Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 22 February 2021

Protest shuts down rampant logging in Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills

Forest defenders have this morning reclaimed old growth forests with a shutdown protest.

Four forest defenders, including a retired organic gardener, a midwife, a law student and a nurse, have attached themselves to logging machinery.

“The logging in Wentworth Hills is out of control and needs to halt immediately to preserve old growth forests, critical carbon stores and wildlife habitat for rare and endangered species. Tasmania is losing ancient forests in Wentworth Hills at a rapid pace, some of the logging is happening at an altitude just below Hobart’s iconic Organ Pipes and trees as probably as old as 350 years old are being chainsawed,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“Woodchipping the native forests of Tasmania and these Wentworth Hills ancient forests continues to destroy our chances of reducing global warming and preventing the ongoing exacerbating of climate change. Just last week we halted 50 log trucks at Artec Woodchip mill in a few short hours, these trucks are carrying out the remnants of destruction of forests with hollow-bearing trees that are critical for the survival of threatened and endangered species,” Erik Hayward said.

“This morning we are halting the logging of old forests that is very destructive to carbon stores, wildlife and biodiversity.

In one area currently being lost to logging, two nests for the endangered wedge-tailed eagle are within 500m to 1km of the area being smashed.

Here in Wentworth Hills is the shameful outright conversion of emerging rainforest to eucalyptus woodland, this clearfell and burn destruction is eliminating the rainforests,” Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Organiser Erik Hayward said.

“Wentworth Hills is a dolerite plateau in Tasmania’s central highlands, where the gum-topped stringybark with a sub-canopy of rainforest trees are rich with native wildlife, including nine threatened fauna species. With high-quality habitat for the rare and vulnerable Spotted-tail quoll and significant habitat for the Endangered Grey goshawk, Masked owl and Tasmanian Devil. These forests are worth more standing,” Erik Hayward said.

“Premier Gutwein dangerously chooses extinction, economic damage and climate crimes as he fails to protect native forests. We will continue to take action in these forests to urgently protect native forests and mitigate the climate emergency, prevent the ongoing supply of conflict source timber to controversial Borneo logging giants, and halt the export of vast amounts of Tasmania’s endangered species habitat as woodchips to China,” Jenny Weber said.

UPDATE:

Four Arrests in Tasmanian forests as Premier fails on climate action

Today in Wentworth Hills, four forest defenders were arrested for halting the logging of Tasmania’s endangered species habitat and carbon storehouses.

“We shut down logging of the oldest forests today, giving Premier Gutwein the opportunity to protect the old growth forested endangered species habitat. He failed again and chose to send in the police instead of choosing to protect these critical native forests,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Jenny Weber said.

“The tall forests of Wentworth Hills are under an industrial government sanctioned assault, a tragedy that is occurring right under our noses. Behind locked gates and hidden away from public scrutiny, these majestic, wild ecosystems are being decimated,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Organiser Erik Hayward said.

“The overwhelming majority of the trees logged from these forests are destined to become wood chips for unsustainable paper products. If left standing these forests will continue to provide essential habitat to sustain endangered species. Left standing the ancient eucalypts in the forests will continue capturing carbon in their soils, hold intrinsic and priceless value as undisturbed and fascinating forests,” Erik Hayward said.

“Sustainable timber Tasmania, the Tasmanian Liberal government and Tas Labor have had time to make the right choices to protect these places. They have failed. For the survival of endangered species, benefits to climate and the environment, native forests logging needs to end and we will not stop in the defence of our native forest,” Erik Hayward said.