Baird Government buckles under tree pressure

Dear Woow,

Have you heard? Yesterday the Government announced they have caved in to community pressure and will change the damaging 10/50 land clearing code that was turning our leafy suburbs into concrete jungles.

Thank you for signing petitions, making phone calls and contacting your local media. Without your action, the Government would have remained silent whilst our suburbs and special natural places around NSW lost their trees.

It's great that the Government has acknowledged the code isn't working, but simply 'changing' 10/50 doesn't cut it for our trees facing the chop. Call Premier Baird now and tell him the 10/50 code needs to be axed completely.

The Government is proposing many changes, such as ensuring World Heritage Areas, essential wetlands and rainforest, and special Aboriginal places will be saved from the chainsaw.

Yet the fact the Government made these changes shows what poor policy this code was in the first place. The code does little to reduce bushfire risk but has had devastating consequences for urban bushland and the wildlife in our suburbs. 

Since these laws was introduced last August, thousands of trees have been cleared across the state. This free pass for felling is terrible news for our wildlife.

The Government's changes simply don't go far enough. Unless the Baird Government scraps the code entirely we will continue to see trees lost across NSW.

Please call Premier Mike Baird now on 8574 5000 and ask that the 10/50 land clearing code be overturned entirely so the trees in our suburbs are left standing. We have seen too much devastation already. His office number is 8574 5000.

NSW needs a real plan to reduce our bushfire risk, not a knee jerk reaction.

Thank you for your commitment. This is your victory for nature, let's not stop now. 

Sincerely,

Daisy Barham

Campaigns Director

Nature Conservation Council of NSW

P.S. If you missed the story in the media, check out this piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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