December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Logging within these areas was supposed to be planned in consultation with Trust for Nature and the Strzelecki Forests Community Group. What happened here? The head of this gully has been gutted. The roading at this point most likely breaches the Code of Forest Practice. Why weren't Trust for Nature and Strzelecki Forests Community Group informed about this extremely lax logging standard. Imagine what will happen to this road when it rains. These are highly sensitive areas and the community expected that exceptional standards need to be carried out. Once gain Hancock have failed community expectations. Why did Hancock have to go into this area so quickly, before issues concerning the Heads of Agreement had been thoroughly sorted out? In their rush to log inside the Cores and Links Hancock have played their hand too early and now will face a more vigilent community.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Another trashed gully head with logging debris bulldozed down gully. Once logged this area will become part of the Strzelecki Cores and Links Reserve. Is this any way to treat a future conservation reserve? Appalling behaviour in prime Strzelecki Koala habitat. This type of practice very likely breaches the Code of Forest Practice. This 'botched job' has occurred in an extremely sensitive area. Gutted to supply the Maryvale pulp mill.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. In the Memorandum of Understanding, Hancock promised that rainforest buffers of 60 metres would be applied to cool temperate rainforest in timber logged from the harvest area. At this location logging has been carried out to within one metre of rainforest species, Myrtle Beech. Has this particular gully been properly surveyed for rainforest by Hancock prior to logging? If not why? What happened to the 60 metre buffer? Hancock have recently failed an independent review of their rainforest BMP's( see here ) and this type of practice will not improve their international reputation.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. More appalling roading. Where is the drainage infrastructure? How will this road be remediated when the area is added to the Reserve?
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Logging debris dumped onto track.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Another trashed gully head in very close proximity to cool temperate rainforest species.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Logging next to Myrtle Beech. No buffers inside this highly significant site.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Part of the future reserve.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Innovative culvert design.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Log dump situated on Crown roadside Reserve.
December 2006: December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Gray Gum Track (Inside Linkage area) - Morwell River Catchment. Part of the future reserve.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch. Dead Myrtle Beech. Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. More information on cool temperate rainforest here. Morwell River East Branch is of Regional Significance and has effectively been gutted since FSC certification.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Dead Myrtle Beech after being chainsawed during logging operation. Hancock contractors are now effectively logging rainforest in the Strzelecki's. Were permits granted for the destruction of native vegetation at this site? Meanwhile Smartwood procrastination has allowed this and similar rainforest buffer destruction to continue whilst Hancock have retained FSC certification. Since FSC certification Hancock have gutted rainforest buffers in Morwell River East Branch, Smiths Creek, Albert River and Morwell River.
According to FSC Certifier Smartwood in their August 22 2006 audit of Hancock Victorian Plantations;
page 20; "...The fundamental conclusion of the two experts is that the buffers in the draft BMP for both cool and warm temperate rainforest are "inadequate", particularly where, as in FSC Principle 9, a precautionary approach is required . . . The team concluded that while there are disagreements over some points of detail in the review, HVP has not disputed the major conclusion of the review that the exisiting BMP is inadequate to meet the requirements of Principle 9 of the FSC standard . . . Finally, HVP is continuing to apply the same, or in some cases narrower, buffer widths as in 2002 and 2004 when the original Smart Wood assessment report and the monitoring audit described those buffers as "inadequate" and imposed CAR 1-2004 to establish a process to determine adequate buffer widths."
p21"HVP has been advised that failure to meet the MAJOR CAR within that time frame (Feb 2007) will result in suspension of their certificate based on requirements of FSC.
MAJOR CAR 2-2006. Within five months, HVP shall demonstrate the following:
*A technically rigorous and thorough revision of the current Rainforest BMP has been completed; this revision should incorporate the specific recommendations of the peer review and other technically sound inputs gathered through public review, and where applicable, a clear rationale as to why specific recommendations proposed by peer review or other inputs have not been accepted by HVP;
*A revised BMP is provided to all HVP staff and contractors involved in their implementation;
*Full implementation of the revised BMP has formally started; and,
*A specific monitoring programme related to the Rainforest BMP is in place that will be able to provide systematic information on HVP performance in attaining Rainforest BMP conformance.
Observation 2-2006: The team recommends that HVP do either or both of:
*finding alternative sources for wood flows or alternative treatment regimes so that the resource can meet commitments when the BMP is modified to meet the requirements of the expert review; or
*approaching the company needing the supply from the Strzelecki area to determine if there is any possiblility of restructuring the current supply agreement based on results of current models".
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Hancock contractors have actually cut down their 'marker' tree at this point - note pink tape. This operation is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Were permits granted for the destruction of native vegetation at this site? Why was this tree cut down in the first place?
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Numerous koala scats were found under this tree. The community still has not been privy to Hancock's Best Management Practices for the Strzelecki Koala or other threatened animals, despite the company being certified by FSC.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Minimal 15-20 metre rainforest buffers employed along this gully.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Effectively no buffers at this point.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Logging machinery tracks inside cool temperate rainforest at this location.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Buffer trees knocked into cool temperate rainforest.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 57 Parish of Wonyip. Non endemic Shining Gum being planted within Strzelecki cool temperate rainforest buffers.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Morwell River East Branch - Allotment 55 Parish of Wonyip. Native vegetation removal.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Removal of native vegetation along this gully.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. More native vegetation (eucalypts) logging along gully line, with trees cut and retained on site. Hancock are claiming that they are desperate for wood, yet log and leave timber on the ground.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Timber left on site after logging. Why was it logged? Plantation expansion by stealth?
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Minimal buffers left on Smiths Creek Cool Temperate Rainforest.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Failed plantation or native regrowth, logged and left on the forest floor by Hancock. Were permits required for this wanton destruction?
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. 10 metre rainforest buffer at this location.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Mother Spleenwort, a rainforest species, occurring within 10 metres of logging.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Smiths Creek - Allotment 21 A Parish of Budgeree. Logging occurred at this location in 2005 and it is still a mess.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Budgeree Road. Logs left from a timber truck which jack-knifed and lost its load in November 2006. Log trucks threaten tourists and local residents.
December 2006: Strzelecki Ranges - Grand Ridge Road. The Strzeleckis is littered with dead wombats, the victims of roadkill. This is a female.