Vic forests worth more as national park than timber »

It's not a political case, it is scientific. Current management is a major loss making enterprise that basically diminishes other land uses which are economically, socially, and environmentally more valuable. Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have found the current management practices in the Mountain Ash forests of Victoria's Central Highlands don't stack up economically. Professors David Lindenmayer and Michael Vardon from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society have used government reports to calculate the value that water, timber, tourism, agriculture and biodiversity in the forests contribute to Australia's GDP. "Importantly, the report shows that the provision of water, agriculture and tourism in the forests is far more valuable than native timber harvesting," Professor Lindenmayer said. The report used the United Nations System of Economic and Environmental Accounts to calculate the value added value - which include economic activity and employment as well as asset values - of different land uses. The value added value of the water supply provided by the Mountain Ash forests is $2,023 per hectare per year, which is 70 times more than the $29 that native timber harvesting contributes in the same area.