The Forum > Article Comments > Gunns capitulates to misinformation and bullying > Comments
Gunns capitulates to misinformation and bullying : Comments
By Mark Poynter, published 24/9/2010Gunns' move away from native forests reflects poorly on a society that has largely lost perspective
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The pulp mill is a separate issue from native forests because it will only use plantation timbers. The article is about native forests, so constant references to the pulp mill are off-topic.
Paulie
“Gunns has worked ferociously over the last 14 years to destroy as much high conservation old growth forest and replace it with plantations”
In the public land estate - which is what the article refers to - Gunns and other companies have harvested ‘old growth’, mature and regrowth native forest and Forestry Tasmania has regenerated most back to native forest. FT has converted some to sawlog plantations, but most gets regenerated as native forest, not as plantation.
“What about the massive 'regeneration burns' is that carbon recouped too?” Yes.
“There isn't a clear felled forest anywhere in the world which has recovered from clearfell woodchipping, except as a narrow economic resource”
What about the million hectares of forest killed in just a few days by 1939 bushfires. They regenerated in the same way as after logging and are now 70-years old. Most are contained in parks and reserves –fire is the threat to them becoming future old growth. Styx valley has magnificent advanced regrowth stemming from intensive harvesting in the late 1930s and 40s.
“MWPOYNTER, your central argument that Gunns has never acted corruptly or illegally is demonstrably false as the public record attests”
I am not necessarily defending Gunns, but the article was talking specifically about native forest operations, not the pulp mill. I agree the public record is full of conjecture about Gunns behavior from people or groups opposing the pulp mill – does that mean it is right?
“I don't see too much evidence of huon pine, celery top etc regeneration personally, just like the great kauri forests in NZ and Qld, the red cedars etc have NEVER recovered”
Red Cedar and Kauri forests were primarily lost to permanent forest clearing for farmland, and Huon Pine was largely lost under hydro-electric dams. Their demise can hardly be blamed on forestry.