Urgent Appeal to Spread Word That Norske Skog Broke
Environmental Promise
4/17/97
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: Urgent Appeal to Spread Word That Norske Skog Broke
Environmental Promise
Sources: Haavard Karlsen, Greenpeace, Gjermund Andersen, FoE
and Frode Pleym, Nature and Youth
Date: 4/17/97
Dear Friends,
Below please find an urgent appeal for help from the
Norwegian groups. The request is followed by a detailed
backgrounder.
let us know what you're up to.
cheers,
Anne
p.s. We have a brief factsheet on Sktojernfjell. It is old
but provides historical and geographical facts. Let us know
if you want us to email it to you.
URGENT REQUEST FOR HELP 17.4.97
Norske Skog, the Norwegian focus for the TT campaign, has
been caught with their pants down. Yesterday they had to
admit that they have bought timber from the famous area
Skotjernfjell, one of Norway's most valuable for protection
and internationally well-known areas. Skotjernfjell has been
a TRN hot spot since the founding meeting in 1992. We know
have a unique chance to ruin Norske Skog's false
environmental image. If they are even buying wood from
Skotjernfjell, then they have no control at all of what they
are buying.
We have to act fast. Norske Skog's propoganda machinery will
soon try to get the company out of this situation. WE MUST
NOT LET THAT HAPPEN. This case is the best we have had to
prove Norske Skog as a Taiga Terminator.
NGO's in Germany are including this case in an action they
have in Bonn the coming Friday, and FoE UK will try to make
some big customers confront Norske Skog with their
environmental lies. We need actions like this from more
people and organisations, and we need them now. Everything is
useful. Please help us in the work, and reply to
natung@sn.no.
Please note that FoE Norway is now in agreement that Norske
Skog be target as a "Taiga Terminator". Terje Kronen is
quoted in the press release below!!!
Regards from Haavard Karlsen, Greenpeace, Gjermund Andersen,
FoE and Frode Pleym, Nature and Youth
There follows a backgrounder:
Extract of press release Thursday 17.4.97 from FoE Norway and
Nature and Youth:
Norske Skog breaks environmental promise
- FoE Norway and Nature and Youth inform customers
Norske Skog now admits to have received timber from
Skotjernfjell, one of Norway's most valuable for protection
and international well-known areas.
The company has for a long time told their customers that
they do not buy timber from areas valuable for protection,
but this now appears to be pure bluff.
FOE Norway and Nature and Youth now request Norske Skogs
biggest customers not to buy products that contribute to the
destruction of our last old-growth forests.
- We can no longer tolerate that the company spreads a false
image of their own environmental friendliness. Foreign
customers are told that they are sold ecological products,
but this case shows that this is wrong, says Terje Kronen
from FOE.
At a big meeting in the forestry's own project Living Forest,
representatives from big groups of costumers in England and
Germany said that they would not contribute to environmental
devastation.
- This shows how Norske Skog faces the demands. They do not
know from where the timber origine, and they do not know the
environmental devastation the logging has caused, says Frode
Pleym from Nature and Youth.
Skotjernfjell is one of the country's areas most valuable for
protection, and is known from several direct actions the past
few years.
- It is very dissapointing that Norske Skog does not follow
up their own policy to not buy from old-growth forest. For
the last year we have had conversations with Norske Skog. The
whole process through we have been promised that they would
not buy timber from areas valuable for protection,
says Terje Kronen in FoE Norway. Environmentalists will no
longer sit still and watch.
- Now we feel deceived, and see no other solution than to use
our international contacts to inform Norske Skog's customers,
says Gjermund Andersen, Norwegian representative in Taiga
Rescue Network (TRN). It has for the last years through TRN
been built an effective network to preserve the last old-
growth forests. Pressure on the forestry through the market
is a effective mean, which in several cases has given good
results. We do not feel good while doing this, but we
consider it by far more worse to destroy threathened species'
biotopes, than to tell the world that it happens, says
Andersen.
Extract of letter last week to the head of Oslo and Akershus
county authority from FoE Norway:
- Sabotage logging of Skotjernfjell
Demand for immediate temporary protection of the remnants of
the planned protection area
FoE Norway received the news on loggings in the Skotjernfjell
area with disbelief and anger. The forest owner responsible
for the logging is Thomas Fearnley and the head of forestry
in Nannestad municipality is responsible for the logging
permission.
Skotjernfjell is the symbol of forest protection in Norway.
The necessity of protecting coniferous forest areas had it's
breakthrough after confrontations in the area, and
established a political consciousness about the need for
biotope and species protection.
Skotjernfjell is regarded as one of the areas that will be
protected when the protection plan is accomplished. The
official institutions and NGO's involved in this work have
taken it for granted that Skotjernfjell must and will be
protected.
About six clearcuts are all within the planned nature
preserve. Two of the clearcuts are in the core area with
several threatened species. The vulnerable species in the
surrounding old-growth forest left standing, may not survive
because of sunexposure and drainage.
The forest owner, Thomas Fearnley, was informed about the
value of the area five years ago through several meetings and
excursions. In spite of this, he applied for permission to
log the old-growth forest. And most aggravating of all, the
forestry department of Nannestad municipality gave Fearnley
permission to logg even parts of pristine forest on
Skotjernfjell.
The fact that logging permission was given is a grave mistake
of the head of forestry in the municipality. He is not
allowed to be unaware of the ecological values in this forest
area. The permission should not have been given.
It's a shame that logging was taking place in areas that are
under consideration for protection. Both the Ministry of
agriculture and Ministry of environment is responsible, and
the missing co-ordination between responsible official
institutions is a shame for Norway.
After what has happened, we will not be surprised if foreign
countries intensify the searchlight on Norwegian forestry and
forest management.
To guarantee that no further logging will take place at
Skotjernfjell, we demand that the environmental department in
the county immediately take actions to provide temporary
protection for the old growth forest that is left in the
area.