Smoulderscape

Still suffocating in smoke pollution
from the 'agricultural activity' of
post-harvest burning by the cellulose 'plantations'
of the NSW government's Forestry Corporation.

Déjà vu
* " “Rome Plows,” massive bulldozers with an armor-fortified cutting blade, could clear 1,000 acres a day. Enormous concussive bombs, known as “daisy cutters”, flattened forests and set off shock waves killing everything within a 3,000-foot (900-meter) radius, down to earthworms in the soil. " >>
https://theconversation.com/50-years-later-vietnams-environment-still-bears-the-scars-of-war-and-signals-a-dark-future-for-gaza-and-ukraine-254971

* Ecocide and the history of herbicidal warfare in the Vietnam War >>
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/vietnam-war-1962-1975/events/aftermath/agent-orange

#Pollution #Smoke #pollution #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #BellingenLogging #NSW #COPD #AirQuality #breathing #soot #PineCreekStateForest #TuckersNobSF #PostHarvestBurning #agriculture #PileBurning #NSW #EPA #AirQuality #CleanAir #SacrificeZone #extractivism #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities #governance #care #StructuralViolence

Suffocating in smoke pollution
from the 'agricultural activity' of
post-harvest pile burning by the cellulose 'plantations'
of the NSW government's Forestry Corporation.

"You can kill a person with post-harvest burning just as well as with an axe”.
(Bertolt Brech, slightly altered)

"Structural violence
is a form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs or rights."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_violence

When residents express their concerns about the prolonged toxic pollution to the relevant state institutions, the response is along the lines of 'close up your house, stay indoors or move away and shut up.'

Toxic smoke pollution maximising harm >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116146034632404631

(The original quote: "You can kill a person with an apartment just as well as with an axe”. Heinrich Zille/ B. Brecht)

#Pollution #Smoke #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #NSW #COPD #AirQuality #breathing #soot #PineCreekStateForest #TuckersNobSF #PostHarvestBurning #agriculture #PileBurning #NSW #EPA #AirQuality #CleanAir #SacrificeZone #extractivism #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities #governance #care #StructuralViolence

Forestry - The production of toxic pollution to get a few woodchips out of complex biodiversity

Before the leftovers of the cellulose factory (forest 'plantations') in this area are incinerated, a copious cocktail of pesticides is applied.

#pesticides #air #SprayDrift #water #soil #health #crucial #starane #AssociatePulse #PileBurning #biodiversity #wildlife #FCNSW #TuckersNobSF #Bellingenshire #BellingenLogging ##Gleniffer #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities

Toxic smoke pollution maximising harm

The government's Forestry Corporation of NSW is still polluting the Bellingen, Gleniffer and Repton area with toxic smoke. Wet piles and the green timber piles are smouldering. After a cocktail of pesticides was applied, the wet piles with green timber were set alight and are left smouldering for days, maximising the toxic smoke pollution over a wide area.

These negative externalities occur when the consumption or production of a commodity (cellulose) causes a harmful effect to a third party.

It appears that the Forestry Corporation and EPA evade or pass responsibility and the many concerned residents ring 000 and overburden the small Gleniffer Bushfire Brigade now...

Fire-induced health impacts by the Forestry Corporation of NSW Pt 1 >
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116134685710504402
Fire-induced health impacts by the Forestry Corporation of NSW Pt 2 >
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116134917857123855

#Pollution #Smoke #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #NSW #COPD #AirQuality #breathing #PineCreekStateForest #TuckersNobSF #NSW #EPA #AirQuality #SacrificeZone #extractivism #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities #governance #care

Image: Tuckers Nob SF smouldering after pesticide applications

Fire-induced health impacts by the Forestry Corporation of NSW Pt 2

Negative externalities occur when the consumption or production of a commodity causes a harmful effect to a third party.

Bushfire smoke: There is no safe level of exposure. >
https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-bushfire-smoke-272065

Hundreds died from the effects of smoke inhalation caused by Australia’s 2019-2020 black summer bushfires and many more are likely to have long-term health issues." >
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/smoke-pollution-from-wildfires-may-be-killing-an-extra-12000-people-a-year-new-research-suggests

"Breathing polluted air may do more than harm your lungs — it could also increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease." >
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260220010836.htm

Fire-induced health impacts by the Forestry Corporation of NSW Pt 1 >
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116134685710504402

#Pollution #Smoke #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #TheGreatkoalaNationalPark #PineCreekStateForest #TuckersNobSF #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #NSW #EPA #COPD #AirQuality #SacrificeZone #extractivism #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities #governance

Image: Forestry Corporation signage: Smoke Hazard, Roses Rd., Gleniffer

Fire-induced health impacts by the Forestry Corporation of NSW Pt 1

The state-owned Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) is doing ‘Planned Burns’ to the unwanted left-overs after logging and clear felling Tuckers Nob State Forests. The so-called ‘plantations’ or cellulose factory is or was a rich bio-diverse ecosystem before the destruction.

Many residents live in the area and wildlife has moved back into the sprouting desert.The area has been declared a ‘hazard’ and 36 ha are being incinerated. They call it ‘Hazard Reduction’ because they have dried out the microclimate and increased the bushfire risk.

Through a government decision and outmoded management practices every living being with a lung is now being wilfully exposed to toxic smoke from incineration.
It is not bushfire smoke from climate disruption, but an intentional collateral to extracting cellulose from bio-diversity which has to be subsidised by tax payers. This is turning the area and the breathing beings into a sacrifice zone.

The air-filled sacs in the lungs, the alveoli are forced to act as a cost-effective vacuum cleaner for forestry’s “Hazard Reduction” fallout, cleaning up their ‘debris’.

There are no health warnings issued. The reduced air quality leads to exposure to bushfire smoke. Fire-induced health impacts lead to mortalities from particulate matter, increased cardio-respiratory hospital admissions and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

Roses Road 5km NW of Bellingen, Planned Burn, Forestry HR Tuckers Nob Plantation 26 & 27 > https://www.abc.net.au/emergency/warning/AUREMER-f880330fe06f0b24d8c50d27faf116c1

"Fine particles, often described as PM2.5 (particles of 2.5 micrometres in diameter or less). These particles can remain suspended in the air for extended periods and, owing to their tiny size, can penetrate deep into the lungs when inhaled." > https://theconversation.com/bushfires-in-victoria-how-to-protect-yourself-if-the-air-is-smoky-where-you-live-215789

#Pollution #Smoke #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #NSW #COPD #AirQuality #breathing
Image: Respiratory system, Wikipedia Commons

Two drownings at the Never Never River

"Sachin Khillan (left) and Sahil Batra (right) died after falling into a deep water hole in the Never Never River.The group had booked accommodation at Gleniffer that featured private access to the Never Never River. Rivers are the leading location for drownings in Australia." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-29/family-tribute-gleniffer-drowning-victims-nsw/106277648
#drowning #rivers #NeverNeverRiver #Gleniffer #tourism #SafetyEquipment #Bellingenshire

Two men have drowned in the Never Never River on the NSW Mid North Coast.

"Emergency services were called to John Locke Place at Gleniffer, north of Bellingen, at about 6:45pm on Sunday following reports of people struggling in the water. Police were told three men, all believed to be aged in their 30's, began to struggle soon after entering the river."

"The two men were pulled from the water but were unable to be revived and died at the scene. A crime scene has been established and a report will be prepared for the coroner."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/two-men-dead-bellingen-drowning/106269014

AUDIO: Two die in drowning on NSW Mid North Coast >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/two-die-in-drowning-on-nsw-mid-north-coast/106269500

#Gleniffer #Bellingen #drowning #NeverNever #JohnLockePlace #NSW #rivers #NeverNeverCatchment #MidNorthCoast #tourism #CPRChart #swimming #heatwaves #crime

Safeguarding Bellingen rivers and coast
https://bellingenshirenews.com.au/2025/12/04/new-plan-to-safeguard-bellingen-rivers/

Explore the responsible visitor tips:
"Watch your pooch when it poops: One 10 cent-sized piece of dog waste contains 23 million faecal coliform bacteria – rain washes it into rivers and harms wildlife. Bag it, bin it, keep our waterways clean."
https://www.visitbellingenshire.com.au/Plan/Tips-on-how-to-explore-with-care

The Gleniffer Valley is a beautiful place, but..
http://www.bellingennow.com/about/index.html
#water #rivers #Bellingen #BellingenShire #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle #shorebirds #platypus #biodiversity #wildlife #ecosystems #PromisedLands #Gleniffer #dogs #pets #waste

Somewhere there are changing attitudes - they are removing barbed wire fencing

" Man removes 18km of barbed wire fencing from Victorian property to save wildlife. According to Entangled Wildlife Australia, 80 per cent of barbed wire entanglements occur on the top strand. Across Australia, there is a growing push to ban the use of barbed wire for property boundaries. Changing attitudes and behaviour are key if we are to create a safer environment for our wildlife."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-31/man-removes-18km-of-barbed-wire-fencing-to-help-wildlife/105890356
#Biodiversity #fences #BarbedWire #fencing #wildlife #entanglement #BellingenShire #Gleniffer