Day 073 - 13 Jan 95 - Page 14
1
2 Q. If I just ask you about that, regarding the milling and
3 bleaching processes, are you an expert on those kinds of
4 matters?
5 A. I do not consider myself an expert on those matters.
6
7 Q. The assessment, which I believe is a conclusion?
8 A. I will read out that out: "Assessment: Logging of
9 native and old growth forests is currently the single most
10 damaging factor affecting temperate forests. Forest
11 management could play a positive role, both in enhancing
12 secondary forests and in providing alternatives to old
13 growth logging. Current management practices" -- sorry,
14 "current management practice is doing the reverse and
15 creating more problems and cautious improvements are
16 urgently needed".
17
18 Q. His assessment there; could you just elaborate on that, on
19 whether it coincides with your view?
20 A. Yes. I agree absolutely that the most serious
21 environmental problem -- there are a number of
22 environmental problems -- but in order of seriousness
23 logging of native and old growth forests is the most
24 serious. It is continuing; it is continuing in all those
25 countries that McDonald's take paper from, and it often is
26 continuing in countries such as Finland where they have
27 maybe one or two per cent of old growth forest left. They
28 are stilling cutting into that old growth forest. I make a
29 point here actually. The United Nations recommend that all
30 countries maintain 15 per cent of their forest area in
31 wilderness or park, natural forest area, virgin forest
32 area. You have situations like Finland where, in fact,
33 they are down to one or two per cent of this area.
34
35 To a certain extent this is -- slight discrepancies have
36 come about because of the focus of much of the public over
37 the last number of years on profitable forest where there
38 are still large forests -- they said 15 per cent. I think
39 when they said that they did not realise really that places
40 like Finland are down to one or two per cent of their
41 natural old growth forest anyway. Finland is still logging
42 into that forest and is doing it as I stand here today.
43
44 Q. Just to go on to something we said before. It is your view
45 that plantation forestry is not a substitute for natural
46 forest?
47 A. In terms of environmental and ecological values it is
48 not a substitution; it is a totally different sort of thing
49 than the old forest.
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: While we are there, under "Paper and pulp
52 production" appear the words, "The world market for pulp";
53 then a little later, "is now the major use of timber from
54 intensively managed forests and plantations". It might be
55 thought not to be consistent with what Mr. Mallinson said
56 about trees being felled for sawwood and other uses. He
57 was not saying that pulp did not contribute to the
58 economics of the forestry, but he might have been thought
59 to be saying that the trees are going to be felled anyway
60 for other purposes and then from tops, trimmings and other
