Stop Work Orders demanded for compartment 517 above Corn Trail - Mike Kelly says our precious native forests worth more as carbon sinks.
At a meet-the-candidate forum organised by ACF in Merimbula on Friday 22nd February, Mike Kelly the member for Eden Monaro stated that the Eden Monaro region required a big investment in hardwood plantations if it was to meet growing demand. Dr Kelly said that E. nitens (Shining gum) was the preferred species and that the AFPA (Australian Forest Products Association) had estimated 250,000 ha of land in Eden Monaro was available for establishment of plantations. Plantations currently supply 40% of the Eden chip mill’s requirements. Dr Kelly said he would prefer to see logging scaled back in our native forests and these maintained as carbon sinks or stores.
Members of the Friends of Mongarlowe River (FMR) agree with Dr Kelly and are again urging ForestryCorp NSW to stop logging our precious native forests. In particular FMR are concerned that logging currently taking place in compartment 517 of Buckenbowra State Forest, immediately above the iconic Corn Trail is destroying the habitat of Greater Gliders. Two Greater Gliders have been seen in a tree hollow in this compartment and stricter prescriptions should be applied meaning more trees should left unlogged when a density of more than one animal per hectare is recorded.
A Friends of Mongarlowe River spokesperson said "In an alarming development, we now also understand that the required pre-logging surveys were not compliant! This means these animals and this forest generally is being illegally placed at risk of imminent danger. FMR has written to the Environment Protection Authority demanding immediate Stop Work orders.
FMR is receiving very positive support from the community in calling for an immediate moratorium on logging in compartment 517 near the Corn Trail.
Image from @BraidwoodBugle
