Extract from Cardinia Shire Council Minutes
19 August 2002

EXTRACT FROM MINUTES OF GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY 19 TH AUGUST, 2002

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING
held in the Cardinia Shire Offices, Henty Way, Pakenham on Monday 19 th August, 2002,
commencing at 6.00 p. m.

PRESENT: Cr. Keith Ewenson, Chairman.
Councillors Ted Owen, Max Papley, David Nickell, Bill Ronald, Graham Osborne, Graeme Legge.

Messrs. Don Welsh, (CEO), Garry McQuillan (GMCS), Mike Ellis (GMAS), Geoff Rundell (GMCP), Doug Evans (MEB).
APOLOGIES: Nil.
CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF MEETINGS
Moved Cr. Legge, seconded Cr. Papley.
THAT MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING OF COUNCIL HELD ON 15 TH JULY 2002, THE MINUTES OF SPECIAL "IN-CAMERA" MEETING MINUTES OF 5 TH
AUGUST AND MINUTES OF TOWN PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING, BOTH HELD ON 5 TH AUGUST BE
CONFIRMED. Cd.

5. LOGGING IN THE UPPER BUNYIP (40-01-10)

OFFICER'S RECOMMENDATION:

1. That taking into account submissions from Upper Bunyip Action Group and DNRE, Council resolve that:

• timber harvesting should not occur in the Upper Bunyip 350 block due
  to impact on –
  

-native vegetation
-tourism
-westernport catchment
-recreational needs of South East Melbourne

• the Upper Bunyip 350 block should be annexed to the Bunyip State Park.
  
  

2. That the Minister for Environment and Conservation and local Members of Parliament be advised of Council's position.

Attachments:
Nil.

Executive Summary:
The report provides information on the briefing session provided by the Upper Bunyip Action Group and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment regarding the advantages and disadvantages of timber harvesting in the Upper Bunyip 350 block and the merits of adding the Upper Bunyip 350 block to the Bunyip State Park.

Background:
A report on logging in the Bunyip State Park was brought before Council in June 2002. The report outlined the government's commitments under the Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement for sawlog and pulpwood production and the Upper Bunyip Action Group's strong concerns that the area within the Upper Bunyip should not be logged but be added to the Bunyip State Park.

It was recommended that a Council briefing session be arranged to provide greater detail on the subject.

The Councillor briefing session was held on 22 July where an excellent and informative discussion took place. A representative from the Federation of Victorian Walking Clubs also attended the session.

Bob Thompson from the Upper Bunyip Action Group ( UBAG ) outlined his group's concerns regarding the Upper Bunyip 350 Forestry Block. The block takes in the headwaters of the Bunyip River and is located at the northern extremity of the Shire. Most of the block lies within Cardinia Shire, the remainder is within Baw Baw Shire. The block covers an area of 3,900Ha which is about a quarter the size of the Bunyip State Park.

The Upper Bunyip Action Group considers that the 350 block should be added to the Bunyip State Park for passive recreation purposes and that all 4WD's and trail bikes should be excluded from the area. A comprehensive scientific study should be undertaken to establish the areas natural and social values before further logging takes place. They argue that:

• The area is of national significance with very high zoological and botanical values. The 1984 Sites of Zoological Significance in the Western Port Catchment report by the then Department of Conservation Forests and Lands recommended that " All of the catchment of the upper reaches of the Bunyip river should be included in the Bunyip State Park and logging totally excluded as this area contains the only stands of mature Mountain Ash ( wet sclerophyll forest ) and Antarctic Beech ( cool-temperate rainforest ) in the catchment and is potentially very valuable habitat for the rare Leadbeaters Possum and probably provides breeding sites for the Sooty Owl and Powerful Owl ".
• There is virtually no local financial benefit to Cardinia Shire from the logging. The sawlogs and residual logs are all processed out of the municipality, however logging trucks use and would add to the wear and tear of local roads.
• The financial return to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment ( DNRE) from logging in the 350 block is small. UBAG estimates, using DNRE data, that DNRE is expected to earn less than $350,000 over the next 3 years from the block.
• Logging in a water catchment is no longer socially acceptable. The Upper Bunyip was proclaimed a water supply catchment in 1963. Four municipalities have objected to logging in water supply catchments: Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moyne and
  
• Warnambool. . In the long term forest based tourism will deliver much higher economic benefit to the state and to the local communities than logging. Tourists will only come to see the jewels though not the left overs. The 350 block is within a 20 minutes drive of Gembrook, Puffing Billy and Gilwell Park where local businesses could extend their tourist operations into the area.
• The 350 block, if left intact, would help cater for the passive recreation needs of the increasing population of the urban growth corridor and surrounding areas. The Bunyip State Park does not fulfil this need due to the large number of 4WD's and trail bikes.
• The logging of the 5 coupes proposed for the 350 block this season will cause immediate and serious impact on the Fisheries walking track in the western end of the block and this would undermine the value of this area for tourism for Gembrook.

Lucy Gannon, Senior Forester for the Dandenong Forest Management Area for DNRE at Powelltown replied that the government aims to balance the need to protect natural, recreational and social values while fulfilling the need to maintain a timber industry based on sustainable harvesting. In particular:

• The Land Conservation Council's Melbourne Area District 2 Review had the difficult task of allocating and balancing land uses on public land across the whole area including uses for a comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) reserve
  system of national and state parks as well as forestry areas.
• The Central Highland Regional Forest Agreement is designed to meet and set allocation commitments for sawlog and pulpwood production. A robust consultative process took place to determine the allocations.
• The local Forest Management Plan determines where and when logging will occur while at the same time specific natural and social values are protected by the use of zones within the forest area.
• Less than 20% of forestry blocks are generally available for timber harvesting the rest remains untouched.
• The Code of Forest Practice for Public Land as well as the requirements for the proclaimed water supply catchment help ensure that water quality is maintained. Only land with a slope less than 25% is harvested. A buffer of 100 metres on either side of a watercourse also protects water quality. Logging and associated works are only carried out in the drier summer months when there is less likelihood of erosion and sedimentation.
• A reduction in the overall harvesting yield of 23% from the Central Highlands area has recently been negotiated to ensure that harvesting is sustainable. Compensation to affected mills has formed part of the negotiation.
• If the 350 block is not harvested then another area will need to be logged to fulfill the allocation requirements.
• Clear felling is the process used to harvest Mountain Ash as this species requires full sunlight and an ash bed, created by burning of the leftover waste wood, for successful germination to occur.
  

Discussion

It was apparent from the questions asked by Councillors that there is still concern regarding the harvesting of timber in the Bunyip State Forest. Some of the concerns are:

• The Upper Bunyip is a proclaimed water supply catchment. The area is presently not used as a water supply however recent discussion papers from the Melbourne Water Resources Review show that the Tarago Reservoir, which the Bunyip Weir feeds into, is highly likely to be brought back into service to cater for Melbourne's increasing water requirements. It is important to ensure that water quality is maintained. Data from the Co-Operative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology also shows that runoff decreases by 50% for up to 40 years after an area has been logged. This is because a growing forest actively takes up more water than a mature forest, ie there will be less water available once harvesting takes place.
• Clear felled areas, logging trucks on local roads and tourism do not mix. If Cardinia wishes to promote tourism in the Gembrook area, where approximately a quarter of a million people visit the area annually, then logging would need to be curtailed.
• The Bunyip State Park is used by many 4WD's and trail bikes which is not conducive to the pursuit of passive recreation, nature study, bird watching, walking and so forth. Cardinia's Open Space Recreation Strategy shows that there is a strong need for passive recreation spaces in the municipality. Even though Cardinia technically has the area for passive open space, the areas have not been developed ie do not have walking paths, shade trees etc. As well, the areas that Cardinia has set aside are very different than the Bunyip State Forest and State Park. They are not the large, wild, natural area of the Upper Bunyip. It is expected that the need will also increase as the urban growth corridor and surrounding areas develop.

If Cardinia wishes to voice concerns about logging in the Upper Bunyip then the Minister for the Environment and Conservation, the Hon. Sherryl Garbutt, would need to be informed.

5. LOGGING IN THE UPPER BUNYIP (40-01-10)
Moved Cr. Legge seconded Cr. Nickell:

1. THAT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT SUBMISSIONS FROM UPPER BUNYIP ACTION GROUP AND DNRE, COUNCIL RESOLVE THAT:

TIMBER HARVESTING SHOULD NOT OCCUR IN THE UPPER BUNYIP 350 BLOCK DUE TO IMPACT ON –

-NATIVE VEGETATION
-TOURISM
-WESTERNPORT CATCHMENT
-RECREATIONAL NEEDS OF SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE

THE UPPER BUNYIP 350 BLOCK SHOULD BE ANNEXED TO THE BUNYIP STATE PARK.

2. THAT THE MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION AND LOCAL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BE ADVISED OF COUNCIL'S POSITION.

Amendment:
Moved Cr. Owen:
THAT THE UPPER BUNYIP WATER SUPPLY CATCHMENT BE PRESERVED FOR FUTURE NEEDS OF THE SOUTH EAST GROWTH CORRIDOR.

Motion lapsed for want of a seconder
ORIGINAL MOTION PUT AND CARRIED