East Errinundra forest block is a living museum, containing undisturbed old-growth, rainforest and threatened species habitat. Despite its extreme ecological value, it is scheduled to be clearfell logged.
The East Errinundra forest "block" is part of the Errinundra Plateau in East Gippsland. This area includes what is very likely the largest contigous block of old-growth forest on mainland Australia.
Scientists recognise its value and have declared it "Rainforest Site of National Significance, 81, East Errinundra". Their recommendation is that it should not be logged.
There is no "East Errinundra Block Report", as block reports were only done for areas of which more than half was available for logging. Most reports were done in 1992, 6 years after the declaration of the Errinundra National Park, which includes more than half of the East Errinundra block. Adjacent Queensborough Block, which includes Yandowne Creek, also had no block report done, as more than half of it had already been logged. This means that none of the Yandwone Creek, Dingo Creek or Stagg Creek area was ever subject to flora and fauna surveys.
Interviewing the original survey teams and viewing the flora records database reveals that some surveying was done along Coast Range Road, including finding Mountain Plum Pines at the end of the Dingo / Stagg Creek Ridge.
The declaration of the Site of Significance was made principally from viewing the aerial photographs, combined with theon-ground surveys of adjacent areas. The declaration was based on the value of the area as a fire-retardent buffer on the massive rainforest tract to the south; Sassfras Basin. It was the rainforest values found in the combinations of old-growth wet forest, Mixed Forest and rainforest communities that gave the area its fire-retardent value, so the area was declared a "rainforest site of significance". At the time this declaration was made, Sites of National Significance were given sub-catchment protection; no logging upstream from the site. Sites of State Significance were protected to their boundaries, while Sites of Regional Significance allowed logging so long as the SOS values were retained. Annunpublished report, Cameron 1990, describes the location of the Site but little else. His presumption was that further research would be done at a later date.
The contrasts strongly with the current practice of clearfelling Sites of Significance of Regional, State or National Significance, without protecting the biological values. This over-ruling of the scientists was done during the writing of the East Gippsland Management Plan, which claimed to protect adequate amounts of the values in either Special Protection (SPZ) or Special Management Zones (SMZ). At Dingo Creek, the SMZ guideline was "special planning required to protect rainforest values and ensure best possible use of B+ swlog resource". Despite this, the coupe was clearfelled, with less than standard rainforest protection and no protection of the rainforest values such as the stands of Mixed Forest, or the Rainforest ecotones.
A "Peer Review" was done on the Site of Significance declaration, ("Rainforests and Cool Temperate Mixed Forests of Victoria", Bill Peel, pA82) which confirmed the Site's values and lists them in this table:

Criteria

Qualifying criteria

Peripheral Criteria

Core criteria

Conclusion

Category

Ecological integrity and assessment

Cultural

Composition

Biogeography

Representation

Evaluation

Level of Assessment

Landscape

Stand

Stand

Stand

Stand

Stand

Landscape

Attribute

Catchment integrity

Collective standsize, number or complexity

Stand integrity

Scientific value

Education value

Depletion

EVC richness

FC richness

Character spp richness

Rarity of type

Significant taxa

Taxa at national edge of range

Disjunct taxa

Best of type (EVC & FC)

Best of type (other)

Repr. of type

Cameron (1990. unpubl.) rating

Revised rating

EG 81 East Errinundra

National

National

National

Regional

Regional

Regional

State

National

National

National

National

National

National

National

National

National

National

National

Dingo Creek has spectacular flora diversity, which has evolved without human interference since the last ice age. Species here include the Gondwanic "Mountain Plum Pine", and the more recently evolved "Errinundra Shining Gum". This forest is literally a living museum.
While the Department has neglected to conduct any surveys in the area, independant volunteers have been conducting surveys since 1995. The finding of Orbost Spiny Crayfish and a Powerful Owl roost site in 1995 earned a 100m SPZ buffer on Yandowne Creek. Subsequent surveys documented the extent and core area of the Owl's range, but the request to have this core area and related wildlife corridors protected were ignored. Similarly, stands of Mixed Forest identified by Department field staff and volunteers were not protected, as a new prescription does nt protect rainforest stands that are less than 04ha. The table below includes further survey results.
While a lot of the trees have re-grown from the 1932 fire, there is still a health majority of 400+ year old trees throughout the forest. The ages quoted here are accurate, based on counting rings of numerous stumps in the clearfell shown above. Some are an even older generation, at least 600 years old. They measure over 3 meters in diameter by over 60 meters tall.