It’s interesting to note that people affiliated with the logging industry continually fail to quote fact, or an approved text whenever they attempt to argue the virtues of clearfell logging within our native forests.

The latest exponent of this is Mr Gooding, Executive Director of Victorian Association of Forest Industries, in the article by Tony Prytz (GA 8/12).

In fact the only statement attributed to Mr Gooding that had any real meaning, was that, "to cease clearfell logging of the Otways will do nothing to alleviate Geelong’s water supply problems". What he failed to say was that it would, at least in part, alleviate Geelong’s future water supply problems but with so much destruction within our forests already, regeneration could take 40 to 50 years.

"Misleading half-truths" is the best I can say for Mr Gooding’s other statements.

Examples –

He claims, "clearfell logging to be the safest and most effective way to harvest and regenerate forests", true for the logging industry maybe, but certainty not for Australia’s Flora and Fauna, or for that matter, Geelong’s water supply. Even the RFA accepts that up to 22 species of our fauna and 51 species of flora are under a major threat within West Victoria alone, from clearfell logging.

Contrary to Mr Gooding’s claims, all scientific evidence indicates that clearfell logging dramatically reduces useable water run off and ground water retention. Admittedly Geelong’s water shortages are due to the drought, but both the drought and restrictions would be less severe without logging within Geelong’s water catchments. Remember only 5% of Melbourne’s water catchments are logged (no water restrictions), no logging in Colac’s water catchments (no water restrictions), 80% of Geelong’s water catchments are open for logging (2 years of water restrictions with at least a further 18 months to go) the evidence speaks for itself.

To consider that a forest less than 5 years old would look the same as a forest 80 or 100 years old, as Mr Gooding suggests is just ridiculous.