Wombat - Regional News - Forests and water - Jan 2006

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

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.