EDS “should know better”
ONCE AGAIN THE COMMERCIAL FOREST industry is having to point out its sciencebased environmental credentials to organisations such as the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) which “should know better”, says President of the Forest Owners Association, Grant Dodson.
This comes after EDS and Pure Advantage joined forces to draft a submission on the review of the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry seeking significant tightening of the rules governing exotic forest management in New Zealand.
“It is well proven that commercial plantations produce better water quality than other commercial land uses, such as farming or urban environments. We are second only to pristine native bush. It is also well known that plantation trees reduce erosion, produce less sediment, store carbon and produce valuable wood for housing and bioenergy,” says Mr Dodson.
He adds that the Environmental Defence Society has failed to provide any evidence of ‘significant adverse environmental impacts’ ‘in most instances’ from when plantation forests are harvested.
“Just look at the effect of the recent storms on the East Coast, where forests held and pasture collapsed on a vast scale. The evidence is there to see in plain sight.”
Mr Dodson says the FOA does not represent carbon-only foresters, rather the interests of commercial forests that are to be well-managed and will be harvested creating employment, as well as storing carbon.
“The carbon-only foresters can argue their own case to the government. But we do hold concerns that the so-called permanent carbon forests may become a fire and disease risk in an unmanaged state.
“There is a need for some rules around carbon-only forests and we are encouraging the government to create a separate National Environmental Standard for this land use.
“However the EDS submission is way off the mark about the current regulations for plantation forestry.”