Q.15 Using
information from the ‘Fact Box’, calculate the approx.
volume and percentage of firewood produced each year from the Victorian
RTBC region. (Assumption: Portland and Horsham DCNR regions represent
Vic RTBC range). Q.16 If
South Australia had identical patterns of consumption and household
size to Victoria’s, and the SA RTBC region accounted for 10%
of total State firewood supply (S-E SA is well forested compared
to the rest of SA), then how much firewood would be produced by
this area? Q.17 What
would be total firewood volume produced in the RTBC’s range
each year (Vic and SA)? Q.18 What
species is likely to have provided most of this wood (say 75%)?
Q.19 From
what land tenure would most of this timber be harvested? Q.20 How
many trees/year would this represent? What proportion of the total,
potential, Red Gum nesting resource might this represent? How many
hollows may be required by RTBCs for breeding each year? Do the
overall figures warrant concern? Q.21 Given
points 3 and 10 in the Fact Box, does the retail market value presented
in point 9 represent actual financial return? If not, what $ figure
would be a truer representation of retail sales plus royalties?
Conservation actions? 3.1.1 REDUCING DEMAND
Q.22 Your
job, preferably in groups, is to prepare a brochure (A4 three-fold)
either advocating the use of firewood, or arguing for its replacement
with gas or other fuels. Be prepared to present your case to the
class. Points which you may wish to elaborate on in your
brochure/presentation could include:
3.1.2
ALTERNATIVE SUPPLIES Q.23 You
have a one-hectare paddock in the corner of your property near Naracoorte,
SA. You can’t decide whether to devote the paddock to sheep
grazing or to a woodlot. You decide to experiment and place one
ha under woodlot, and your neighbour says she’ll keep records
on a similar ha under sheep (unirrigated). You agree to compare
the return after 15 years.
* Initial figures will give only a crude measure of return because they do not allow for our preference for money now, rather than later (ie there is a penalty for having capital tied up and interest foregone). The distortions caused by these factors can partly be reduced by applying a Discount Rate to future returns to make them more closely align with our current time preference. If a discount rate of 8% is applied to the sheep and woodlot returns at year 15, then the result is reduced considerably, e.g. by 8%/year for years 14, 13 etc, back until year 1. Applying such a discount rate to the figures subtracts $5,150 from the raw return figure for the woodlot (Year 15), and $966 from the sheep figure (Year 15).
Q.24 How
much is the return for the woodlot and sheep now? (This value is
called Net Present Value, NPV). Q.25 If
the case presented is roughly a break-even scenario between sheep
and wood, how could you improve wood’s profitability? Q.26 Find out
your local retail cost of firewood. How would this price affect
the NPV calculated above? Q.27 The
case study presents a severe limitation on market access for wood;
what is it? Q.28 Transport
costs would be c.$1.15/km return/load(23M³)
if wood were carted more than 50 kms. If the wood from our one ha
at Naracoorte had to be trucked a round trip to Adelaide, how much
would this add to costs? Q.29 Using your
figures for the number and M³ of
Red Gums possibly removed each year from the RTBC range, and woodlot
M³ yield/year, how big a woodlot
would be required to meet this demand? Is this feasible? (To help
answer this question it may be required to consider not just total
demand, but also localised demand; e.g. how big a woodlot would
Naracoorte require [pop. c. 5,000]?). Q.30 What additional
benefits, other than fuel, may woodlots provide?
3.1.3 CONTROLS AND
RESTRICTIONS 3.1.3.1 Public Land Licences
Q.31 Which
of these mechanisms do you think would be more effective? Less effective?
Justify your assessment. Q.32 Which
group of licence holders, commercial or domestic, would be easier
to police? Why? Q.33 If licensing
does at least direct collection to areas of less sensitive habitat,
what proportion of the total firewood ‘take’ is likely
to be controlled in this manner?
3.1.3.2 Available Controls - Private Land (a) Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The FFG Act provides mechanisms to conserve habitat if taxa or ecological communities are threatened by firewood collection. Direct controls are available, e.g. Conservation Orders, to prohibit actions in or impinging upon Critical Habitat (habitat essential to the survival of the taxa). “At this stage, however, there appears to be greater emphasis on assistance, education and encouragement to achieve these purposes than using the powers of coercion provided by the Act” (RSA 1995). (b) Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987 Allows the Government to enter into Land Management Co-operative Agreements with landholders as regards the use and management of the land in question. Agreements can require that flora and fauna be preserved, be managed for conservation, or protected in a sanctuary, amongst other possibilities. Compensation can be paid to ensure that a landowner is not ‘worse off’. “The protection of individual dead trees or groups of dead trees, ...along with the provisions for regeneration (including financial incentives) would be feasible under this Act” (RSA 1995). In effect, the landholder sells off some of their rights to a parcel of land to the government. (Agreements could conceivably be developed between the landholder and private parties, e.g. a bird club, to pay the landholder not to use a piece of land for firewood, or with bodies such as the Trust for Nature, to establish a Conservation Covenant). Q.34 What agreement
and covenant mechanisms are available in your State? (c) Planning and Environment
Act 1987 Amendment S16 established controls for living native vegetation in Victoria, following SA’s lead in 1985. These policies have met with both criticism and acclaim since. Q.35 Why
do you think controls on the clearing of dead trees are rarely introduced?
As well as legislative controls, there is considerable scope for education programs to bring about desired alterations in behaviour. The Land for Wildlife scheme is one example that encourages sympathetic management of farms. (See RTBC poster, Res. 2.1). Q.36 Can you think
of other educational programs in your area that could convey messages
about the wildlife values of dead trees? Q.37 In
a group of two-four, draw up a strategy of controls/agreements/pricing
for firewood collection on private land in RTBC nesting areas. Make
sure you address the consequences of your actions on: (1) firewood
collection on adjacent land, private and public (2) firewood demand
(3) firewood price and (4) landholder participation in future RTBC
revegetation and other projects. Q.38 RSA state
(1995): “The optimal mix of policies (firewood policies)...is
a complex exercise...outcomes are many and imperfectly understood,
therefore policy makers must feel their way slowly and carefully”. Firewood Overview Q.39 Which
measure, alternative supply, reduced demand or legislative control
is likely to be most effective in dealing with the threat posed
by firewood collection? Q.40 Do you think
educational or economic tools will be more effective in assisting
this change?
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