December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Grey Gum Track in the Ryton Link, near the Strzelecki Rainforest Reserve. Obvious signs of herbicide usage - note dead silver wattle. This site has been planted out with Shining Gum. This means that Hancock fully intend to log this area again when the plantation trees are ready to be logged, meaning using the rainforest reserve as a logging route.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Gray Gum track after herbicides have been used.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Why on earth would a company blatantly go ahead and do this, knowing that it would infuriate conservationists. Part of the problem lies in the fact that Hancock's CEO and the State Environment Minister signed a secret deal in September 2009, which excluded all other parties from knowing what the new deal entails. Not only does this show exceedingly poor judgement on behalf of the signatories, it also works against common sense, in that why would the local community be deliberately "kept in the dark" about a deal that they lobbied for a decade to get up in the first place? Effectively the State Environment Minister and CEO of Hancock have slammed the door shut on the very people that lobbied for a decade for Strzelecki Rainforest Protection. Did they think that once the deal was signed the local community would stop exposing their poor practices?
Strzelecki Cores and Links map showing approximate location (yellow circle) of the recent conversion into Shining Gum Plantations.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Dead Habitat trees near Grey Gum Track. This was a Koala hotspot before the logging, now koalas are not sited at all. Leaving habitat trees post logging often means that the trees die.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Obvious signs of herbicide overkill near Strzelecki Rainforest Reserve.
"Watching the Ecology Fall Before the Economic Onslaughts"
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Young Shining Gum, planted amongst the logging carnage, near rainforest reserve.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Another view of the area converted, probably being several hectares in size.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment: Linkletters Road in Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Note evidence of wet weather work which has compacted soils.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment: Linkletters Road in Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Compacted mud post logging now starting to bake in the summer sun, making regeneration very difficult.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment: Linkletters Road in Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Habitat trees in Rainforest Reserve.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment: Linkletters Road in Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Track punched into gully inside Rainforest Reserve. Why?
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Habitat Trees inside Reserve. What is the likelihood of these trees surviving once the forest surrounding them has been removed.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Excessive road works into prime Koala habitat.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/College Creek Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. This tree is doomed after Hancock widened a logging track exposing the trees roots.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Annes Track. Recent road usage denying habitat regeneration on track.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Annes Track. Piles of logging slash left on site. This pile itself is several metres high.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. Craig Court. More pile of slash left on site. This site was logged approximately 2.5 years ago and is starting to regenerate after being sprayed with herbicide.
December 2009: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment - Strzelecki Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve. West Branch Road. This site was also logged in mid 2007 and also appears to be suffering from poor regeneration, possibly due to herbicide use.
Mansfield Plantations
Mansfield Plantation Maps Here
Jan 2010: 93-65 Holland Creek Catchment. Pine plantations
Jan 2010: 93-65 Ryans Creek Catchment. Pine plantations logged in Benalla's water supply.
Jan 2010: 93-65 Ryans Creek Catchment. Pine plantations logged in Benalla's water supply.
Jan 2010: 93-66 Fifteen Mile Creek Catchment. Pine plantations logged in Rutherglen's water supply.