The Wombat Alliance has learned today that the last sawmill holding a logging license for the Wombat Forest has recently accepted a payout from the state government.

"Although it was inevitable, it’s still a huge relief to get confirmation that it’s finally over," said Marcus Ward, President of the Cobaw and Wombat Forest Action Group. "Despite many efforts to broker a compromise, the government has made it very clear for the last two years that they intended to log the last of the forest giants, regardless of community opposition. When we put the suggestion of a ‘buy out’ some months ago, it was dismissed out of hand. This recent change of mind is a very welcome back down by Minister Thwaites."

The DSE’s recent plans to start up logging again in January received an angry response from locals. Despite efforts to negotiate with the Government and bureaucrats over the past six months, the Minister, John Thwaites, and the DSE made it clear to the various delegations that they were committed to recommence logging despite strong community opposition. As recently as last Thursday, Alliance members reported that this was the position of senior DSE managers at a protracted meeting held at the Ballarat DSE offices. The DSE’s stated reason for pushing on with logging was that they were required ‘by law’ to supply the remaining sawlog license. The Alliance claim that with the payout of the last mill, any pretext for re-starting logging has evaporated.

"The losses over the last twenty five years are tragic. Can we learn any lessons from this debacle, and avoid the same fate for our other forests? For East Gippsland’s old growth forests and Melbourne’s forested water catchments? At least for the Wombat Forest we can now be confident that the worst is over. The forest giants that would have otherwise fallen over the next few years will be a significant contribution to the future of the Wombat. Today marks the start of the long journey of restoration for the Wombat Forest," said Mr Ward.

Contact Marcus Ward ph: 5423 5254

Wombat forest logging to resume
January 23 2006
Report: Jane Bardon - ABC

Campaigners against a resumption of logging in the Wombat Forest near
Daylesford, say they will not accept a new plan by the Department of
Sustainability to cut down 5,000 cubic metres of logs and 20,000cu.m of
firewood a year. The plan was launched last Thursday, after the community
council which the DSE had been consulting over its plans collapsed because
of internal divisions. The DSE says despite opposition to logging from some
sections of the community, it must honour one remaining sawmill licence
which runs until 2008. Under its "Our Forests Our Future" policy announced
in 2002 the Victorian Government set up a consultation process to increase
community participation in the management of the Wombat State Forest. The
Department of Sustainability's local group manager for Public Land
Stewardship manager Andrew McLean says following a two year community
consultation process a considerably amended plan has been drawn up to
resume logging to satisfy a sawmill licence. But many of the members of the
main body consulted by the DSE, the Council of Stewards, say they do not
accept that the community has agreed to the plan.
Denise Dalton says rather plans to resume logging have been so
controversial that divisions have led to the unexplained dissolving of the
Council. Andrew McLean says the DSE can not take any responsibility for the
dissolving of the council, but says it could not continue to consult the
council. But Mr McLean says the DSE has taken steps to make sure many of
the views of the community have been taken into account, and the department
wants to continue working with the community. But Marcus Ward, a spokesman
for the Wombat Forest Alliance, says many people in the community feel the
consultation has been a total farce.
Mr McLean says the Department and State Government attempted to end logging
in the forest by buying out all of the remaining saw mill licences except
one owned by Dwyer's Sawmill of Daylesford for 5,000 cubic metres of logs.
He says legally the DSE must supply the logs. And he says there would be no
purpose served by sourcing them from another forest of similar
bio-diversity. But Ms Dalton says no matter what contracts are in place,
the DSE's decision to go ahead with its plans are putting powerful owls and
other birds and animals, which the department agreed to protect, at risk in
the Wombat Forest.
Mr McLean says when logging resumes in February the Department will not use
clear felling methods, but will use selective methods including one dubbed
'arboreal', which aims to preserve the habitats of animals which live in
trees. Mr Ward says those in the community who feel the consultation
process has been a sham will not stand back and allow logging to resume.

In this report: DSE's local group manager for Public Land Stewardship
manager Andrew McLean; Council of Stewards, Denise Dalton; Wombat Forest
Alliance campaigner Marcus Ward.