Environmental concerns about logging in Victoria unabated

20 August 2013
Originally published at : 

And there are similar concerns about the ash forests in the Yarra Ranges on the other side of the state, which is the catchment area for much of Melbourne's drinking water and the habitat for the endangered leadbeater's possum, Victoria's faunal emblem.
AM's Rachel Carbonell reports.
RACHEL CARBONELL: It's seven o'clock on a Monday evening in the Memorial Hall in Healesville north east of Melbourne - a township on the edge of the ash forests of the Central Highlands.
(Sound of meeting) 
RACHEL CARBONELL: People are here to listen to Australian National University ecologist, David Lindenmayer. He's studied these forests for 30 years and says that a combination of logging and fire has left them in dire need of protection and rehabilitation.
DAVID LINDENMAYER: Following the 2009 fires we see 1,871 hectares of mountain ash forest which is unlogged and unburnt. That's 1.16 per cent of the forest estate which is old growth. 
Why does this matter? Old forest has the most carbon stored, old forest produces the most water, old forest produces the largest number of big old trees where you get leadbeater's possum and other species of possums and gliders.
(Sound of applause)
DAVID LINDENMAYER: Ok so what we're looking at in front of us is a regrowth forest following the 1939 fires. What we see in front of us are 70 metre tall trees. So that contrasts with what's behind us where we have a young logged forest, clear felled, virtually all of the important biodiversity is lost from this logged forest and it won't be here for another 150 to 200 years. 
Jill Redwood is the coordinator of Environment East Gippsland. 
JILL REDWOOD: South-east New South Wales have pretty well totally demolished all of the old growth but East Gippsland still has a few small patches of the old growth, which is absolutely critical for a lot of our threatened species like the large forest owls, the spot-tailed quoll, the long-footed potoroo. We've got so many species that just absolutely rely on these old growth forests and yet they're being cut down every day. 
NATHAN TRUSHELL: On average we reserve about 30 per cent of our planned area to be retained for a whole variety of values, including the leadbeater's possum, but of course other biodiversity and important values throughout the forest. 
NATHAN TRUSHELL: By more than 70 per cent over the last few years, and we are having to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that we've got a sustainable harvest level. That's causing a significant amount of hardship for the industry and something that shouldn't go unrecognised. 
TONY EASTLEY: The director of corporate affairs for VicForests, Nathan Trushell, ending Rachel Carbonell's report.

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