By Olivia Condous
Local environment community groups have raised concerns about planned tree logging, which would impact precious ecosystems and wildlife, including the platypus population.
VicForests recently made public plans for a Forest Recovery Operation which will involve logging of trees to the north of Lerderderg State Forest, affecting the upper headwaters of the Werribee and Lerderderg rivers.
Bacchus Marsh Platypus Alliance president Jodie Valpied said VicForests claimed the operation was in response to salvaging storm damaged trees, but environmental community groups believe that the proposed level of tree logging would not be essential to this type of operation.
“Normally storm and salvage operations would involve sensitively going in and just removing any trees that are dangerous to humans,” Ms Valpied said.
Ms Valpied said removing damaged and fallen trees would require only light machinery that could cut up individual trees and leave them for wildlife to inhabit.
However, she said VicForests seemed to be aiming their logging operation on areas with high timber value that were not the most severely damaged by storms.
“They’re not doing this timber salvage operations in a sensitive way, so far what they’ve been doing in the coupes that they’ve started on is clear felling a large area in which to keep their machinery and their log piles,
“They seem to be taking out trees that are still healthy, or that certainly pose no risk to humans, they’re often in areas where humans aren’t even going and there’s no walking tracks or anything… it seems to be instead where there’s highest value.”
Ms Valpied said the consensus across community groups was that VicForests had ulterior motives for doing the timber extraction.
“It’s not the normal type of cleanup that would be done after a storm… it’s deliberate timber extraction that’s not being done in a way that is sensitive to the ecosystems there.”
Ms Valpied said the logging at the headwaters of the river to the north of the Lerderderg state forest would have “crippling” flow on effects further downstream.
She said logging of trees can damage river water quality through sedimentation, salinity changes and temperature changes due to lack of shade.
“This then affects the water bugs and other fish and platypus eat water bugs… that can then affect their ability to find food,” Ms Valpied said.
Bacchus Marsh and Ballan currently have a healthy and viable platypus population, but Ms Valpied said the animals were under increasing stress due to urban development.
“We’ve been told by the Australian Playtpus Conservancy that while it’s a viable population, we also can’t take it for granted… it could struggle to survive into the future.”
Community environment groups are urging residents to write to Macedon Ranges MP Mary-Anne Thomas and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in order to help protect the local environment.
A spokesperson for VicForests said the organisation was operating to strict environmental standards provided for the protection of soil and water quality.
“We are moving this heavy debris in a planned and controlled manner to reduce the fire risk from windthrown trees and debris and for the long-term protection of the water quality in the catchments from major bushfire events.”
