Media release – The Tree Projects, 1 July 2023
Win for environmental groups as the Grove of Giants gets removed from the logging schedule
The Huon Valley’s Grove of Giants has been removed from the logging schedule after more than two years of environmental groups campaigning for the site to be protected. The forest was due to the logged this year, but the site (coupe number DN007B) is now absent from the new 3 year plan which was released by Sustainable Timber Tasmania via their Access Map on the 30th of June.
The Grove of Giants is a 100 ha patch of forest in the Huon Valley which contains 150 trees over 4 metres in diameter. It is also home to Lathamus Keep, the world’s largest blue gum, which was discovered back in 2021.
Steve Pearce, the co-founder of The Tree Projects, says its a big win. “We are just so stoked to that all of our hard work campaigning for the Grove of Giants has paid off. This is a massive win for the Huon Valley community and Tasmania as a whole.” Mr Pearce said. “Dozens of people have helped out on this campaign, and hundreds of people have come out and visited the forest, so it really has been a community effort.”
While the Grove of Giants has been removed from the logging plans, it doesn’t mean that the site is protected, as the forest may be added again in future years. “This news is definitely something to celebrate, but we won’t stop advocating for this forest until it is permanently protected,” said Dr Jennifer Sanger, co-founder of The Tree Projects. “The Grove of Giants is now well known, with many people visiting it each day. We will continue to advocate for formal visitor infrastructure to be put in place, so it can be accessible to a wide range of people.”
Images in this post courtesy Rob Blakers.
Steve Pearce in the Grove of Giants.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 1 July 2023
Environmentalists call for ban on native forest logging as destruction list released
Tasmania’s logging agency has added 276 new native forest logging targets to its logging plan. When logging must cease before 2024, the belligerent Tasmanian government has sanctioned a new three-year plan for native forest destruction.
“In a dangerous move in this climate and biodiversity crises, Premier Rockliff and his logging agency have added more than 13 000 hectares of native forests to this logging plan. The new three-year logging plan comes when urgent action is required to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Forest loss is a major driver of the climate and biodiversity crises.” Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation Campaigns Manager said.
“In what should be environmental crimes, Forestry Tasmania’s newly released forest destruction schedules intensified logging in wild areas from rainforests in takayna to Swift Parrot habitat in the Eastern Tiers and some of the world’s oldest forests near Lake St Clair,” Jenny Weber said.
“Forestry Tasmania must have the precious native forests removed from their mismanagement. The new 3 year “wood production plan” released by Forestry Tasmania is a repeated effort to completely fracture and dismantle the precious native forests that are left,” Erik Hayward, Bob Brown Foundation Campaigner, said.
“The native forest logging industry is intent on pulling down all surviving habitat, carbon stores and wild forests while haemorrhaging taxpayer money every year. Wiping out native forests and sending them to the woodchip mills at a monumental yearly taxpayer loss is an enormous mistake that must be banned from our wild island state,” Erik Hayward said.
“Premier Rockliff oversees logging right now in critically endangered Swift Parrot habitat. In the Eastern Tiers where the critically endangered swift parrot thrived during its recent breeding season, Forestry Tasmania is again ignoring the scientific evidence, and IUCN advice to protect all swift parrot habitat, by releasing plans published today that will wipe the last remaining habitat off the surface of this Earth,” Erik Hayward said.
“Since 2020, our Foundation has defended Australia’s largest temperate rainforests in takayna from logging. This year, Forestry Tasmania has added more contentious remote areas in rainforests, while rainforest logging must be consigned to history. In Tasmania’s southern forests, we are seeing an increase in logging in areas critical for endangered species that are on the path to extinction due to forest destruction, the masked owl, Tasmanian devil, wedge tailed eagle and spot-tailed quoll need protection from logging,” Jenny Weber said.
Forestry Tasmania three year plan:
https://www.sttas.com.au/our-
