Residents neighbouring the Gladstone State Forest were given just days notice of Forestry Corporation plans to carry out ‘toxic’ aerial spraying for the control of grasses and woody weeds. Source: Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun
Bellingen Green Action Group spokesperson Susan Weil told the Courier-Sun a local resident living on Bowraville Rd, Brierfield, contacted her after receiving a letter from the State Government body.
“The residents have been given very little time to prepare or seek legal counsel,” Ms Weil said.
“Everyone in the community is outraged – we want more information about how an aerial spray can be legally conducted in such a precious habitat … so close to where there are residents living, so close to our waterways and our otherwise very healthy ecosystem.”
Poor weather delayed the aerial spray operation, and this has given residents time to orchestrate a grassroots campaign protest.
A group of 40 attended a community meeting where issues ranged from strong concerns about the health and safety of elderly, young and already health compromised locals living close to the spray zone to concerns about run-off into the numerous creeks that crisscross the planned spray zone and a number of threatened species and known koala habitats close to the spray zone.
One resident at the meeting, Kevin Doye said: “This proposal from Forestry Corporation uses dangerous old-school science and ideas. There is a massive and still growing body of evidence that drift from aerial spraying can spread for many kilometres.
“Only a couple of years back a Queensland farmer received nearly $500,000 in damages after drift from a spraying operation killed his crop – over 20km away.
“To spray within 150 metres of houses is unacceptable. The health of our local community and ecosystem is being threatened by their proposal. Like all these decisions it comes down to cost – they save money by using this technique – but it costs our community and environment dearly, with our health and with the health of our local landscape.
“Our community hopes that their stance will help change our State Government policy and the land management practice adopted by the Forestry Corporation so that other communities around Australia don’t have to deal with this issue in their backyards.”
The Forestry Corporation’s Graeme Sonter told the Courier-Sun all State Government aerial spraying policies and procedures were being adhered to.
“Forestry Corporation plan to spray a combination of glyphosphate (RoundUp), Metsulfuron Methyl, Fluoroxypr Methy lheptyl, Simazine and other chemicals from a helicopter, Mr Sonter said.
“We are following our State Government policies and protocol and this includes no spraying 150 metres from residential homes, 25m for rivers, creeks and streams and 15m for drainage lines.
Mr Sonter said the herbicides were no different from the type used on the ground, however, it was far cheaper to spray a large area by helicopter.
“Aerial spraying can cover 100l/ha and on a good clear day we can do 175ha in one day,” Mr Sontar said.
“We fly 5m above the tree line and the droplets are heavy, so they go straight down with little drift … we also only ever spray on clear days, without wind (or) rain.”
However, this has done little to appease Ms Weil or local residents.
“The Forestry Corporation has many exemptions for their plantations that ordinary people don’t have,” Ms Weil said.
“They do not have to fulfill an environmental impact assessment plan, they do not have to liaise with local Landcare or interest groups such as WIRES or waterways or fisheries etc … to inform them of their activities.”
Ms Weil asked Mr Sonter to halt the spraying for two weeks while “we worked out a better on ground targeted weed spraying solution”.
“Tony Cox (local solicitor) has offered to take on our case for free and he is writing a letter to the Forestry Corporation today informing them of our concerns and intentions,” Ms Weil said.
“Moving forward we will not allow this aerial spraying to take place … we will take whatever action is required to ensure that. If we have to stand beneath the helicopters to stop them then that’s what we’ll do.
“We are currently contacting our State Government representatives and the Greens to step in and help us. We ask that our community help us in whatever way they can as we may need upwards of 500 people to make a decent sized protest – we have 175 hectares of State Forest to cover and that’s a lot of ground.”
A Facebook page has been set up to try and stop Forestry Corporation’s aerial spraying.
The Greens NSW is calling for an immediate halt to plans by the Forestry Corporation to spray by helicopter a chemical cocktail of Glyphosphate (RoundUp), Metsulfuron Methyl, Fluoroxypr Methy lheptyl, Simazine and other chemicals across Gladstone State forest in the State’s Mid-North Coast.
