Well illustrated and explained John Hawkins, thank you for that.
Let’s be frank:” what we witness is a real landscape cancer, hydrological no zone considerationstaking over all , sustainable growth and optimum production capability of our forests.
As long as we let them, they will try to get away with their conversion operations.
Cheers
Frank

Does anyone know what the amount of siltation has taken place in the Trevallyn Dam?

Nice update John, it has been obvious for years where the silt has come from, but of course we live in Tasmania where the “F” word is never to be mentioned when environmental disasters are afoot.
It doesn’t take 50 studies or a university degree to show that water from a selectively logged forest or from unploughed farmland is much cleaner than water from a clearfell coupe or a ploughed paddock.
Pretty simple really

Do note that this was the state of play almost five years ago - a lot more has been flattened since then as the annual grab of old forest became increasingly manic in the vain chase to get FT out of the red.

I believe Google Earth are receptive to doing updates by request if enough interest/justification is shown - perhaps a few emails to that effect wouldn’t go astray? As can be seen by the recent update strip over Launceston (which was done by request), the resolution of the latest images is that much better again.

Slowly it will dawn on the geniuses in FT that a visual buffer of trees left standing, locked gates and exclusion zones to hide their operations is no longer any guarantee of a successful cover-up. Anyone can access Google Earth, any time.

All that has to be done now is to make the folk at Google Earth aware of the forests problem here and I’m sure they will oblige with a more regular updating of images.

People have to realise that those mountainside clearfells are also forestry’s tags, their way of showing tourism, the environment, and public health, who’s boss.  They also pre-empt efforts to save scenic vistas. 

There is a beautiful clearfell forestry tag right on the forehead of Mt Roland which deserves to be a state monument.

John Hayward

I recently sent a plan of how the Tamar silt problem could be fixed quite easily, i found later that “Geoff Smedley” had also earlier tendered a similar plan for approval.

    I even sent a letter with a google map of the area complete with the associated changes for discussion by the public ,however no answer was forthcoming from either council or the Examiner.

    Briefly ! the plan was to reroute the North Esk from the bend at the meat works across the open paddocked area’s (which spend much of their time under water in the winter anyway) and to rejoin the Tamar at the rowing club on the city outlet.

  That part that has been bypassed could then be filled perhaps with silt from the existing problem area and eventually reclaimed for building .

  This would simply need some earthworks ,without the need to purchase properties , buildings and business’s as it would be utilizing land already flood prone, also it would bypass the city completely.

  It is my belief also that the South Esk contributes little or no silt to the basin as most would be retained by the damn.

  At the point where the south Esk would join the Tamar there could be installed a lock which could be opened at each high tide to enable boats to access either way, keeping the the Tamar basin full at all times and also stopping the majority of silt which is being brought back in by those very same tides.
                  d.d.