Baillieu Government burns private firewood suppliers

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

Media release

Conservation groups have described a Baillieu Government decision to scrap permits needed to collect firewood on public land as environmentally irresponsible and anti-competitive.

The Victorian National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society have expressed grave concern that the growing farm forestry sector, where farmers grow trees for firewood on private land, will be put at risk by this decision.

"Abolishing permits flies in the face of long-standing advice from experts and advisory bodies that removal of fallen timber is detrimental to threatened native species," VNPA spokesperson Nick Roberts said today.

"Animals such as the Tree Goanna and ground-dwelling birds like the Bush Curlew need fallen logs and debris for shelter and nesting, and uncontrolled firewood collection will damage their habitat.

"This is bad for the environment, bad for private enterprise and anti-competitive," he said.

"The Liberal Party has always strongly supported private enterprise and frowned on governments interfering in markets.

"This decision threatens private timber growers, destroying investment, undermining markets and jeopardising jobs in a fledgling industry.

"This appears to be a government thought-bubble with no consultation and is a reversal of long-standing government strategies that will ultimately impact on farmers who grow trees."

Conservation groups are concerned at a growing list of attacks on the environment by Victoria's Coalition Government.

"Cows in national parks, bans on wind farms, logging habitat of the state's faunal emblem, no environment policies, and now a firewood free-for-all. I am sure this is not what most people expected from the Baillieu Government," Mr Roberts said.

A report highlighting the impacts of firewood collection on native species states that:

"Twenty-one species of native birds are considered to be threatened by firewood collection in Australia; nineteen of these species occur in Victoria. One example, the hollow-nesting Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) forages predominantly amongst standing dead trees and logs, gleaning invertebrate prey from fissures and hollows. Two such threatened taxa in the 'firewood' regions of Victoria are the Tree Goanna and the Carpet Python, both of which utilise hollows in both large logs and large trees."

For comment

- Nick Roberts, VNPA Red Gum Project Coordinator - 0429 945 429.