Australia: More updates from Summer Protests down under!

The frame of the article below makes the claim that protests are in a
“battle over the timber industry” rather than the battle being over
the forests? As a media analyst this kind of twist always stimulates
my curiosity. I often ponder how the story was created in terms of
what was going on in the writer’s head, in terms of what’s going on
with the editor and the people who were interviewed… It fascinates
me! Forest defenders need to know how these mechanisms work so they
can get good at gaining the notoriety that helps save trees!  –Editor, Forest
Policy Research

A bitter battle over WA’s native timber industry has intensified in
the South-West with activists setting up illegal camps and battling
authorities in a bid to halt logging in 800ha near Margaret River.

About 12 hard-core activists — though numbers swell to 50 — have lived
in Chester Forest for about two months and estimate felling the forest
would earn the Forest Products Commission just $56,000. The FPC would
not comment on the estimate but defended its plan to log the low-yield
area, saying it was normal practice to mix logging in low and
high-yield coupes to meet contracts. Chester Forest Action spokesman
Simon Peterffy said the area was a biodiversity hot spot with endemic
flora and fauna but the relatively small trees had little highgrade
jarrah. “Financially, it just doesn’t make sense to log here,” he
said, noting plans to clear a 5km track into the forest would be
extremely costly. The group set up a semi-permanent camp with a
vegetable garden, tree-house, compost area and tented “lounge-room”
and has blocked the main logging route with a halfburied van. Members
claim strong support from locals, who “drop in with wine and cakes”.
FPC acting general manager Gavin Butcher said it was still awaiting
final environmental surveys from the Department of Environment before
logging and conceded the area was low yield. “It’s normal practice for
the Forest Products Commission to mix coupes of low yield, such as
Chester 01, with others of higher yield in order to achieve a
reasonable balance,” he said. “All areas on the harvest plan make an
important contribution and log timber from every coupe enables the FPC
to meet its contractual supply commitments to customers.”
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=118823

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