Hancock Watch Updates

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October 2008

New: Cores and Links Background Information here

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges - Jack River inside Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Hancock are running amuck.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Hancock targeting areas that community had kept the company out of under original Cores and Links deal in October 2006.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Huge clearfells in Rainforest Reserve.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Logging of reserve on Dubios Track. This is supposed to regenerate back to native forest yet the soil is compacted and the company has been working in the wet.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Dubios Track. Stands of Mt Ash & Viminalis logged at this site. See May 2008 for more images prior to logging.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Cockrem Track near boundary of cores and links Rainforest Reserve. Logging road abortion in breach of Code of Practice. Wellington Shire are the responsible authority for this site but are blissfully unaware of what Hancock have been up to.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River Catchment. This small slip of drainage line is now supposedly protected in a new reserve , but everything around it has been trashed.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Logging in close proximity to Jack River rainforest. This was out of bounds in original cores and links agreement.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. FSC certified road drainage.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. FSC certified road drainage. Note blocked culvert which could lead to even more erosion problems. This is a Breach of the Code of Forest Practices.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River, looking into rainforest. A large portion of this photo will eventually be logged.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River. Instead of granting a rainforest reserve which would have protected the highest biodiversity areas of the Strzelecki Ranges, Hancock CEO Linda Sewell and Victorian Conservation Minister Gavan Jennings, instead decided in August 2008 to protect other forest located in Hancock's custodial land. Forest that was worthless to the company. Here is one such part of the reserve, located in a pine plantation. What is the ecological significance of this drainage line and what will happen to this drainage line when the next crop of Radiata is logged?

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River Catchment/Antonio Creek. The vegetation in the middle of this pine plantations has been included in the Strzelecki Reserve deal. It is surrounded by very young Radiata pine and indigenous species yet to be poisoned by Hancock weed control.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Jack River/Antonio Creek. The Gavan McFadzean Forest Reserve marked in green dots surrounded by pine plantation. What worth does such an area have in terms of a good biodiversity outcome for the Strzeleckis? McFadzean publicly supported the gutting of the rainforest reserve in May 2008. Why?

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. The Noxious Weed Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), which is indigenous to South Africa. Hancock were informed that this weed had been sited at Craig Court which the company logged in 2007. Instead of killing this pernicious weed, Hancock instead have spread the weed into the head of a nearby rainforest gully. At this stage the weed has spread over 200metres. Not a good look in a rainforest reserve which was supposed to be regenerated with indigenous species.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. More of the noxious weed Arum Lily.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. Clear evidence that Hancock were also logging native forest at this site in 2007. This vegetation is resprouting on site highlighting the fact that Hancock cleared about 1ha of remnant vegetation from this site in 07.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. More indigenous vegetation resprouting after being logged by Hancock for no reason.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. Piles of native vegetation, including trees ferns left after Hancock's handiwork.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. Native forest logged for no reason - except to extend plantation boundary.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. This shot clearly shows the resprouting native vegetation logged at this site in 2007 by Hancock. This was probably done to extend plantation boundary, meaning that Hancock probably never had any intention of returning this land to reserve.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. About 14 months have passed since this site was logged and note the poor regeneration occurring. Reports indicate that this site was sprayed with herbicides, another indication that Hancock never intended this to be included in the Rainforest Reserve. The spraying has killed off most opportunities for native regeneration to occur, however it appears that Hancock are not concerned about the spread of Arum Lily. OK to blitz native regen with herbicides but not noxious weeds.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River Catchment. Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve, Craig Court. Hancock's herbicides have stopped successful regeneration of indigenous vegetation at this site. Compaction of soil has also been problematic.

October 2008: Central Gippsland/Marathon Road Avon River Catchment. Failed bluegums. Hundreds of hectares of 10-15 year old plantation occurred at this site, bring into doubt the idea of planting out the region with bluegum plantations.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River East Branch Catchment. Logging of 27 year old Eucalyptus Regnans. The forest gully that Hancock have no use for have apparently been added to the Reserve.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River East Branch Catchment. Trashed 27 year old reforestation, with the gullies left as new reserve.

ditto

ditto: This part of the reserve dedicated to Linda Sewell and Owen Trumper.

October 2008: Strzelecki Ranges Morwell River East Branch Catchment. Conversion of mixed forest/rainforest into Shining Gum plantations, fluting FSC rules. But who is really watching? Not FSC that's for sure.

October 2008: Morwell River East Catchment. New reserve surrounded by Shining Gum. This part of the Reserve dedicated to Mike Gooey, CEO of Trust for Nature who was never enthusiatic about being gifted the cores and links rainforest reserve from the State Government.

October 2008: Morwell River East Catchment. New reserve surrounded by Shining Gum. This part of the Reserve dedicated to Kevin Love from DSE.

October 2008: Morwell River East Catchment. New reserve (trees in gully). This part of the Reserve dedicated to Conservation Minister Gavan Jennings and his Cheif of Staff Ben Hart.

October 2008: Smiths Creek Catchment. New reserve (trees in middle) surrounded by Shining Gum.

October 2008: Stevensons Falls Otway Ranges Gellibrand River Catchment. This is the lovely vista that greets tourists to this popular camping sites. Tourists have to walk past 1km of Hancock clearfells on their way to the falls. This logging is occurring in a domestic water supply which supplies 50,000 people with drinking water.

October 2008: Stevensons Falls Otway Ranges: Collapsing roading infrastructure has dogged this plantation since 2007 when Hancock breached the Code of Forest Practices.

October 2008: Stevensons Falls Otway Ranges. Collapsing drainage.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Innovative FSC culvert design. Erosion at this site had caused 1-2m erosion below logging road. These holes have now been covered by logs and this contraption added to the culvert.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Poorly drained logging road. Lack of colverts has eroded roadside to a width of 1m.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Slumping road batters have led to water being diverted away from non-existent drains and onto logging track. In time this will lead to more serious erosion problems at the site.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Another shot of the landslip which is diverting water onto logging road.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Another landslip has opened up at this plantation. No mitigation can hope to control this.

October 2008: Otway Ranges Stevensons Falls. Another land slip is forming on these steep slopes.