Recently, The Weekly Times published an article about community and industry concerns over logging in the Strathbogie Forest. The role of bee keepers in developing a new form of logging, based on ‘continuous cover forestry’, is to be commended. Anything that puts an end to clear-fell and ‘seed tree’ logging in mixed species forest is a step in the right direction and protection of apiarists and their industry is critical food security. That it took community and industry pressure to achieve this, shows just how myopic Vicforests is, caring little for forest values, or what/how/where the timber will be used.
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Though the article presents a positive picture, Vicforests has not committed to using this selective logging technique (‘continuous cover’) in Victoria’s mixed species forests, instead maintaining that there is still a place for clear-fell/seed-tree logging in the Strathbogies. But such a discussion begs a bigger and more important question: should all mixed species forest be available for logging, or are some areas so precious, so value-rich, that they should be excluded from logging and protected for, for example, recreation, regional tourism, nature conservation, research and threatened species survival? Continue reading
Our Strathbogie Forest 