Karen Stephens
It is disappointing to see on a week where forest managers and Traditional Owners commence work together to clear up significant storm damage in Victorian forests, that some groups are taking the chance to accuse them of harming the environment.
Earlier this week we saw an historic announcement between the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and government-owned agency VicForests to restore Country significantly damaged by storm in 2021.
Much of the area affected by the storms was in the Wombat State Forest and surrounding areas west of Melbourne that are on Dja Dja Wurrung land.
This clean-up is a significant collaboration between Traditional Owners and forest managers to mitigate bushfire risks from windthrown timber. It ensures that communities can remain safe from the dangers that this timber can pose as a bushfire hazard and the wood that would otherwise go to waste or remain a hazard.
This is important recovery work that would normally take place after a major storm event to ensure that the bushfire risk is kept to a minimum, as we don’t want our timber towns to burn down.
Unfortunately, some have seized on this collaboration to push mistruths and false claims, all for the sake of an agenda.
There has been some media coverage recently featuring some groups making wild allegations that these salvage operations are being used to harvest areas that have not been affected by storm damage for commercial gain and subsequent environmental harm.
That is simply not true.
There is no clear-felling taking place and no trees are being removed if they do not present a hazard risk or out of operational necessity.
To suggest otherwise is at best an ignorant misunderstanding of the clear details around a process that has been thoroughly communicated to the public. At worst it is an opportunistic stab at an organisation that has long been a target of a long-held agenda.
The Traditional Owners know their land better than anyone, with a cultural awareness and care for the Country that is being ignored simply because they are associated with a whipping boy of the environmental movement.
The Traditional Owners connection with and understanding of their Country significantly outweighs the views of some vocal groups who are outrageously claiming they know better than them.
Karen Stephens is president of Timber Towns Victoria
