by Mat Churchill

The Federal Government is being urged by forest and timber industries to include the burning of native forests to produce electricity as part of our renewable energy quota.

With sales in native woodchips declining, it seems the timber industry is looking for new reasons to destroy what little is left of our native forests.

Tasmanian senator and deputy Greens leader Christine Milne said "The world does not want to buy any more native forest woodchips because there is a growing recognition that our forests not only are marvellous for the stores of biodiversity they have but also, equally, are carbon stores to which virtually nothing can compare."

The Federal Government's is proposing legislation that seeks to award Renewable Energy certificates to wood-fired power stations. 

Greens amendments to the Renewable Energy Target legislation, otherwise supported by her party, wanted to ensure power produced by burning woodchips was banned.

The controversial Forestry Tasmania wants to build two large woodchip burning electricity furnaces in Tasmania, and its usual bed partner and perennial native forest destroyer, Gunns wants to power its proposed proposal includes from its own private woodchip power station in the Tamar Valley.

The forest industry argues burning wood waste for power production is carbon-negative.

It seems ironic that the two powers who have the greatest opportunity to make massive and fast inroads into tackling climate change, Government and big business, are those who have vested interests in not changing their destructive patterns at all.

Burning native forests is carbon neutral and renewable. I had to check the calendar to see if it was April 1.