Update:
The two women have been arrested and taken into custody after blocking access to the Heron’s Creek sawmill near Port Macquarie for 7 hours.
They endured the blazing sun, each with an arm locked into a 44 gallon drum of concrete, bearing the words ‘Saving Forests is Climate Action’.
The women, one a grandmother and the other with a grandchild on the way, acted to draw attention to the hypocrisy of Australian Governments, both State and Federal on genuine action on climate change.
“Everyone knows that trees are the best carbon, capture and storage (CCS) technology we have. Despite billions spent on CCS, nothing has come close to the effectiveness of trees. And yet even more taxpayer dollars will be squandered chasing the CCS myth, and additional taxpayer dollars used to subsidise the logging industry taking tree from the public land estate.”
“The Heron’s Creek sawmill takes trees from across the whole of the north coast. The whole process is incredibly wasteful. Only about 12% of any individual tree is turned into a product. Most of it goes out as woodchip. As a public asset these trees should be used for the public’s benefit… and that is clearly storing carbon, providing habitat and playing a vital role in the water cycle.”
“The time for action is now, if we want our grandchildren to live on a planet with a safe climate. We are seeing the warning signs of a warming climate: unprecedented fires, floods, drought, plagues, tornados, rain bombs, giant hail. We ignore those signs at our peril.”
The two women said they were not remorseful and felt driven to act in defence of their grandchildren.
The action today is part of a Week of Forest Action to bring attention to the many urgent issues that make up the global climate crisis, and to put pressure on Governments and nations in the lead up to COP 26.
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The original NEFA News Alert:
“LOCATION: Heron’s Creek Timber Mill, Heron’s Creek, NSW
This morning, Forest Defenders NSW (FDNSW) have blocked the main entrance to Heron’s Creek Timber Mill, the biggest corporate mill on the North-East Coast. Two woman have locked themselves to a concrete barrel, that reads “Saving Forests Is Climate Action”
The mill, which was run by Boral Timber for decades, recently sold to Pentarch Group, a Melbourne company that also owns the Eden Woodchip Facility and the entire supply chain from forest to end market.
FDNSW’s message is that now is the time for direct action. With the Morrison Government announcing their new net zero by 2050 plan and COP26 Glasgow about to commence, these two women are concerned that the decisions made by leaders will continue to be dangerously insufficient.
74 year old woman, Susan Doyle, who is locked onto the barrel shares,
“I didn’t think I’d spend my retirement having to confront these climate criminals. But the climate science has become so dire that I’ve had to join others in making a stand.”
“It’s criminal to neglect taking measures that will mitigate runaway climate change. Forests are the best carbon capture and storage that we have. Our future relies on native forests being left alone to grow old.”
“Pentarch has bought into a business that profits off our future and wastes away our forests. With Forestry Corporation they destroy whole ecosystems and threaten our climate, but less than 30% of each tree ends up on the shelves. It’s disgustingly wasteful” shares Zianna Fuad, FDNSW spokesperson.
“We know that the highest value use of these public assets is climate protection, habitat and eco-tourism, and both science and economics backs this up.”
Community opposition to public native forest logging has grown significantly in recent years, as tensions between Government and citizens concerned about deforestation and climate change intensify. Most North-East Coast towns were significantly affected by the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, bringing the reality of climate change into the heart of local communities.
“Ecologists have warned us that extensive soil disturbance and the destruction of ground vegetation through logging increases bushfire risk. Less trees also means hotter climate, which means more fires and less trees… it’s a viscous feedback loop that our communities will face if public native forests continue to be logged,” shares Zianna Fuad.
We are calling for the immediate end of native forest logging of public state forests. If the NSW Government and these Corporate profiteers continue to ignore the community we will continue to stand for forests on the frontline and stop machines in their tracks.
We need to leave all fossil fuels and forests in the ground. Australia must stop subsidising corporations that profit from clearing, logging and climate emissions.
The action today is part of a Week of Forest Action to bring attention to the many urgent issues that make up the global climate crisis, and to put pressure on Governments and nations in the lead up to COP 26.
More information on upcoming local actions and events can be found at facebook.com/forestdefencensw
