Myth-busting

Squirrel Glider

MYTH: The Eden woodchip mill uses only ‘waste’ wood

Generations of politicians and forestry officials have repeated the mantra that the Eden woodchipping industry uses only ‘waste’ wood. They say that only the ‘heads’ and ‘butts’ of trees are being woodchipped.

But the reality is different.

In NSW a standing live tree in a growing native forest can be classified as ‘waste’. The Eden woodchip mill uses whole tree logs. In fact, the mill can only process whole logs – not branches, crowns or butts.

Of all of the logs woodchipped at the mill, about 70% are from multi-aged forests.

Even if genuine waste from a logging operation was used – which would be very labour intensive and expensive – it would be a disaster for biodiversity and the ecological recovery of logged forests. Continuing soil fertility depends on the return of nutrients from ‘forest waste’ to the soil.

Owl

MYTH: There is no alternative to woodchipping native forests

Native forest hardwood is the cheapest source of fibre for paper. On this basis, the popular myth is that there is no viable alternative to woodchipping native forests.

This is wrong.

Native forest hardwood is the cheapest source of fibre for paper only because the NSW government subsidises the industry.

There are alternatives to woodchipping native forests. Fibre for paper can also be obtained from sources such as bamboo, hemp, wheat straw and plantation hardwood.

The Eden Woodchip mill exports a million tonnes of native forest woodchips a year. Australia has enough plantation hardwood available to replace all of this.

In early 2008, the Eden woodchip mill started chipping plantation pine. But plantation pine will never be more than about 15% of the mill’s total output so long as the NSW government continues to subsidise native forest woodchipping.

Endangered Tiger Quoll

MYTH: The south east economy will be destroyed if the Eden woodchip mill closes  down

Direct employment in native forestry in south east NSW is estimated to be 516 workers – 79 at the Eden woodchip mill, 104 in Forests NSW, 149 in regional sawmills and about 184 contracted employees.

This is a significant number of jobs. But if native forests were protected as carbon sinks and plantation timber used for virtually all wood needs, the large majority of these jobs could be maintained.

In fact, there are not enough workers on the south east to fill the current demand of the woodchipping industry. The two major occupations in woodchipping – truck drivers and loggers – are both nationally in short supply. There are special immigration concessions for loggers and a federal parliamentary committee recently inquired into the shortage of truck drivers.

Woodchipping is a highly capital intensive industry. It requires more than $1 million in capital investment to provide each job in woodchipping.