The Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, with support from NRM South, has been quick to act in light of recent reports of illegal firewood collecting that has resulted in the destruction of key nesting habitat for the critically endangered Swift Parrot. The Council is facilitating a workshop for key stakeholders to enable a greater understanding of the scale and severity of the issue and how to best collaborate to manage the situation now and into the future.
Mayor Michael Kent says:
“We have been hearing for some time that the stealing of firewood from both private and public land is escalating. We know that east coast peppermint is quality burning wood and we suspect that much of what is taken from the east coast is being sold in Hobart and elsewhere. The issue has greater implications than the destruction of the environment as it is about trespass, theft and the selling of stolen property to unsuspecting consumers.”
Mayor Kent added:
“There are also enormous safety concerns not only for those in the bush but also the number of overloaded utes and trucks travelling the roads. It is no longer just dead or fallen trees being collected but healthy, live trees being felled – which means the wood is either being stored somewhere to dry or it is being sold green.”
Although the focus of the workshop is on illegal firewood harvesting in Glamorgan Spring Bay, it is anticipated that the outcomes will contribute to actions at a regional and possibly state wide level. With regards to the alleged destruction of the Swift Parrot nesting trees at this time the investigations by the Federal Department of Environment together with Tasmania Police are ongoing. NRM South has responded quickly by redeploying their regional Green Army team to work with the Australian National University researchers in building and installing nest boxes at the site in anticipation that the Swift Parrots will return again this year to breed.
Glamorgan Spring Bay Council
