A meeting to discuss the proposed charcoal factory that will potentially have impacts affecting the Shoalhaven area will be held on Thursday evening 25 October. Starting at 7:30 pm at St Martins Church, Ulladulla, there will be guest speakers from Sydney, the adjoining Eurobodalla Shire and invited representatives from the company and State Government.
Some impacts to be discussed include changes to forestry practices, truck movements and impacts on a growing tourism industry.
The charcoal factory will utilise 200,000 tonnes of hardwood trees from forests in the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla region. This is three times the current extraction for woodchips.
The company proposing the factory is based in Western Australia and has already gained approval for a silicon smelter in Lithgow as well as a quartz pebble open cut mine near Cowra.
Enlarged photos of a similar factory in Western Australia will be on view as well as a video of forest practices of the kind accompanying a charcoal operation.
State Forests recently suspended large scale tree poisoning activities following considerable community outrage at this unacceptable practise. Chris Kowal President, Coastwatchers Association said "We strongly urge the State Government to acknowledge the communities absolute disgust with the way State Forests have behaved, poisoning large tracts of forest and potentially contaminating clean catchments." Mr Kowal continued "We urge the Government to announce a permanent cessation of this practise, despite the appearance of charcoal preferred species seemingly being targeted many in the community remain sceptical that poisoned trees will not be burnt in the charcoal factory". "The extraction of an additional 200,000 tonnes of charcoal stock for the next 20 years raises many questions about the sustainability of this new era of forest practice".
For more information contact
Charcoalition campaign manager
Peter Connell
Ph: 44 715 794
or Media officer
Kerry Hyndes
Ph: 44 743 288
M: 0402 042 537
You can help! Download an A4 poster
or a flyer (3 per A4 page) and distribute it.