A fence is being placed around a harvested area in the Strathbogies State forest to protect the newly planted seedlings from being eaten by wild deer. Source: Timberbiz
Lachlan Spencer, VicForests General Manager Stakeholders and Planning said that it is expected that the fence will result in some restrictions to access so a number of entry points will be made available to reduce any impacts to the public.
“The fence is intended to keep out wild deer that have been eating the young seedlings before they can mature into trees.
“The section of Crystal Mines Track through the harvested area may need to be closed to traffic but there will be clearly signed diversions while the fence is in place.
“Other than that the area is still open to the public and there will be access points around the fence every 400 to 600 meters for people to use.
Mr Spencer said that fencing will be a way to ensure a successful and extensive regeneration of the area.
“We considered a number of options that would reduce browsing of the growing seedlings that may have less of an impact on the public.
“Trials on the site have indicated that fencing the area will be a way to keep out browsing while giving the trees the best possible chance to grow.
“We have had problems with wildlife hindering young seedlings in the past and we are confident that this measure will give us a much better chance of successful regrowing the harvested area.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused while the fence is in place,” he said.
The fence, which will be in place by May 2017, will be 2600 meters in diameter and will be removed in approximately three years once the forest is re-established.
