New logging for Weld Valley slammed

By Will Mooney Forestry Tasmania reveals change to three year plan

Forestry Tasmania will justify the destruction of wilderness quality in these areas and the vast waste of taxpayers’ money under the pretext of providing access for the leatherwood honey and special-species timber industries. However, any visitor to the Southern Forests can witness the daily destruction of leatherwood trees and special species timber. It is sheer hypocrisy to spend vast funds on opening new areas of leatherwood when existing accessible areas are being systematically clearfelled and burnt.

The Huon Valley Environment Centre has condemned Forestry Tasmania’s latest plans for the Lower Weld Valley which include a second bridge
over the wild Weld River and new roading into pristine old growth and rainforest in the South Weld. Both operations will open up thousands of hectares of untouched ancient forest to destructive logging, high intensity burning, wildlife shooting and habitat destruction.

Since the destruction of the Weld Ark Camp in November 2006, Forestry Tasmania has pushed new roads and logged three coupes in pristine
forests on both sides of the Valley. Their latest plans amount to a further assault on this world heritage value landscape.

For several years Forestry has been looking for ways to access a huge tracts of pristine forests on the northern banks of the Weld Valley, beneath the World Heritage Snowy Range. Their original plan for a road descending from the Denison area has been scrapped due to the incredibly steep and complex terrain. Now, the company plans to cut a new road through to the Weld River and construct a bridge to access the North Weld area. This is likely to be funded by taxpayers’ money allocated under the so-called Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement .

On the southern side of the Valley, Forestry plans to extend the existing South Weld Road to access pristine old growth and rainforest adjacent to the boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. These two new roads represent an assault on the key unprotected wilderness zones in the Lower Weld Valley. Free of roads, tracks and industrial activity, these virgin forests represent collective ecological assets, filtering our water, cleaning our air and storing vast amounts of carbon in the fight against global warming. So far, they have escaped the destructive influence of the Tasmanian logging industry. Now, in an act of willing environmental vandalism, Forestry Tasmania, at the behest of Tasmania’s giant woodchip industry, will cut into the heart of these hidden treasures.

Forestry Tasmania will justify the destruction of wilderness in these areas and the vast waste of taxpayers’ money under the pretext of providing access for the leatherwood honey and special-species timber industries. However, any visitor to the Southern Forests can witness the daily destruction of leatherwood trees and special species timber. It is sheer hypocrisy to spend vast funds on opening new areas of leatherwood when existing accessible areas are being systematically clearfelled and burnt.

The Huon Valley Environment Centre will continue to highlight the value of these beautiful and wild forests, which belong to the Tasmanian public. If you would like to help the campaign please consider donating time, resources or money to the HVEC.
Log onto www.huon.org for more information.