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[Mystic]

Thank you very much for that insight into the Canadian forestry situation. I was stunned to read of the impact of climate change on the numbers of the pine beetles, and the consequential damage they are causing.

It is indeed amazing how small things, seemingly unpredictable, can change the landscape so dramatically.

Our forestry practices are largely built on an underlying assumption that we too live in a land bountiful for this resource, and that regeneration can make the industry sustainable, along with increased use of plantations. I went for a drive a couple of days ago, and the road I followed led through about 70 kilometres of plantation timber. It sounds a lot, but with most of this being grown for pulp, and the anticipated consumption of the planned mill in the Tamar valley, it really is only a small part of the demand.

It certainly would be frightening to think that biological changes could wreak the same damage here.