New Report reveals Plantation pesticides causing major problems in Tasmania
From Latrobe Valley Express 24/6/04 Plan for permanent reserves in ranges by Renee Kurowski
Latrobe City Council will try to progress the creation of permanent reserves in the Strzelecki Ranges.
A Strzelecki Working Group comprising Latrobe City, South Gippsland Shire, Wellington Shire, Hancock Victorian Plantations and its subsidiary Grand Ridge Plantations along with other environmental groups, funded a biodiversity assessment of the Strzeleckis which identified cores and links to be preserved. This resulted in the Cores and Links proposal.
The cores and links are located in the high Strzeleckis along the Grand Ridge Road. They are a series of subcatchments and linking corridors, dominated by native vegetation and are of very high biodiversity value.
In Latrobe City they include the College Creek sub-catchment which expert assessment has identifed as of significantly greater biodiversity than Tarra-Bulga National Park. This area has high quality native vegetation and unique koala habitat.
The Strzelecki Working Group has been trying to gain assistance from the State Government in protecting the cores and links but so far has been unsuccessful. The issue has become urgent after a two year self-imposed moratorium by the logging industry on the cores and links recently ended.
The industry announced last month that it intended to start logging in the links in the next few months given the lack of progress with the State Government. Cr Graeme Middlemiss said Hancock Victorian Plantations had expressed confidence it could manage any economic implications for the timber industry with the preservation of the cores and links.
"However Hancocks purchased the land and are entitled to compensation for it," he said. The industry and Strzelecki Working Group have been exploring various sources of funding or support to assist the industry in this matter. Cr Middlemiss said the proposed reserves would preserve the Strzeleckis. "This is an extremely important issue . . . it gives us the opportunity to save the minimum land required to save the Strzeleckis."
Cr Middlemiss also believes the reserves will increase tourism to the area and greatly improve the Grand Ridge Road area. Cr Bob Smith agreed, saying it was only fair Hancocks received compensation after purchasing the land. The matter will now go back to council after further discussions with Hancock Victorian Plantations.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek Catchment - Parish of Jumbuk 1946 Leasehold land, just off Link Letters Road. Browsing Wallaby whose remaining days are numbered. It is Hancock policy to shoot these animals if they are found to be browsing newly planted plantations. The Wallabies are shot rather than use 1080 baits. We have no idea about numbers of Wallabies remaining in the Strzeleckis. We also have no idea about how many of these animals are slaughtered by Hancock employed shooters each year. "From discussion with GRP personnel and from observation I believe it is policy to shoot at every coupe of eucalypt for some months until the trees are established" Anon.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek Catchment - Parish of Jumbuk 1946 Leasehold land, just off Link Letters Road. 'Burning Rubber'. It would appear that these old tyres have been placed on this pile of logging debris in order to get a good fire going. This type of practice is reported to be widespread by Hancock and probably breaches EPA guidelines.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek Catchment - Parish of Jumbuk 1946 Leasehold land, just off Link Letters Road. It would appear that roadside verges in this area have recently been sprayed with herbicides by companies contracted by Hancock. This photo shows dead native grasses. It would also appear that the spraying of native vegetation on certain roadsides will increase soil erosion at these locations, as the vegetation holding the soil together is wiped out.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek Catchment - Parish of Jumbuk 1946 Leasehold land, just off Link Letters Road. New culverts have recently been established by Hancock and already soil erosion is starting to occur below the culverts. Hancock Watch measured erosion occurring up to 50 metres down from where this culvert had been placed.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - New logging track punched through in wet weather dislodging large quantities of soil. Mixing of soil profile was also seen at this location located in the Blucher/Middle Creek catchments on 1946 Leasehold land.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek Catchment - Parish of Jumbuk 1946 Leasehold land, just off Link Letters Road. This drainage line has been granted a buffer, but the buffer should have extended further up the hill.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Middle Creek/Traralgon Creek Catchments - Parish of Jumbuk. Jeeralang West Road. Many local roads in the Strzeleckis are supposed to be maintained by local shires. Because these roads are now being frequented by logging trucks, which can cause huge amounts of damage to local roads, the local Shires have decided that the logging industry will have precedent over the tourism industry and local residents. The local shires cannot afford to maintain the roads for all users, meaning that unless you have access to a Four Wheel Drive or a Log Truck you will be at a massive disadvantage. This also brings into play the problem of safety, with many locals very scared to travel along Strzelecki roads, for fear of colliding with log trucks. Jeeralang West Road is a major tourist road for people wanting to travel to the Tarra Bulga National Park. This is a prime example of privatised logging interests disadvantaging community interests. Signs such as this also now appear at Calder Juntion on the Middle Creek Road and Traralgon Creek Road.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Jeeralang Creek Catchment - Parish of Jeeralang. Substandard logging tracks entering recent hardwood coupes on ex Australian Paper Plantations land, just off Jeeralang West Road. Work on these coupes had obviously been occurring in wet weather.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Jeeralang Creek Catchment - Parish of Jeeralang. Cutting of roadside reserves on Jeeralang West Road and the logging refuse such as oil drums were seen at this coupe. Cutting of roadside reserves by Hancock appears to be rife and is probably illegal.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Jeeralang - Jeeralang West Road. More examples of logging of roadside crown reserves.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64A) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. Ex Australian Paper Plantations land. Slumping roading and log landings observed at this site. Future heavy rainfall will cause havoc at this site. Note smoke smouldering on log dump. High temperature fires at this point had obviously scorched the soil profile. This plantation is in the water supply catchment for the town of Seaspray click here.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64A) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. Ex Australian Paper Plantations land. Slumping roading and log landings observed at this site. This plantation is in the water supply catchment for the town of Seaspray click here.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64A) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. Ex Australian Paper Plantations land. Erosion in Seaspray Domestic Water Supply Catchment click here.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64A) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. Ex Australian Paper Plantations land. Eroding log landing.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64B) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. Ex Australian Paper Plantations land. Eroding road batters - probably in breach of the Code of Forest Practices.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee (allotment 64A) - Merrimans Creek Catchment. This photo shows the close proximity of plantation logging in this Domestic Water Supply click here. Logging at this site had probably occurred within 5 metres of the Class 1 Stream. 40 metre buffers of native vegetation should be established at this site in order to protect water quality from the impacts of herbicides and fertilisers.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Callignee - Merrimans Creek. Ex Victorian Plantation Corporation land. LEGL93-106. This plantation has a couple of creeek crossings which are dubious and should not be used by logging machinery. The major factor contributing to sediment entering waterways is roads - especially at creek crossings.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Willung (allotment 24B?) - Morrison Creek tributary in Merrimans Creek Domestic Water Supply Catchment click here. Erosion is starting to occur on these slopes that were logged in 2003. It was also apprarent that spraying of roadsides had also recently occurred.
July 2004: Northern Strzeleckis - Parish of Willung (allotment 24B?) - Morrison Creek tributary in Merrimans Creek Domestic Water Supply Catchment. When Hancock Watch last visited this site in early 2004, this tributary was dry. Recent rains and partial blockage of creek by logging road have allowed this wetland to occur. Post logging has also probably seen a rise in the water table. Many native species were observed at this location, including frogs.