Claims native forest logging is unsustainable not correct

He implies "old" forests with high conservation value are being harvested. But for decades harvesting has been largely confined to regrowth stands regenerated after harvesting or wildfire. He also implies harvesting destroys threatened species, but ignores efforts to effectively protect them (i.e. koalas in north east NSW).

Detailed analysis of the extensive wildfires of 2019-20 showed prior logging had little effect on either the extent or severity of wildfires in NSW or Victoria.

Sustainable harvest and use of wood products does not, as claimed by Lindenmayer, increase net carbon emissions from native forests. Detailed life-cycle analyses show the opposite and are consistent with IPCC policies.

Lindenmayer suggests an easy transition to plantation sources of all wood products is needed in Australia. However, plantation area has declined over the last decade whilst the demand for, and imports of, wood is increasing. Obtaining suitable land, community support and private investment to enable plantation expansion is a major challenge.

Economic analyses for harvested native forests are generally flawed because they exclude the benefits of wood processing and use, and important community benefits such as fire protection, road infrastructure and water production.

Extensive wildfire, not sustainable harvesting, represents a major threat to people as well as most forest values (soil and water, carbon stocks, timber supply, biodiversity).

Trump's running mate, JD Vance, has undergone a stunning transformation.

He's pivoted effortlessly from recently calling Trump "America's Hitler", to sycophantic adulation at the Republican convention.

"Anyone can change," his admirers cry. Or perhaps God changed his mind for him.

What more could America wish for? Not just one, but two white males leading the nation with God's imprimatur?

Australia should be so lucky.

My Fenner School colleague Professor David Lindenmayer's article "Stopping native forest logging the only way forward" (July 14) presents one side of the arguments about how we should manage our forests.

There are other sides to the argument. The major threats to biodiversity are from land clearing for agriculture and development, and from invasive species, not native forest logging. The effects of logging on fire risk are relatively minor; the carbon in logs harvested from Australian native forests is 1 per cent of Australia's annual emissions.

A full life-cycle analysis of native forest harvesting suggests a positive carbon balance. There is a substantial taxpayer cost to managing public native forests, whether they are national parks or forests from which wood is harvested. We are already greatly under-invested in national park management. Plantations are at greater risk of loss to fire (and other threats) than native forests.

Other factors are important too: the rights and interests of the traditional owners of forests, the enormous challenges of expanding plantations, and the myriad impacts of climate change.

For all these reasons, the best strategies for the future are not as simple as managing native forests only for conservation and drawing all the wood we need for a climate-smart economy from plantations.

The media is replete with stories of Democrat leaders praising Joe Biden's sudden decision to step aside and endorse Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate, but that just raises more doubts.

Obviously, those party leaders, and especially Ms Harris, have known of Biden's declining mental acuity for months, if not years, and yet they have continued to say he was fine and to push him as the man to beat Trump back into the White House.

Even in the days after the debate disaster Harris, Pelosi etc were saying he was fit for the job. Makes me wonder if the real plan was to use Biden to beat Trump and then quickly "retire" him and install Harris as president, without the need for her to face the people in an election.

A conspiracy? Yes. But how else can anyone explain the sudden shifts of the last couple of weeks? And all that while the Democrats call Trump a threat to democracy?

"Will I get an extra tax cut if I wear a blue singlet, drive a Holden and eat pies?" asks Peter McLoughlin (Letters, July 23) in response to the latest thought bubble from the Young Libs.

I doubt it, Peter, but you may if you wear a Zegna suit, drive a Rolls Royce, and subscribe to the Caviar of the Week Club.

But, of course, under those circumstances you probably don't pay any tax anyway. Always remember, the Young Liberals are the larval stage of LNP parliamentarians and senators. Advance Australia - backwards.

Mario Stivala (Letters, July 12) said that "after several decades of mainly army personnel as leaders of the Australian Defence Force we now have a naval officer".

If we are to take several decades as 30 years, Admiral David Johnston is the third naval officer to hold the appointment after admirals Alan Beaumont (1993-1995) and Chris Barrie (1998-2002).

In the past 30 years two air force officers, air chief marshals Angus Houston (2005-2011) and Mark Binskin (2014-18) have held the post. Four army officers, generals Baker, Cosgrove, Hurley and Campbell have been CDFs. While the appointment is not rotational, each of the services has had about a third share with the best person for the job being selected on each occasion.

Re Mark Kenny's recent history lesson. It was the great power meddling in the Balkans which started World War I. The assassination of the Austrian Grand Duke was a reaction to that meddling, specifically the Austrian occupation of Bosnia.

The Balkans offer an important historical lesson; after centuries of being pawns of the Ottomans, Austrians and Russians it's not surprising a pan-slavic movement resulted in the formation of Yugoslavia. Then after being stuck together for several decades under what amounted to a Serbian hegemony, the decided they would rather be separate.

Whatever we've got, we blame it for everything we don't like, forgetting what it was like beforehand.

Referring to the recent failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Joe Biden said this kind of violence was "unheard of" in the US. His memory must be failing at an alarming rate given four presidents have been assassinated. Two others have been wounded in failed assassination attempts. They were Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Regan. Now we can add Trump to that list.

The IDF said they used "precise intelligence" and "precision" and "smart" weapons in their deadly attack on the al-Mawasi refugee camp. This had been delineated a safe zone and Gazans were told by the Israelis they would be safe there.

Did the same "precise intelligence" inform the military decision-makers of how many children, women, men, and old people were in harms way. Did the precise information provided by the weapon makers inform the military of the precise radius of death and injury? Did the military decision-makers do any calculations, precise or approximate, of the likely number of civilian dead and wounded to expect? At least 100 Gazans dead and another 300 Gazans wounded, mostly civilians apparently.

We all should condemn with the greatest "precision" the actions of the Israeli military in its immoral attack on al-Mawasi.

Jeremy Lasek (Letters, July 15) rightly asks what's going on with the apparent increase in domestic violence. There is no discussion of the impact of cost-of-living pressures and social inequity that has arisen over the past few decades.

I recall the former University of Canberra vice chancellor Stephen Parker talking about the impact of the forced closure of coal mines in Wales by the Thatcher government, its destructive impact on families and an explosion in domestic violence. As a practicing lawyer in Wales at the time he found it very distressing and he migrated to Australia shortly thereafter.

Not only do we need to educate men to be better, we need a more equitable and tolerant society. In the current political climate I am not hopeful.

Now Biden is gone Trump's chances will drop for sure. I think Rudd will switch sides again. I wish he comes clean and says "I am with whoever keeps me in my job".

Young Liberals want to make Australia more like America ("Flag-waver tax cuts among ACT Young Liberals suggestions", July 21). Australia is already too eager to emulate American culture and inclined to sycophancy towards Uncle Sam. Allow Australians to fly the flag by all means. But financial incentives are a step too far.

Of course, we could always measure wind speed in knots...

Congratulations to Asthma Australia in its support for phasing out wood heaters in Canberra's neighbourhoods. Its full-page advertisement on July 20 is a breath of fresh air in a debate which is being clouded by the wood heating industry. I suggest every Canberran read Asthma Australia's warnings.

On the matter of the dressing on Donald Trump's ear, I have never seen one so conspicuous or lacking in function. A professor of surgery once said "dressings have only two functions, to prevent infection and to conceal it". But there is a third, to gather votes. I bet it stays on until election day.

With Biden gone the focus should now be on the mental and cognitive decline of Donald J Trump. If Biden was unfit for the office of president on those grounds, Trump is even more so. And that's before you take into account the vast number of other issues that should influence American voters not to support him.

Alarm bells are not part of the furniture anymore at the Department of Prime Minster and Cabinet? ("Reason CFMEU whistle-blower's email failed to reach PM revealed", July 23).

In your editorial of July 23, you criticised Joe Biden for forgetting Scott Morrison's name. Lucky Joe, I say: I'd like to forget Scott Morrison's name too.

When Simon Birmingham demands transparency, suggesting "Australians are paying more" because of union infiltration by organised crime, he glosses over Joyce's Armidale fiasco, the "Inland Rail" billion dollar sinkhole, and the $30 million Leppington triangle "bargain".

I think M F Horton is onto something. Why not a Twaddle competition during the Olympics? After all, Twaddling is gaining traction. The rules of Twaddle are rubbish, however, and need to be clarified as some examples of twaddle are considered to be of "dubious legality" ("Dubious Legality", Letters, July 24).

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Responsibility for election comment is taken by John-Paul Moloney of 121 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra. Published by Federal Capital Press of Australia Pty Ltd.