Firewood, fence post and specialty timber cutters will be banned from harvesting standing and fallen timber from 5 February – five months ahead of the planned mid-year cut-off. Source: Weekly Times
Fifty licensees, who operate under Victoria’s community forestry program, were told last May they had until June 30 this year to wrap up their operations, with some likely to gain exemptions to continue beyond that date.
But VicForests chief executive Monique Dawson wrote to all forest product licensees this month warning all harvesting would have to stop in less than a fortnight, due to Supreme Court action by the Wombat Forestcare group.
“We are disappointed to let you know that VicForests will not defend the current court proceedings brought against it by Wombat Forestcare, in which injunctions are being sought to prevent operations collecting windthrown timber following the 2021 storms in the Wombat State Forest, as well as other small community forestry operations throughout the Midlands and Bendigo forest management areas.
“Unfortunately, what that means is that we can no longer continue the community forestry program because of the risk of litigation to VicForests and to licensees and the associated direct legal cost.
“The court is also requiring what in VicForests view is a disproportionate survey effort for the type of operations encompassed by community forestry.
“As such, this means all community forestry operations will cease by February 5, 2024.”
The Weekly Times understands VicForests was put under legal pressure to survey harvesting sites for up to 50 threatened species, which it regarded as unviable given the staff time and cost.
Firewood cutters Dale Tiley and Gary Kirby, who were salvaging fallen trees from the 20ha Wombat Forest site that was subject to the legal action, said the government could have acted to protect the industry.
“(But) the government has done nothing,” Mr Tiley said. “We’ve been thrown to the wolves.”
The government has set up a community forestry compensation program, which includes training assistance to find other work.
But Mr Tiley said a lot of wood cutters were “battlers”, aged in their 50s or 60s who had only ever worked in the bush.
The early phase out means about 500,000 tonnes of windblown trees will be left lying on the Wombat forest floor, despite warnings it is a ticking fire bomb set to engulf nearby towns.
It also means Victoria’s firewood shortage will worsen this winter, forcing yards to source timber from interstate, forcing up prices for rural and regional families who cannot afford soaring electricity.
