Forestry Tasmania plans to clearfell hundreds of hectares of native forest close to and adjoining Hobart’s Wellington Park.
Without consulting the local community, a logging road has already been constructed between Judbury in the Huon, and Plenty in the Derwent Valley.
Forestry Tasmania intends building more roads in the future including access roads into old growth forest off Jeffreys track in Crabtree. The Tasmanian Trail from Lachlan to Judbury has in part been turned into a wide logging road and passes directly through the planned clearfell coupes.
The coupes are in the high plateaus and escarpments to the west of Sleeping Beauty which extend 600 to 850 metres above sea level. These mountains are part of the Wellington Range and form the watershed between the Huon and Derwent Valleys.
The mountains of West Wellington collect the rainfall that becomes the headwaters for major river systems in the upper Huon Valley. Crabtree Rivulet, Bakers Creek and Judds Creek all originate in the intended harvest areas, not just as identifiable creeks, but as groundwater held in the humus-rich understorey.
Clearfelling in these areas has the potential to negatively impact on both the quality and the quantity of water in these systems.
The first few years after clearfelling will result in increased run-off which could lead to problems of erosion and sedimentation. Research shows that, once established and growing, a uniformly young forest has a dramatically increased groundwater uptake than existing mature forest, and results in longer term depletion of water flowing into creeks and rivers. With below average rainfall trends – this year being particularly dry – the future security of local water supplies needs every possible protection.
Much, but not all of West Wellington was affected by the 1967 bushfires and is now a thriving, diverse and maturing forest, with pockets of surviving old growth.
The forest contains a wide range of plants and animals, and provides safe habitat for an apparently healthy population of Tasmanian Devils. Other endangered species known to be in the area include wedge-tailed eagles, spotted-tail quolls, eastern barred bandicoots, grey goshawks and red-tailed black cockatoos.
The natural values of the West Wellington Range are in every way as pristine and important as Wellington Park itself. At White Timber Mountain, where Wellington Park meets State Forest, a coupe is scheduled for clearfelling later this year.
This forest of tall eucalypts has a dense understorey which includes young sassafras, myrtle and celery-top pines. These minor species are too small to be harvested so would be considered waste and burned.
In response to concerns about these and other aspects of the proposed clearfelling and burning, local Huon Valley residents have formed the West Wellington Protection Group (WWPG).
The WWPG believes that it is inappropriate to conduct industrial forestry operations in this fragile mountain ecosystem alongside Wellington Park, and the practice of clearfelling and burning native forests in small local water catchments such as these, must be stopped.
To find out more and learn how you can help, please visit the WWPG Website at www.wwpg.info.
