Forests

TOO PRECIOUS TO LOG

This site created August 1998but still valid

The forest contained in the Goolengook Block, south-east of Mount Ellery, in East Gippalnd, Victoria, is currently being clearfelled despite ongoing protests.

The area was rated as a Site of National Significance (SOS) for rainforest values, due to the rare mix of warm and cool temperate rainforest species. The area is home rare and threatened fauna such as the Spot-tail Quoll, Long Footed Potoroo, Sooty Owl and Powerful Owl, as well as significant and rare flora, such as the Slender Tree Fern, Skirted Tree Fern, Oval Fork-Fern and Green Bird-Orchid. There is no dispute over the fact that clearfelling Goolengook's forest is completely destroying wildlife habitat and these flora species.

The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) justify this logging operation as the "East Gippsland Management Plan" rezoned the area into a "General Management Zone" - which allows it to be clearfelled with no further flora or fauna surveys. This was later reinforced by the "Regional Forest Agreement" (RFA). Both documents claim to have included comprehensive public consultation, but in fact no environment group has ever endorsed either. Green groups, members of the public and even the Government's own scientists have all publically condemned the area's re-zoning and subsequent logging.

The re-zoning of the Sites of Significance was justified by the creation of a "Special Protection Zone", later upgraded to a "Flora and Fauna Reserve". This is an area of 1200ha, situated on the upper, Western slope of the valley, an area that had already been logged and is significantly fire damaged. The area protected contained very few old-growth trees and was considered "Low-Yield" for logging.

The rare rainforest, old-growth trees, fauna habitat and Tree Fern population is situated in the moist, fertile strip adjacent to the river - outside the boundary of the reserve. Goolengook River is Heritage listed, which affords it a "200m protection buffer". The DNRE understood this to mean 200m total, consisting of 100m each side of the river. At this 100m line, they planned a long line of coupes, effectively planning to clearfell the entire hillside between the river and the Reserve.

GECO first set up a survey camp in a propsed logging coupe in Goolengook in November of 1996. This became a long-term blockade that grew to include trenches through the road, timber structures such as tripod-bipod-bipods and a 25m tall monopole, plus numerous lock-on devies and a platform 40m up a giant Mountain Grey Gum.

For a few months this blockade was also used as a base camp for other stop-work actions in East Gippsland, which protested against the then unsigned RFA. During this period many meetings were held with the DNRE, demanding that Goolengook and other old-growth forests be protected.

In the dark, early hours of June 5th, 1997 -World Environment Day - Police came and arrested all people at the blockade and escorted the loggers into the forest to begin clearfelling. In the forty days that followed, over 30 stop work actions were carried out in an attempt to stop the clearfelling. Over one hundred and fifty people were arrested and many more attended the protests. The arrest of Senator Bob Brown brought media attention and helped make the logging of Goolengook a national concern.

A letter writing campaign to persuade Enviroment Minister Marie Tehan to stop the destruction had over 2500 letters signed. On several successive Fridays people tried to to present these letters to Tehan's office, but were forbidden entry and the entire building was locked down. She continued to boast about "extensive public consultation". The DNRE's response to the protests was to send in a second logging team - doubling the rate at which the forest was cleared.

When bail conditions prevented protesters from entering the logging area, a new base camp was set up at a place called "Bee Tree". This camp is ongoing (in April 1998) and stop-work actions are still occasionally carried out.

When the protesters appeared before the local Judge, some pleaded guilty to the charge of "Obstruction of a Legal Logging Operation", and he fined them $1000 for each offence - even for simply sleeping in a car on the side of the road when the blockade was first busted. Those who pleaded Not Guilty had their cases postponed, a tactic to have Bob Brown's case heard first (with the best legal repreentation and media coverage). When his case was heard, he argued that the logging operation was not legal, as the 200m buffer required by the Heritage Rivers act meant 200m each side of the River. He won his case and the DNRE are appealing the decision.

The hundred meter strip in dispute is very ecologically important. This forest contains the big, old growth trees that provide habitat to the Gliders and Owls, it contains the most dense Slender Tree Fern populations, it is the "buffer" that is the indistinct merging of the rainforest and the dryer Eucalypt dominated forest of the higher slopes. It is significant to the loggers because the same big, old-growth trees are what they want to turn into sawlogs and woodchips.

Ironically, the DNRE's own Code of Forest Practices states: "Rainforest must be excluded from timber harvesting, and because rainforest communities may be particularly vulnerable to adjacent disturbance they should be surrounded by an appropriate buffer". "For stands containing nationally significant rainforest that is sensitive to management operations - the highest degree of protection, generally sub-catchment level (should be provided), except where full protection can be provided by other measures."

The campaign to save Goolengook is not over. There is the DNRE's appeal, plus the State Environment Minister always has the power to change the zoning of the forest and stop the clearfelling. Possibly a more ecologically aware Goverment could win a future election and save Goolengook. Regardless of the politics, GECO is determined to bear witness to the destruction, to continue to carry out fauna surveys in the area, to raise awareness of the issue, to encourage consumer boycotts and to carry out non-violent direct actions.

Click here for more information about the Goolengook Blockade

GECO - go to the Goongerah Environment Centre homepage