Day 073 - 13 Jan 95 - Page 42
1 Canada anyway; "visual enhancement corridors" in US
2 language is what they call them, US forestry-speak.
3
4 MR. RAMPTON: At any rate, you cannot tell me where the Gordon
5 forest area is -- Gordon Cousins' Forest, I beg his pardon?
6 A. No, I cannot.
7
8 Q. One final thing then, Mr. Hopkins; it was either you or it
9 was Mr. Morris -- I am afraid I cannot remember --
10 mentioned something called Rio as leading on to something
11 called Helsinki, I think it was this morning; do you
12 remember that?
13 A. Yes.
14
15 Q. Was his reference or your reference to Rio a reference to
16 the United Nations Conference on Environmental Development
17 held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992?
18 A. Yes.
19
20 Q. I expect you are very familiar with the declarations,
21 communications, and so on, that came out of that
22 conference, are you not?
23 A. Some of them.
24
25 Q. Particularly with relation to forestry?
26 A. Some of the parts of forestry, yes.
27
28 Q. Do you remember that that conference came out with a
29 statement of forest principles which contained -- I am
30 afraid I cannot show you the document -- these words,
31 therefore, I read them slowly: "The role of planted
32 forests as sustainable and environmentally sound sources of
33 raw material should be recognised and promoted. Their
34 contribution to the maintenance of ecological processes to
35 off-setting pressure on primary/old growth forest and to
36 providing regional employment and development should be
37 recognised and advanced". Do you remember that statement?
38 A. I have read statements similar to that. It sounds very
39 sensible, yes.
40
41 Q. So far as the words are concerned, their contribution to
42 the maintenance of ecological processes and to off-setting
43 pressure on primary/old growth forest are concerned, do you
44 agree or disagree with that declaration by that UN
45 conference in Rio in 1992?
46 A. I think it needs to be examined quite carefully. An
47 existing plantation will take stress off old growth, but if
48 you clear an old growth forest and turn it into plantation,
49 you are not taking stress off old growth forest. There is
50 definitely an argument for plantation forest is that they
51 are the lesser of two evils. I would accept that. An
52 environmental movement in this country, particularly
53 concerned with northern and temperate forests, generally
54 takes this attitude, that they are the least of two evils.
55
56 Q. Do you agree then that so long as the necessary evil of his
57 Lordship's book made of paper exists, it is preferable to
58 take one's paper from new or, at any rate, not pre-existing
59 plantation forest than it is from old growth forest?
60 A. Can you say that last bit again?
