July 2003: Recent clearfell logging in Spargo Plantation which surrounds the Korweinguboora Reservoir located south of Daylesford in Central Victoria in the Moorabool River Catchment. Korweinguboora supplies drinking water to the city of Geelong and smaller towns. Water 'service' prices in Geelong, as determined by Barwon Water, are currently $728 ML (ML=one million litres). Hancock plantations surrounding the reservoir occupy over 1500 hectares. Hancock Watch estimate that pine plantations surrounding this reservoir could consume up to 9ML of water per hectare per year, because Korweinguboora is located in a 1000mm rainfall area. Widespread application of herbicides and fertilisers will follow clearfelling.
July 2003: Recent clearfell logging in one of the only proclaimed water catchments in South West Victoria. Widespread clearfelling is currently occurring in the Merino Water Supply catchment, which supplies drinking water for about 500 residents. Hancock Watch is concerned about the effects of these plantations on water yield and water quality especially after herbicides and fertilisers are used. Click here for more information about this important domestic water supply.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Budgeree). Scanlon Road in the Morwell River East Branch catchment on land leased from the Crown. This is an example of very poor roading standards that technically could breach the Code of Forest Practices. Hancock Watch could not locate drains or culverts in many places on this road. These poor practices could lead to excessive sedimentation of the Morwell River East Branch and are a poor reflection on a company attempting to gain certification through the Forest Stewardship Council.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Budgeree). More dismal roading on Scanlon Road in the Morwell River East Branch catchment.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Budgeree). Another photo of excessive sediment build up on Scanlon Road. Imagine what this road will be like once the drought breaks!
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Budgeree) - Morwell River East Branch. Photo of recent clearfell pine logging showing where log dumps have been set alight. Such high intensity burns scorch soil and may lead to phosphorous build up entering the waterways after rainfall. Many of Hancock's pine plantations are being converted into Shining Gum plantations, this raises major concerns as Shining Gum can cross pollinate with indigenous species of the Strzeleckis such as such as Swamp Gum (E. ovata), Mountain Grey Gum (E. cypellocarpa), Blue Gum (E. globulus) and Manna Gum (E. viminalis). For more information on cross pollinisation of plantation eucalypts see here.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Budgeree) - Morwell River East Branch. Recent clearfell plantation logging exposes large expanses of soil to wind and water erosion. Note also snig tracks that have gouged the slopes. Such practices can lead to erosion problems in a catchment that has been severely degraded through poor agricultural and logging practices.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Jumbuk) - College Creek Rainforest. This ancient tree could be thousands of years old. The buttress of this Myrtle Beech was enourmous and numerous beech trees were observed coppicing from the buttress. The tree was also covered in many rare mosses, ferns and epiphytes. Click here for more information on College Creek.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Jumbuk) - Myrtle Wilt in the cool temperate rainforest of College Creek. Myrtle Wilt is found in almost every rainforest catchment in the Strzelecki Ranges. It is an airborne inoculum which is 'stirred up' by activities in rainforest catchments. Logging is a major hazard to the long term survival of Cool Temperate Rainforest in the Strzeleckis. Click here for more information on Myrtle Wilt.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Allotment 16 Section C Parish of Bulga) - Recent pine plantation logging in the South Middle Creek catchment in the Tarra River Water Supply (proclaimed 26th January 1971). This catchment supplies drinking water to the towns of Yarram, Alberton and Port Albert in South Gippsland. Australian Paper Plantations owned 4 allotments of land in this catchment located in the Parish of Bulga. The allotments 16, 17, 18 and 20 section C are all now mortgaged with Westpac Bank after the Hancock takeover of A.P.P in 2001. Many plantations in the Strzeleckis have been planted in close location to Cool Temperate Rainforest and may well threaten the long term survival prospects of such rainforest. South Middle Creek contains a large amount of Cool Temperate rainforest.
July 2003. View looking east of recent logging by Hancock in the Proclaimed Tarra River Water Supply Catchment located in the South Middle Creek catchment. Specified springs, streams and watercourses are supposed to be protected by a 1 chain buffer. This photo most likely shows allotments 16 and 17 Section C Parish of Bulga. This land is under mortgage with Westpac Bank and is unusual in the sense that the ex land holdings of Australian Paper Plantations were rarely located on the south face of the Grand Ridge Road. This land is to the north of land granted to Victorian Plantation Corporation LEGL93-92. Hancock took over the assets of VPC in 1998 and APP in 2001. Widespread application of herbicides and fertilisers will occur in this plantation which in turn could create water quality problems. Click here for more information on impacts of herbicides.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges (Parish of Callignee) - Poor remedial work done by Hancock on a creek crossing of Traralgon Creek. How are native fish supposed to get past these poorly located pipes? These pipes looked like they were very old meaning that no expense was spared by this multi-billion dollar company in improving this erosion hazard.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges - Recent plantation clearfelling in the Little Traralgon Creek catchment - Most likely Crown Allotment 15 or 18 in Section C of the Parish of Callignee. This land is currently mortgaged to Westpac Bank under a Mortgage agreement written when Hancock consumed the assets of Australian Paper Plantations in September 2001. This plantation will most likely be replanted with Shining Gum which in turn could cross pollintate with indigenous Strzelecki Eucalypts.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges - View looking east into the Little Traralgon Creek catchment showing remnant vegetation in what is likely to be Crown Allotment 20 of B in the Parish of Bulga. This land is currently mortgaged to Westpac Bank under a mortgage agreement written when Hancock consumed the assets of Australian Paper Plantations in September 2001.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges - View looking south into the catchment of Jeeralang Creek West Branch. Plantation logging of ex-Australian Paper Plantations is still occurring at a furious pace. Much of the pine is being replaced with Shining Gum (as seen in this photo). There are now major concerns that Shining Gum could 'cross-pollinate' with indigenous species in the Strzelecki Ranges such as Swamp Gum (E. ovata), Mountain Grey Gum (E. cypellocarpa), Blue Gum (E. globulus) and Manna Gum (E. viminalis). A remant stand of Blue Gum adjoins recently established Shining Gum plantations in this catchment. This photo also shows the extent of native vegetation that Hancock 'purchased' when they took over the assets of Australian Paper Plantations in August 2001. This photo shows the Crown Allotments 5 and 6 of D and 12 of B in the parish of Jeeralang, all of which are currently mortgaged to Westpac Bank.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges. Recently disused log landing which is currently eroding badly into a tributary of the Jeeralang Creek West Branch. This log landing is located possibly on allotment 13 of D, parish Jeeralang and is currently mortgaged to Westpac Bank.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges. Appalling log landing which continues to erode into a tributary of Jeeralang Creek West Branch. This photo also reveals a relatively large expanse of native vegetation retained on the eastern side of this tributary. The log dump and the native vegetation shown in this photo are currently mortgaged with Westpac Bank and are located in allotment 13 of D in the parish of Jeeralang.