peaceful protesters has ever been legitimate."Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

"Forestry Tasmania’s staggering bungle raises serious doubts about their ability to manage our state’s forests and highlights their lack of accountability as they blindly led police and the State Government to believe that protests in the area were illegal." Said Mr.Hill. "A massive police operation that lasted the entire month of May drained police resources and tied up the force across the state, just to facilitate Forestry Tasmania’s decimation of ancient forest. Tasmania police acted as the public escorts for Forestry Tasmania and blindly followed their directions about where the exclusion zone begins. Tasmania police should have verified the location of the exclusion rather than accepting Forestry Tasmania’s inaccurate information and making wrongful arrests." Said Mr.Hill.

"The State Government has vilified forest protesters for their supposed illegal actions when in fact they’ve been legal all along. Premier Bartlett should apologise to concerned members of the public who have stood up for Tasmania’s forests and wrongfully been arrested and charged, due to the incompetency of the State owned business enterprise Forestry Tasmania." Said
Ed Hill.

WRONGLY CONVICTED UPPER FLORENTINE PROTESTERS URGED TO APPEAL

Over 90 former defendants to be contacted

Conservationists convicted of trespass in the Upper Florentine valley will be contacted and urged to appeal against their convictions, according to Still Wild Still Threatened.

The organisation that spearheaded protests in the old growth forests of the Upper Florentine said that more than 90 charges of trespass have been laid and gone before the courts since February 2007. Still Wild Still Threatened will put a call out via the internet sites Facebook and Myspace, as well as email contact lists, to the 90 plus people arrested in the Upper Florentine for trespass, including many international visitors, urging them to get legal advice to appeal against their convictions.

This follows the revelation that Forestry Tasmania bungled the exclusion zone boundary and gave wrong information to the police, resulting in the trespass charge against Derwent Valley grandmother Lynda Blyth being dropped. The police have also communicated that trespass charges against others accused of trespass would also be dropped if they fall into the same category as that of Ms Blyth, who was arrested over 200 metres from the exclusion zone.

"Dozens of people have stood up to the Government, Forestry Tasmania and the logging industry to defend the ancient forests of the Upper Florentine and they have been wrongly accused of breaking the law," said Natalie Keene, Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson. “Many have been wrongfully convicted because the police blindly accepted the word of Forestry Tasmania."

"Those wrongly convicted should have legal and other costs incurred through their arrests and trials reimbursed by Forestry Tasmania," Ms Keene said.

The Upper Florentine exclusion zone has been in place off and on according to the bungled boundaries since April 2006. Since then, there have been a constant community presence and numerous protests resulting in over 90 charges of trespass.

"Forestry Tasmania should apologise to all the members of our community they have wrongly accused of breaking the law," said Ms Keene. "We demand that the Tasmanian Government put in place a more effective watchdog for Forestry Tasmania, whose incompetence continues to be exposed." Ms Keene said.

"Premier Bartlett has egg on his face because he blindly accepted Forestry Tasmania's claims that people were breaking the law. We hope this development will encourage him to be less gullible - and more clever - in his approach to the forest issue." said Ms Keene.

ASSAULTED CONSERVATIONISTS APPEAR IN COURT

Conservationists who were assaulted by logging contractors in the Upper Florentine valley last October will appear as witnesses today in Hobart Magistrates court. Miranda Gibson, 28, of Hobart and Nishant Datt, 23 of Lucaston were assaulted by logging contractors at a protest against logging of a contentious old growth area. The incident was captured on camera and images made headlines across the nation.

“"Whatever the verdict is today, it will not resolve the on-going conflict over Tasmania's forests. What we really need is for the State Government and Gunns to take responsibility for healing the divide in the Tasmanian community. We need a solution that adequately protects high conservation value forests while also addressing the needs of logging communities by providing a genuine sustainable forest industry." Said Miranda Gibson.

“Direct action protests are last ditch efforts to stop the decimation of ancient forests; after all other campaign avenues have been exhausted. The State Government has the capacity to solve the conflict over old growth logging by making use of existing plantations; however they continue to divide our community, and liquidate what remains of unprotected ancient forests.” Said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ed Hill.

Counterclaim against Gunns heard

Media Release 11:30am 23 July 2009

Case Continues as Triabunna Forest Activists Sue Gunns Over Pulp Mill Claims

Eleven forest activists sued for their part in December’s climate change protest action at Gunns’ Triabunna woodchip mill today took the first step in pursuing a separate claim against Gunns for misleading the public over claims no old growth forests or logs will be used in its proposed Tamar pulp mill.

At a hearing this morning it was confirmed that Gunns are now the defendants in the case, after a June decision by Justice David Porter to separate the claim Gunns’ damages claim over the Triabunna protest and the claim by activists regarding the pulp mill.

“ Gunns Limited have been attempting some fancy footwork to obscure the fact that no one is interested in investing in their old fashioned, filthy, native forest consuming pulp mill,” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Warrick Jordan.

“ Gunns' claims that no old growth forests or logs will be used in the pulp mill is another plank in their dubious PR strategy to convince investors and the Tasmanian public that the mill will be environmentally friendly,” Warrick Jordan said.

“Any claims that the Bell Bay mill will be environmentally friendly are a load of rubbish. As well as concerns regarding air and water pollution from the mill, it will consume one million tonnes of native forest for the first 2 decades of operation, including high conservation value forests. Gunns' has also not proved that it will not use old growth forests in the mill,” Warrick Jordan said.

“ We firmly believe Gunns have a case to answer, and look forward to seeing them in court as the case progresses,” Warrick Jordan said.

Background: Forest activists are suing Gunns for misleading and deceiving the public over claims that no old growth forests and no old growth logs will be used in its proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill. Activists believe this deception is a breach of Sections 51 and 52 of the Trade Practices Act.

The defendant's counterclaim is based on Gunns' public statements that no ' old growth forests' and no 'old growth logs' will be used in its proposed pulp mill. The defendants are claiming that under sections 52 and 51a of the Trade Practices Act Gunns is engaging in 'deceptive and misleading' conduct. The defendants are seeking an injunction to prevent Gunns from making future statements of the same nature.

Forestry Tasmania Claims are Wrong

MEDIA RELEASE

17/5/09

OVER 50% OF UPPER FLORENTINE TALL EUCALYPT FORESTS THREATENED BY LOGGING

Still Wild Still Threatened are today calling on Premier Bartlett and Minister David Llewellyn, to instruct Forestry Tasmania to correct the public record and precisely state the extent of planned logging in tall eucalypt forests of the Upper Florentine.

Letters to the Premier and minister’s offices were sent yesterday requesting clarification of data on the Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) website that shows the area available for harvesting in the Upper Florentine is almost double what Forestry Tasmania claim.

“The release of maps and data, compiled from information on the LIST website, has proved clearly that the protected area of the Upper Florentine is significantly smaller than Forestry Tasmania claim it is. The data also shows that 53% of tall eucalypt forest is available for logging and 56% of old growth tall eucalypt forest is available for logging.” Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

“Forestry Tasmania is still denying the facts, that over half the tall forest in the catchment is readily available for wholesale destruction, and that large areas of land within the catchment are protected solely to boost protected land percentages as they are non forest of no commercial value to Forestry Tasmania.”

“Forestry Tasmania has confirmed that the data we are using from the LIST is the same data they are using, why then are they still sticking by their figure of 90%, when our data shows this is clearly not the case”

“The State government must instruct Forestry Tasmania to correct the public record and inform the public of the extent of their logging plans for this ancient wilderness forest.

Elected representatives have a responsibility to verify, with the appropriate maps and data from the L.I.S.T website, Forestry Tasmania’s claims.”

“If the figures that we have compiled from the data are correct as we believe, we request that the State Government corrects Forestry Tasmania’s figures.”

“Data we’ve compiled shows that only 5ha or 20 percent of the Eucalyptus regnans forest within the catchment is protected.

Eucalyptus regnans are the tallest flowering hardwood trees on the planet and a recent study undertaken by the ANU and published in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that these trees are the best in the world at storing carbon.”

“Logging rotations of 30-80 years will never allow Eucalypts that were 400 years at the time of logging, to fully recover and store carbon to the levels it was prior to logging”

“This data and report show how Forestry Tasmania really values our carbon rich old growth forests, as nothing more than a barrier that stands in the way of their desire to establish plantation like regeneration forest.”

“Forestry Tasmania says that extra areas of forest will be protected as significant sites worthy of protection like karst formations, caves, giant trees and endangered species such as wedge tailed eagles are identified.”

“It is well known that the Upper Florentine valley is riddled with special features such as these, and it highlights Forestry Tasmania’s complete disregard for these features as they have done no ground surveying of the area for special values and intend to survey as they log the area.”

“One has to wonder why Forestry Tasmania wants to log an area with so many special features, and how many of these special features will they fail to see before the bulldozers destroy them.” Concluded Mr. Hill.

Forestry Tasmania called to account for misleading claims on Florentine Valley

Community group Still Wild Still Threatened (SWST) today released new data showing that Forestry Tasmania’s claim that 90% of the Upper Florentine catchment is “protected or otherwise unavailable for logging” is misleading.

50 people gathered at Forestry Tasmania headquarters to hear forest campaigners present new information disputing Forestry’s claims of protected land in the Upper Florentine.

Data compiled by forest campaigners from the Land Information System Tasmania reveal that 53% of the catchment’s commercially desirable tall wet eucalypt forests are still available for logging.

“Forestry Tasmania, the state government, federal MPs and even Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have all claimed that 90% of the Upper Florentine catchment is ‘protected or otherwise unavailable for logging’”, said SWST spokesperson Ed Hill.

“But to date – even despite repeated requests by the Derwent Valley community, a complaint to the Ombudsman and requests under Freedom of Information by a journalist from the Australian newspaper - Forestry has refused to provide any data or maps that verify its claims,” said Mr Hill.

“Now, maps and data compiled by forest campaigners shows that the area of the Upper Florentine catchment that is available for logging is nearly double what Forestry Tasmania has claimed.”

“What’s worse, 53% of tall wet eucalypt forest – the forest type that Forestry most wants to log - remains available for logging,” said Mr Hill. “56% of old growth tall eucalypt forest is available for logging”.

“Tasmania is world-renowned for its tall trees. But 80% of the Upper Florentine’s Eucalyptus regnans old growth forest, the tallest flowering plant species on the planet, is unprotected from logging.”

“If Forestry Tasmania is as transparent as they claim to be they would have released this data to the public. Instead they have left it up to volunteer forest campaigners to sift through data to see if Forestry’s claims are correct.”

“Forestry Tasmania has deliberately not released this data as it contradicts their claims that 90% of the catchment is unavailable for harvesting.”

“If logging in the Upper Florentine is sustainable and ecologically sensitive as Forestry claim, why do they make false and misleading claims to justify their operations?”

“Old growth and tall eucalypt forests not only have important biodiversity values, but are recognised as key carbon sinks. If we are to avoid dangerous climate change, we need to leave these big trees standing”, said Mr Hill.

Long time conservationist Geoff Law said that Forestry Tasmania’s logging plans would destroy the integrity of the entire Upper Florentine valley.

“The Upper Florentine valley will be gutted by Forestry Tasmania’s plans to destroy over 1,000 and as much as 2,000 hectares of old growth forest,” said Mr Law.

Vast Majority of Timber from the Upper Florentine Chipped

Conservationists from Still Wild Still Threatened are disputing Forestry Tasmania's claims that recently logged forest in the Upper Florentine was not harvested for wood chips.

"Forestry Tasmania claim that saw logs and veneer logs comprised 35% of timber harvested, however they have provided no documents to prove this. The fact remains that the vast majority of timber harvested in the area was wood chipped and exported." Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

"If Forestry Tasmania wants to increase their saw log yield they should stop sending saw logs to the wood chip mills. If you drive from Hobart to Triabunna you will overtake dozens of log trucks on their way to the wood chip mill, many carrying perfectly good saw logs." Said Mr.Hill

"The ancient forests of the Upper Florentine contain few good saw logs as most of the trees are old and hollow, that’s precisely why Forestry Tasmania wants to log the area, to rid it of ancient low grade trees and replace them with a young eucalypt forest resembling a plantation." Said Mr Hill.

“Many special species rainforest trees have been removed from the area and chipped. Species such as Celery Top Pine, Myrtle and Sassafras take centuries to reach harvestable size; current logging practices are wasting this unique resource. Future logging rotations in the area will never allow special species timber to reach productive ages.” Said Mr Hill.

"Forestry Tasmania has continually made claims about the Upper Florentine with no evidence or documents to back them up. If Forestry Tasmania is entering into a "new era of transparency" as they claim, then they need to start providing the public with maps and documents that prove their claims." Said Mr.Hill.

"If logging operations in the Upper Florentine were sustainable and sensitive to the ecological needs of the area then why do Forestry Tasmania constantly come up with outrageous and unsupported claims to prop up the environmentally criminal act, logging of old growth forest."

"Forestry Tasmania's supposed facts and figures are nothing more than smoke and mirrors to distract the public from the fact that they are logging old growth rainforests that in the 21st century in a first world country, should not be logged." Concluded Mr Hill.