Water wars over logging
Water wars overlogging
2 February 2008
published by www.news.com.au
Australia — MORE than 20 billion litres of water is being lost inMelbourne’s catchments every year because of logging.
Angry residents who want logging in a catchment near Healesville stopped havemade the claim, which has been backed by a senior CSIRO scientist.
The Sustainability and Environment Department’s decision to allow logging inthe Armstrong Creek catchment has outraged locals and the Yarra Ranges ShireCouncil.
Logging began before Christmas and is expected to be completed by April.
Healesville businesswoman Sarah Rees said loggers wanted prized mountain ash.
“Mountain ash are among the largest trees in the world and they need the most water to grow,” she said. “As they grow, they can suck up to 50 per cent of any runoff.”
Research estimated logging slashed flows to the Thomson Dam by almost 20 billion litres a year, she said.
“That’s almost the capacity of the Maroondah Reservoir. If logging continues across the catchments,
60 billion litres will be lost annually from Melbourne’s water supply by 2050.”
Warriors: Sarah Rees and Samantha Dunn, in an Upper Yarra logging coup, want catchment logging to stop. Picture: Bill McAuley
CSIRO senior scientist Richard Benyon said logging would reduce flows intoMelbourne’s catchments.
A loss of 20 billion litres a year was “not an unrealistic figure”,he said.
“While it’s only a small percentage of the amount of water Melbourneuses each year, all water is precious in a time of drought,” he said.
Dr Benyon, who has completed a study into how bushfires affect water flows,said bushfires and logging had the same impact on runoff.
“After bushfires or logging, new growth sucks up water for severaldecades as it grows,” he said.
DSE director of public land policy Nina Cullen said claims that 20 billionlitres a year was being lost because of logging were wrong.
“Stream flows from the forested catchments are actually increasing,regardless of timber harvesting, because the vast majority of forests in thecatchments are naturally ageing following the 1939 bushfires,” she said.
Melbourne had 157,00ha of catchments and no more than 340ha was logged in anyone year, she said.
Timber Communities Australia spokesman Scott Gentle said the amount loggedeach year was a fraction of the total catchment.
“Logging creates jobs and is a sustainable industry,” he said.”There’s real balance in what we do.”
Yarra Ranges Shire councillor Samantha Dunn said the council opposed loggingin catchment areas and had “overwhelming support” from residents.
The case that only a small part of catchments was logged was “ridiculous”,she said.
“. . . the phrase, ‘it’s only a little bit’ adds up when it’s repeatedall the time.”
