OPEN LETTER TO:
Mr. Graham Wilkinson,
Chief Forest Practices Officer,
Forest Practices Board of Tasmania. (http://www.FPB.TAS.GOV.AU)
30 Patrick Street,
HOBART TAS 7000
Dear Sir,
I am the publisher of Discover-Tasmania.com (
http://www.Discover-Tasmania.com ).
The Mission Statement is published at, http://www.Discover-Tasmania.com.au
I invite you to view the image "Obscenity 1"
from the Styx valley at,
http://www.Discover-Tasmania.com/bury_wood.html#1
In relation to the said image, I further invite you to clarify the
following points for me:
1. What part/s of the Tasmanian Forest Practices Code allow/s conduct
such as shown in the image to take place.
2. How this conduct contributes to re-creating the thousands of forestry
associated jobs lost to Tasmanians in current and past years.
3. What is the estimated tonnage of rare / rainforest / minor species
timber (such as Celery Top Pine, Myrtle, Sassafras, Blackwood) buried
within the woodpile as shown in the image.
4. What is the current estimated wholesale value of this rare / rainforest
/ minor species timber.
5. What is the estimated potential retail value of this rare / rainforest
/ minor species timber once it is manufactured into end products such
as furniture, boatbuilding, crafts, house decor, etc.
6. What is the maximum temperature the wood pile will reach, once
it is set alight.
7. How this said temperature compares with the temperature of a Natural
Forest Fire and how this burn is said to replicate a Natural Forest
Fire.
8. How the energy released by the burning of the whole coup (encompassing
the image) compares with the release of energy by the atomic bomb
dropped on Hiroshima.
9. What is the tonnage of greenhouse gasses and solid particles released
into the atmosphere by the burning of this whole coup.
10. What tonnage of soil has eroded and will erode into nearby river
and stream water by this whole coup since this human disturbance and
intervention.
11. In relation to the whole coup, how many native animals were killed
and injured by the clearfelling of this coup.
12. In relation to the whole coup, how many native animals will be
killed by the future burning of this coup and their later poisoning
by the practice of animal baiting.
13. Will this coup be re-planted with genetically modified trees engineered
to be non flowering and in any event, what is the variety of species
that is to be re-planted.
14. Will this deforestation and re-planting with monoculture species
induce local climate change and/or assist in global climate change.
15. Are the trees that are to be re-planted for woodchip / pulp use
only.
16. Is the world woodchip / pulp market likely to ever falter.
17. How many times can this coup be re-planted and harvested before
the soil is degraded and to what extent will it be degraded and when
will it not support this activity any more.
18. Are there any Commonwealth or Tasmanian laws being contravened
by the activity depicted in the Obscenity 1 image or any activities
associated with it.
Yours faithfully,
Gordon Craven 20th December 2002
http://www.Discover-Tasmania.com
http://www.BusinessTasmania.com
PO Box 117
GLENORCHY TAS 7010
