September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch (West Branch Road). Under the 2006 Heads of Agreement, 100 metre buffers were supposed to be retained on rainforest in the Morwell River West Branch. At this 3.3 hectare logging coupe, Hancock Watch has found rainforest buffers as low as 0 metres. This is a clear breach to the HoA and even undermines Hancock's Forest Stewardship Council certification which supposedly grants buffers of only 30 metres. (Even these 30m buffers are only 50% of that required in state forests). It could be said that Hancock Gippsland management are deliberately inflaming tension in the local community by logging these contentious coupes without consulting with all parties involved in the HoA before entering high conservation areas such as this. Hancock Victorian Plantations CEO in Melbourne is also complicit in the breaches of trust implied in the undermining of the Heads of Agreement, as this is the sixth time Hancock Watch has found minimal rainforest buffers since October 2006.
See here for more details about the Cores and Links debacle;
Meanwhile, Hancock Natural Resource Group based in Boston do nothing to reign in their Australian operators. Why? One can only assume that they also support the ongoing destruction of the Strzelecki Cores and Links Reserve and the ongoing poor reputation that such logging creates in the wider community. Smartwood, the FSC certifier are also 'nowhere' to be seen on this matter. Parties are still waiting for results of Smartwood's 2007 audit which occurred in February!!!!
Strzelecki Ranges - Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Craig Court marked in green. West Branch Road marked in Yellow.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. 'Buffer' left on cool temperate rainforest. The Reserve was supposed to protect rainforest, not the opposite!
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. This photo reveals that the tree fern which was marked with pink tape is the edge of the logging coupe. The tree fern in question has a rainforest indicator species (Mother Spleenwort) growing on its trunk.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. A few metres inside the rainforest, Muttonwood (in foreground) a warm temperate rainforest species, and Mother Spleenwort, a cool temperate rainforest indicator species, growing on treefern trunk..
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. More rainforest indicator species, within 15 metres of the edge of the logging coupe.
ditto
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Looking out towards the logged coupe, through a tree fern dominated rainforest gully. Logging in close vicinity of rainforest will most likely cause a drying out and edge effect in the rainforest, causing rainforest species to 'retreat' back.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Slender Tree Ferns inside the Rainforest gully.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Piles of logging slash about 12-15 feet high. What happens to this? The logged area is supposed to be a rainforest reserve! Person drawn out of image.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Stupid access tracks cut into coupe, undermining the engineering integrity of the West Branch Road.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Cut into the West Branch Road.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch - Craig Court. Hancock has also been busy continuing to log at Craig Court.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Buffers left at Craig Court.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Rainforest indicator species found within 20 metres of buffer shown in preceding photo. This also indicates a breach of the HoA.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. The head of a skirted tree fern and slender trees fern can just be made out in the photo.
September 2007: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River West Branch. Skirted and Slender tree fern located within about 10 metres of logging in Craig Court coupe.
September 2007 - Otway Ranges - Gellibrand River Catchment Webster Hill Plantation. Pine plantation recently logged within the water supply that supplies 50,000 people with drinking water. Colac Otway Shire threatened legal action on Hancock if this site was not improved. For details of the remedial work see here.
September 2007 - Otway Ranges - Gellibrand River Catchment Webster Hill Plantation. This is the view tourists get along the walkway to one of the Otways most popular tourist destinations - Stevensons Falls. Back up of algae caused by blocked drainage line where pine logs had been torched (see below).
September 2007 - Otway Ranges - Gellibrand River Catchment Webster Hill Plantation. View from tourist campsite.
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. Pine plantation after cable logging.
Strzelecki Ranges - Location of Flynns Creek pine coupes.
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. Note drainage line. What happens after heavy rain and herbicide use?
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. FSC certified logging road drainage.
ditto.
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. Pines in drainage line.
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. More FSC certified roading.
September 2007 - Strzelecki Ranges - Flynns Creek catchment. Pine wipe-out with more to come.
September 2007 - Much of this Giffard pine plantation in South Gippsland has been logged and opened up for oil exploration.
Perry River - East Gippsland. Pines in very close proximity to this eroding river.