The current awful truth is that there are now no forests outside of legislated parks and reserves that are safe from logging in Victoria.

Most of the remaining accessible forested areas have a mixture of forest species, and mixed-species areas return the lowest grade of timber and are the most vulnerable. Owing to high transport costs, the more accessible lower-grade forests - and the forests that protect Melbourne's water catchments - are now being targeted for their high 'residual log' values. In the main, the wood from these forests ends up as low value-added products, such as garden stakes, pallets and toilet paper. Plantation timbers can supply most of these needs - there is no need to log our native forests!

Owing to previously unsustainable harvesting levels, our native forests (yes! they belong to all Victorians) are now being logged on a forever decreasing time cycle. At present, the DSE is taking the Mountain Ash re-growth from the 1939 wildfires that swept through Victoria only 60 years ago. Many of these 60-year-old trees are still immature and they yield low volumes of sawlogs. The usual process is that

• new high-impact logging roads are bull-dozed into the areas to be logged, resulting in major siltation in lower-level water-courses, creeks and rivers;
• coupes are clear-felled and all permissible logs regarded as economic are removed (including a high ratio of 'residual logs' for wood-chipping) - the impact on native wildlife is horrendous. These days, high volumes are transported quickly to sawmill or chipper by bringing in enormous 'B Double' logging trucks... ;
• the coupe is subjected to a 'regeneration burn' that literally turns it into a wasteland; · at a later date, re-seeding is performed via a 'blanket bombing' approach (that is sometimes done from a helicopter);
• if 'successful', the thicket-like re-growth forest of almost uniform seedlings is left to fend for itself, resulting in a 'monoculture' tree farm that bears no resemblance to the original forest that was destroyed. This means that bio-diversity is lost from the area - possibly forever!

For more information about this process, see The Awful Effects of
Clear-fell Logging.

We must stop this unnecessary wastage of our forests and their natural heritage values that could be lost for centuries unless vigorous action is taken now!

JOIN THE UPPER BUNYIP ACTION GROUP, and begin writing letters NOW to your local papers and MPs to protect the 350 Upper Bunyip Forestry Block from any further devastation.

Return to Top

Download detail as a PDF document