SFER Press ReleaseToday South East Forest Rescue have halted logging operations in Bodalla State Forest in the foothills of Gulaga Mountain, south of Narooma, and presented Forests NSW and the logging contractors with a Statement of Guarantee. The Statement of Guarantee sets out terms and conditions requiring Forests NSW to guarantee there will be no impacts on the environment as a result of the logging and to guarantee any logging Forests NSW and their authorised contractors undertake will not impact on the health and wellbeing of the citizens of New South Wales, being both present and future unborn generations. There are three machines attached by cable to a structure in a tree thirty metres off the ground, and an erected banner stating “Carbon Criminals”.
“These contractors are repeat offenders,” said Ms Stone. “In Dampier State Forest, Nerigundah, where these contractors were previously, we found debris deliberately and carelessly pushed against habitat trees putting these trees at risk of fire, rainforest was logged and feed trees felled. We are asking for a guarantee that this criminal behaviour will not happen again.”
“The harvest plan in Dampier stated the logging was supposed to be Single Tree Selection, but the intensity of the logging we witnessed was outrageous,” said Ms Stone. “Old-growth forest, ecologically mature forest, was logged. Clear felled hillsides are not any form of environmental protection. There is now serious adverse impacts to the many threatened species of the area, and the water catchment.”
Now this contractor is in the highly sensitive area of Gulalga Mountain. This compartment is home to Glossy Black Cockatoos, Masked and Sooty Owls, Yellow-bellied Gliders and Sugar Gliders. Around the compartment there are records of Golden tipped Bats, Powerful Owls, Swift Parrots, Turquoise Parrots, Square-tailed Kites, Long-nosed Potoroos, and a koala record within 5 kms of the compartment.
The breaches in the Bodalla State Forest compartment that the conservationists have found include next to no marking up of habitat trees, hollow-bearing trees felled and debris around the base of retained trees.
“This kind of logging is not what any professional would call best practice,” said Ms Stone. “These forests must be retained for carbon storage. We are calling on Forests NSW to guarantee that there will be no negligible impact on the environment, and carbon storage capacity, by the logging of the Southern and Eden regions.”
“The logging contractor has refused to sign the guarantee,” said Ms Stone.
Police have been called.
Note: The Statement of Guarantee has been attached to this story as a pdf file.
South East Forest Rescue
'Stoppin the Choppin'
PO Box 899 MORUYA NSW 2537
www.myspace.com/southeastforestrescue
http://www.lisaandtony.com.au/South%20East%20Forest%20Rescue%20home.htm
