1. WOODCHIPS VS SAWLOG DRIVEN LOGGING

Logging industry propaganda

1. Woodchips are produced from waste wood which is a result of logging for sawlogs. This waste wood is best used as woodchip. Link

2. Logging is for sawlogs. Logging is sawlog driven. Link
   

3. Sawlogs are worth up to $4000 m3 and are very valuable. Link
   

4. Sawlog yield per hectar (ha) in the Otways has been the same for last 20 years, hence logging must be sawlog driven. Link
   

5. If we did not log native forests then we would have to import rainforest timber from 3RD world countries. Link
   

6. Native forest logging is essential to make products that we must consume/need. This includes furniture, exposed/feature structural uses, flooring, veneers, doors and windows. Link
   

7. Native forest timber is essential to build houses. Link
   

8. Sawlog driven logging in native forest is legislated. Link
   

9. Logging levels in the Otways are sustainable. Past higher levels of logging are now in the past and the Government has it right now. Link
   

10. Logging is not subsidised by the taxpayer and generated $24 million profit in 99/00 to treasury. Link
    

11. Logging generates a lot of revenue for the local economy. Link
    

12. Hardwood logging native forest provides essential raw materials for our community. Link

Brief Response

1. Woodchips are produced from waste wood which is a result of logging for sawlogs. This waste wood is best used as woodchips.

• Over 80% of all trees that are cut down in the Otways are classed as "waste wood" by the DNRE. Only about 15% of all trees cut down actually become sawn timber.
  See Logging is for woodchips: An economic analysis
  
  
• There is no such thing as waste in the ecology of the forest. Over millions of years of evolution, thousands of species of fungi have evolved in the Otways forests to break down wood and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
  See The myth woodchips are produced from waste wood.

• The very concept of using the word 'waste' or 'residual' reduces the debate to a singular economic perspective.
  
  
• Trees left standing are not 'wasted' on the birds and animals that depend on them for survival. Put another way, does the general public view a National Park or forest reserve as a waste because it is not being utilised for sawlogs or woodchips?

2. Logging is for sawlogs. Logging is sawlog driven.

• Logging is woodchip drive. Over 70% of all trees cut down are woodchipped.
  See Logging is for woodchips: An economic analysis
  
  
  
• The ratio of sawlog to woodchip has been increasing and is now 4:1. In 2000/2001 there was almost four trucks of chiplogs to every truck of sawlogs from the Otways.
  See Woodchip to Sawlog ratio
  
  
• Over 60% of all DNRE revenue to log the Otways is from the woodchip industry.
  See Woodchip revenue: An economic analysis
  
  
• Over 65% of the forest area logged each year fails a Commonwealth Government definition of sawlog driven by area.
  See Application of Commonwealth regulations to the Otways

3. Sawlogs are worth up to $4000 a cube and are very valuable.

• Only a very small percentage of trees cut down have end up having a high monetary value. Only 6-7% of the trees cut down are actually used for furniture grade timber. That is A grade sawlogs that are the highest quality timber is only 1-2% of total and B grade is about 5% of the total sawlogs each year.
  See value adding.
  
  
• The bulk (70-75%) of the trees cut down are woodchipped and worth about $75 a tonne as export woodchip. The government gets about 5$ a cubic metre royalty payment for Otways trees that are woodchipped.
  

4. Sawlog yield per hectare (ha) in the Otways has been the same for last 20 years, hence logging must be sawlog driven.

• Sawlog yield has been decreasing. From 1990/1991 to 1999/2000 the average sawlog yield in the Otways has decreased from an average of 130 m3/ha in the Early 1990s to about 100 m3/ha in recent times.
  See Sawlog yield in the Otways dropping
  
  
• In the 1980's when there was no woodchipping in the Otways, hardwood had a larger proportion of the housing and building market. Today softwood and other building materials have taken over market share from hardwood.
  See Softwood sawntimber undermines the Native Forest hardwood Industry

• Woodchip driven logging in began in the 1990's and is required to make logging native forest economically competitive.
  See Summary woodchip driven logging: An economic analysis.
  
  
• In 1981 the Forset Commission wanted to promote woodchip driven logging in the Otways after a reoprt recommended loggign in the Otways woudl be uneconomic for sawlogs alone.
  See 1981 Forest Commission Report.
  
  
• High sawlog yields are obtained by deliberately targeting high sawlog yielding areas. Between 1987/88 and 1991/92 sawlog yields went up to an average of about 140 m3/ha per year. This was due to intensive clearfell logging of high sawlog yielding areas within the Youngs Creek and Clearwater Creek rainforest conservation zones.

5. If we did not log native forests then we would have to import rainforest timber from 3RD world countries.

• We in Australia are a rich first world country that can afford to not continue destroying out native forests. We should be able to set an example by using sustainable plantations.
  
  
• Poor Developing countries have argued that is hypocritical to ask them not to log native forest/rainforests while logging continues in the native forests of wealthy first world counties.
  
  
• Two wrongs do not make a right. Admitting we should not buy rainforest from other parts of the world demonstrates it is also the wrong to log native forests hear in Australia.
  
  
• We should set an example to the rest of the world by banning all native forest clearfell logging

6. Native forest logging is essential to make products that we must consume/need. This includes furniture, exposed/feature structural uses, flooring, veneers, doors and windows.

• The proportion of trees that are seasoned (value added) is only 22% of sawn timber. Relating this to the total number of trees cut down, it is equivalent to 6%. Put another way, six out of a hundred trees cut down are value added.
  See sawmill profile.
  
  
• Seasoned timber is made up of appearance grade (select or standard) for furniture, doors, flooring. This represents 3 out of a hundred trees. Seasoned structural timber is another 3% of all trees cut down.
  See sawmill profile.
  
  
• It turns out that the amount of timber that that is value added (seasoned) is proportional to the total number of A and B grade sawlogs removed from the Otway State which is 6 out of 100 trees or 6%.
  See Otway log output.
  
  
• Of the unseasoned timber for lower grade products, 43% of sawn timber was made into scantling and 24% was made into pallets and fence palings. Again that is 12 out of 100 trees are used for scanting and 7 out of 100 trees are used for pallets and fence palings.
  See sawmill profile.
  
  
• Native forest does not need to be used to build urban boundary fences for peoples homes.
  
  
• Justifying clearfell logging native forest to extract the small quantities of hardwood that go into making high value added products such as furniture is similar to justifying killing elephants for the small but valuable ivory in their tusks.

7. Native forest timber is essential to build houses.

• Practically no green structural hardwood timber is now used with softwood dominating the construction of houses.
  See Softwood sawntimber undermines native forest hardwood.
  
  
• Overall it is hard for the native forest logging industry to argue that it is essential for civilised society to clearfell log native forest to make pallets, fence palings and scantling.
  See sawmill profile.

8. Sawlog driven logging in native forset is legislated.

• It is true that there is a legislated limits to the amount of sawlog that can be taken out of each Forest Management Area. In the Otways that limit is 27,000 m3 per annum. However there is no legislated limit to the amount of woodchips that can be extracted.
  See No legal limit to woodchips.
  
  
• Woodchip limits set out in the Otway Forest Management Plan (OFMP) have been consistently breached.
  See OFMP woodchip limit
  See OFMP woodchip breaches
  
  
• The Commonwealth Government has a legislated definition of sawlog driven but the State Government does not.

9. Logging levels in the Otways are sustainable. Past higher levels of logging are now in the past and the government has it right now.

• The government has never confidently set a level of logging that has lasted for more that 15 years in the Otways. As the Otway forest is logged out, the government keeps cutting the amount of sawlog that can be extracted. From record high levels of 119,000 m3 per annum in the 1950s it was cut several times to 50,000 m3 per annum in 1973/74. In 1988/89 this was cut again to 40,000 m3 per annum. In March 2000 it was cut again to 27,000 m3 per annum as a part of the RFA process.
  See West RFA reduced sawlog and woodchip volumes in the Otways.
  
  
• A report released as a part of the sawlog sustainable yield review in 2002 has warned that the data used to determine the current 27,000 m3 per annum is poor and incomplete. This report (Vanclay) also recommended that community expectations regarding the protection of non-timber forest values such as Water, Tourism and Biodivestry may cause further reductions in sustainable yield.
  See Review of logging rates in the Otway State Forest

10. Logging is not subsidised by the taxpayer and generated $24 million profit in 99/00 to treasury

• The Department does not provide de-aggregate costs of logging in each of the FMA's across the State. It only gives out total profit for the whole state.
  See Auditor General comment.
  
  
• Auditor General reports since 1994 have been critical that some FMA are running at a loss and being subsided by the taxpayer. DNRE will not reveal what FMA's are making a loss.
  See DNRE analysis of income/ Auditor General
  
  
• The DNRE Otways income was only $1.1 million in 00/01 financial year. It is hard to believe that costs were covered and a profit made.
  See DNRE analysis of income
  
  
• Forestry Victoria claims it provides a profit to the State Government of $28 million in 99/00 but does not publicise the drop in State profit to $4.5 million in 2000/2001 due in part to a drop in sawlog demand.
  See DNRE analysis of income
  
  
• The CFMEU forestry Division has indicated the Otways FMA does not made a profit in a paper released to the ALP Environment Policy Committee in 2002.
  See Forestry Union

11. Sawlogs generates a lot of revenue for the local economy

• According the West RFA Comprehensive assessment, sawlog supplied to sawmills from the West RFA in 1997/98 generated about $27.7 million gross income but the sawmills made a net income loss of (-$0.12) million. See sawmill profile.
  
  
• A break up of revenue provided by ABARE attributed to the Otway FMA for 1997/98 reveals that sawmills made $13.87 million gross income from Otways sawlogs but he net value of sawn timber production was a loss of (-$0.62) million.
  See Sawlog losses.
  
  
• Compared to the monetary value of Tourism along the Great Ocean Road at a $Billion a year and the value of water lost though logging, hardwood timber production does not even come close.
  
  
• The economy of Colac is diverse and relies mainly on agriculture. An end to native forest logging would not devastate the town.
  See Employment Directory.
  
  
• When Birregurra sawmill closed down, the town was not devastated.
  See Birregurra sawmill closes

12. Hardwood logging native forest provides essential raw materials for our community

• See: Native forest logging is essential to make products that we must consume/need.

Don't know the meaning of a word? Check the glossary.