WA’s conservation department is investigating whether a forest near Nannup contains old-growth trees and should be spared from a Government logging operation. Source: Perth Now
The Barrabup forest, 5km from Nannup in the South-West, is earmarked for logging by the State-run Forest Products Commission (FPC).
But the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions — which changed its name from the Department of Parks and Wildlife — ordered an 11th-hour halt before bulldozers moved in.
A spokeswoman confirmed the department was still investigating whether the parcel of land contained old-growth forest.
“Planning and harvesting operations will not take place until an assessment to identify any areas of old-growth forest to be excluded from harvesting is completed,” she said.
Parts of Barrabup were logged in the 1920s but conservationists say other sections have never seen chainsaws and should be classed as old growth, meaning they would be protected under WA environment laws.
People have been campaigning to protect the Barrabup forest, claiming it is also a haven for endangered wildlife including cockatoos and that it is worth more in tourism potential for Nannup.
WA Forest Alliance convenor Jess Beckerling said logging of old-growth forests was prohibited in WA but “a lack of legislation or enforcement of guidelines means that the FPC suffer no consequences when they’re responsible for destruction of an old-growth area”.
“This time, the quick action of Nannup locals has stopped the logging so that a proper assessment can take place. But we know that further from towns and out-of-sight ancient forests are still being logged.”
However, FPC South-West native forest manager Chaz Newman said the department’s “planning processes includes checking for the presence of old-growth and requires all forest workers to be on the lookout for old-growth forest at all stages of an operation”.
Since 2000, the FPC has identified an additional 1000 hectares of old-growth which has been added to the conservation estate, he said.
Mr Newman said it was the FPC that called in the conservation department to check for old growth, but the WA Forest Alliance claimed that was only after howls of protest from the local community.
Ms Beckerling called on the WA Government and Environment Minister Stephen Dawson to honour Labor’s election promise to protect high-conservation-value forest, and she said it should start with a moratorium on logging Barrabup.
Mr Dawson said WA’s natural heritage was one of the State’s greatest drawcards but the protection and rehabilitation of natural habitat “needs to be balanced with our commitment to support plantation industry and secure the jobs of those workers supported by the forest industry”.
