Our Water Our Future

Hey guys i got this e-mail from sombody asking me to do the following i realy recomend doing it to.

URGENT 2 minute Cyber Action -LOGGING OPENS TODAY IN MELBOURNE'S WATER! Please pass on to your networks.Monday, 1 December, 2008 12:41 PM
From: "sarah rees" <sarah@tcha.org.au>Add sender to Contacts To: "Forest_Alliance@Yahoogroups. Com" <forest_alliance@yahoogroups.com>, melbourne_water_catchment_network@yahoogroups.com
Write 'Nick' a question on the Vic govt's Target 155 website: asking how the government can ask us to save water but continue to log our catchments.
http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/saving/home/watersmart/coach

These 'should' be posted publicly in accordance with the websites promise.
POINTS ON WATER CATCHMENT LOGGING:
The Brumby Government's own Wood and Water hydrological study has advised that the government remove logging by 2009/2010 to maximise water yields.
The water losses from logging by the Brumby government are e equal to the water usage of half a million Melburnians at 155 litres per person.
Logging does not bring any financial return to Melburnians but water does. Vicforests, the governments commercial logging agency have run the state forests wood supply at a consistent loss since their inception in 2004.
Logging is contributing to climate change, these forest are some of the richest living carbon stores in the world.
30% of water runoff has been reduced due to climate change, can Mr Brumby continue to risk any more runnoff reductions from logging?
Logging is destroying biodiverse ecosystems that actually produce rain, purify and regulate our drinking water.
Logging is concentrated in the Ash forests residing in the wettest parts of the catchments. So its not how much you log its where and what you log. Logging in the areas of highest rainfall has the biggest impact on stream flows.
50% of water runoff from rain is lost due to logging.
After the forest is logged it will take 150 years for the forest to release the same amount of water it did prior to logging.
Brumby, Holding and Jennings iare committing our children to water losses they won't be alive to experience.
The Brumby government is out of touch with Victoria's needs and the needs of our community.

Please forward this onto your networks.
For more information on logging in Melbourne's water supply go to the water consumers of Victoria's Target155 website at www.target155.org.au
Cheers,
Sarah

this would be a good idea to sent to everyone on the leap list.

Dear Andrej

Thank you for your email.

State forests in Melbourne’s water catchment provide two highly-valued resources: clean water and high value wood.

If logging were stopped immediately it would make little difference to water supplies in the short term. Timber harvesting impacts on water yield due to the high water use of young, regenerating forests.

Harvesting is closely controlled to ensure current water yields are not diminished and that the quality of water meets agreed standards. As part of this, Melbourne’s catchments are managed as a combination of “open� and “closed� catchments. Logging is, and will continue to be, banned in the “closed� catchments, which are an important source of clean drinking water.

The area being logged is very small. The maximum area that can be harvested each year within Melbourne catchments is 340 hectares (the total area of Melbourne catchments is 157,000 hectares).

The timber available for harvesting in these forests is mostly Victorian Ash, a highly-regarded hardwood valued for uses such as floorboards and furniture. It is not easily replaced. Existing resources of plantation-grown timber are not currently suitable as a substitute.


Best regards,

Nick