The West Wellington Protection Group (WWPG) recently held a website launch at Horse-
Haven Farmstay in Judbury, at which members gathered to hear Huon Valley Councillor,
Rosalie Woodruff, speak about the future of communications and the Tasmanian forest
industry.
Councillor Woodruff commended the WWPG for the professional way it has used its website
to bring the serious issue of clearfelling in the Wellington Range to the attention of the wider
community. “There are many reasons to oppose the planned clearfelling of West Wellington,
including water security, tourism, habitat, aesthetics and carbon storage,” she said.
“The internet has created many new opportunities, particularly the instant sharing of
information. It gives local communities the ability to get their message out to a wide
audience, quickly. One person cannot change much on their own, but many people working
together can achieve anything.”
Councillor Woodruff proposed a new high value, low volume model for the timber industry,
saying the time has come for change: “Forestry Tasmania’s practices are unsustainable both
financially and environmentally” she said. “The international market for unethically harvested
timber has dried up. Clearfelling and burning are no longer acceptable practices, especially in
sensitive water catchments such as West Wellington.”
Horse-Haven, the venue for the website launch, is a horse riding and farm-stay business that
attracts visitors from all over the world. Owner of Horse-Haven, Conny Elton, says her
visitors come to experience tranquility and nature, and that her business relies on the forests:
“I started my business ten years ago and it has grown every year, even through the global
financial crisis. I take people on bushwalks, and guests from places such as Singapore and
other parts of Asia have never seen such pristine forests. They are shocked that we would cut
them down and burn them.”
The West Wellington Protection Group (WWPG) recently held a website launch at Horse-Haven Farmstay in Judbury, at which members gathered to hear Huon Valley Councillor, Rosalie Woodruff, speak about the future of communications and the Tasmanian forest industry.
Councillor Woodruff commended the WWPG for the professional way it has used its website to bring the serious issue of clearfelling in the Wellington Range to the attention of the wider community. “There are many reasons to oppose the planned clearfelling of West Wellington, including water security, tourism, habitat, aesthetics and carbon storage,” she said.
“The internet has created many new opportunities, particularly the instant sharing of information. It gives local communities the ability to get their message out to a wide audience, quickly. One person cannot change much on their own, but many people working together can achieve anything.”
Councillor Woodruff proposed a new high value, low volume model for the timber industry, saying the time has come for change: “Forestry Tasmania’s practices are unsustainable both financially and environmentally” she said. “The international market for unethically harvested timber has dried up. Clearfelling and burning are no longer acceptable practices, especially in sensitive water catchments such as West Wellington.”
Horse-Haven, the venue for the website launch, is a horse riding and farm-stay business that attracts visitors from all over the world. Owner of Horse-Haven, Conny Elton, says her visitors come to experience tranquility and nature, and that her business relies on the forests:
“I started my business ten years ago and it has grown every year, even through the global financial crisis. I take people on bushwalks, and guests from places such as Singapore and other parts of Asia have never seen such pristine forests. They are shocked that we would cut them down and burn them.”
Conny expressed dismay at the low priority given to the environment, when tourism is the fastest growing industry in Tasmania.
“People come to ride and walk along the Tasmanian Trail which goes through West Wellington. Now Forestry Tasmania is bulldozing it into logging roads and plans to clearfell alongside it. I used to take people horse riding in the Weld Valley but once the logging roads were built, I had to stop.”
“We should be promoting our forests, not cutting them down.”
Mike Fewings, creator of the website, said “farmers, orchardists and families who have been on the land for generations, are all concerned about the threat to their water supplies if clearfelling and burning goes ahead in our water catchments. We need to value and protect what we often take for granted.”
“The WWPG website is a major channel of communication with people who want to learn more about West Wellington. I hope people will take advantage of this opportunity,” he concluded.
The website address is http://wwpg.info
Photograph captions:
BBF top cropped good: ‘Billy Browns Falls, a spectacular visitor attraction in Judbury, situated close to Horse Haven Farmstay and threatened by Forestry Tasmania’s clearfelling plans’
BBF with Conny cropped good: Conny Elton (right), owner of Horse Haven Farmstay (the venue for the recent WWPG website launch), in front of Billy Browns Falls’
Big tree nr Horse Haven good cropped: ‘One of the old growth trees in the coupes destined for clearfell in West Wellington’
Jenny Liz Rosalie web launch good cropped: ‘(L-R) Jenny Cambers-Smith, member of the WWPG, with Huon Valley Councillors Liz Smith & Rosalie Woodruff, at Horse Haven Farmstay’
Jenny Cambers-Smith , West Wellington Protection Group
