Protests from all quarters as Warrup grabs national attention

Gerry Georgatos
The Warrup forest blockade by Forest Rescue Australia (FRA) has broken a long standing record in Western Australia - the blockade is eleven weeks long. It is the longest anti-logging action in 14 years, said Simon Peterffy, FRA convenor.

"For us, we have to save the largest numbat colony in WA and which is under threat of extinction, we have to save the trees, we have to protect the environment - if someone doesn't stand up then they're gone and the damage is done," said Mr Peterffy.

"We've had many of our good people arrested, and this is sad, however we have stopped the logging on a daily basis and because of this raising the hope to save part of our forests for these same people who arrest us for them, and their children, to enjoy and appreciate."

The FRA actions are now daily, with activists locking on to loaders and bulldozers for up to 24 hours and in the process halting the logging, till police cut the locks and then arrest and charge them.

Bunbury-based South West District police Inspector Geoff Stewart said the statements of a 'blockade' and 'daily actions' are inaccurate. He said for there to be a blockade the activists would have to be there daily and Inspector Stewart said this is not the case. Inspector Stewart said that in general logging activity has not been halted by the various protest actions.

On Tuesday March 27 the FRA activists halted logging by Forest Products Commission (FPC) contractors by embedding stakes and star pickets on Warrup forest's Edwards Road - the section of it that is not a public thoroughfare however necessary for access by the logging contractors. Inspector Geoff Stewart said this was stupid and dangerous.

State and national news media is now following the events in Warrup and some have been onsite. Support for Warrup has been expressed by state Greens parliamentarians and state Independent parliamentarians, Adele Carles and Dr Janet Woollard.

FPC forestry scientist Peter Beatty said only 25% of the Warrup block in question was set aside for logging and old growth areas had been excluded from harvesting.

Shadow minister for forestry, Collie based Mick Murray has become more vocal on forest issues. He said that a state Labor government would legislate to ban the clear felling of native forests to provide fuel for the generation of electricity.

He said that while state Labor supported the use of woody biomass as an energy source, it was vital to ensure native forests were not regarded as a fuel source for any new bio-energy plants planned for WA. "All the evidence shows that our native forests are under enough threat from our drying climate as well as diseases like dieback and marri canker," Mr Murray said.

"WA Labor's position makes it clear that the logging of native forests just to get fuel to burn in power stations is unacceptable. By making it clear that native forest logging for fuel is completely off-limits we will provide much needed protection for our forests as well as certainty for the emerging bio-energy industry about the fuels operators are permitted to use."

Shadow climate changer minister Sally Talbot said WA Labor's announcement came after moves by the Liberals and Nationals in federal parliament to provide a financial incentive to burn native timber to generate electricity was defeated. "I'm shocked that members of the Barnett government appear to have supported the move, which would have seen native forest timber classed as a renewable energy resource," she said.

"We are already seeing evidence that 400 year old karri trees are being logged and sold as firewood in WA for as little as $10 a tonne."

"I would have expected environment minister Bill Marmion and forestry minister Terry Redman to speak up against the crazy move by their federal counterparts to pay the loggers to move in and take timber for burning," said Mrs Talbot.

"Quite simply, the prospect of trees in native forests being chopped down just to be burned in a power station is abhorrent to most people in our community and WA Labor will ensure it does not happen," she said.

Manjimup shire president Wade de Campo was disappointed with the federal outcome to exclude native timber from the Renewable Energy Scheme (RES). He said that nevertheless a biomass power plant will still be built at Diamond Hill. He said the plant could start work this year as a 40 megawatt plant as approved in 2009. "They are definitely going to build the plant," said Cr de Campo.

He said it was frustrating the Manjimup plant could not burn native timber waste while the neighbouring chip mill burnt 200,000 tonnes each year. "That was the travesty of that disallowance motion not going through, albeit it was so close that the speaker had to use his casting vote," he said to the federal parliament vote that by a whisker stopped the amending of regulations which deny companies Renewable Energy Certificates for burning native timber to generate power under the RES. The decision came in the face of only days to go before the deadline for expressions of interests in up to 800,000 tonnes of year of low grade native forest timber from WA's FPC.

On Wednesday March 28 the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Friends of the Forest (BGFF) organised another peaceful family rally in Warrup to highlight the need to adequately save Warrup forest tramway and the animals and birds of Warrup said Richard Wittenoom, BGFF president.

"Our thanks to the shire for writing to FPC about preserving public access to the old growth in Warrup," said Mr Wittenoom. However the FPC is not prepared to concede an adequate strip either side the length of the embankment and hence this is not acceptable to the BGFF, said Mr Wittenoom. The BGFF will continue to highlight to the FPC and government the community support for more adequate protections in Warrup.

At the family protest event the BGFF unveiled its proposal for a major tourist heritage trail focusing on the forestry practices of the mid-twentieth century as a part of an initiative within the shire. During the action Mr Wittenoom and BGFF members measured and marked out forest lines to show how close to the tramway embankment logging they are. "I believe it will become clear how destructive of the present forest context this will be," said Mr Wittenoom.

Complementing the peaceful event, a little further away prior to being arrested and charged FRA activists locked on to logging machines and halted logging. "For us it's business as usual, what we have to do to change the course of unsatisfactory events," said Mr Peterffy.

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/21/forest-rescue-heighten-protest-action...