Category Archives: A Forest A Day
A forest a day! July 2: BT013A
Right now one of Tasmania’s most significant tracts of tall eucaplyt forest is being torn apart by logging machinery. Known as BT013A, this logging coupe in Butlers Gorge, Central Tasmania, was once a part of a pristine and untouched wilderness area. For months now, machinery and chainsaws have relentlessly devastated this forest and logging continues. This is despite the fact that Butlers Gorge has been identified by the government-endorsed team of independent scientific experts as being one of, if not the most, ecologically important tracts of tall eucalpyt forest in Tasmania. Due to be protected by the conservation agreement, which was a critical part of the Intergovernmental Agreement signed in August last year, this area remained excluded from any protection and its values have been systematically degraded since then, along with another coupe and two brand new roads which have been pushed into the pristine forests of Butlers Gorge.
This area of forest has been verified as having world heritage value and is a critical part of the proposed new reserves. We are calling for an immediate cessation of logging, and rehabilitation of this coupe. Despite the devastating impact of logging, it is not too late to protect Butlers Gorge. An extension to the current Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (only 1km from BT013A) to include all of Butlers Gorge would make a significant ecological contribution to the reserve and preserve this magnificent tract of tall eucalypt forest.
Please CLICK HERE and take a moment to help defend Butlers Gorge and other high conservation value forests across Tasmania.
A Forest A Day!
Last night at midnight the current so-called “conservation agreement” was set to expire. This agreement had been intended to preserve 430,000 hectares of high conservation value forests from logging while talks continued about its future status. Yet, the agreement never lived up to it’s name and failed to provide conservation of the full area. In fact 43 logging coupes that Forestry Tasmania wanted to log, in most cases to supply wood to Ta Ann, were excluded. Our on-the-ground surveys have shown that about half of those coupes have already been subject to logging and roading operations now.
Last nights lapse of the agreement was an opportunity for the government to make a new conservation agreement that would protect the full area of forest that is currently being negotiated over. 563,000 hectares has been verified by independent scientists as being of significant national and world heritage value. However, the government choose to instead renew the same incomplete conservation agreement, extending the deadline until the end of August.
What we have seen in Tasmania’s forests over the past six months is continuous destruction in areas that are ear-marked for protection.
Today we are launching a new project called “A Forest A Day” in order to highlight this ongoing destruction and the values of those forests that are being lost with every new logging operation. This project will also show case some of Tasmania’s most unique and significant ecosystems including areas that remain intact, yet that remain under threat due to continued exclusion from the conservation agreement.
We hope that this project will show the world the value of these magnificent forests and inspire you to get on board and help to protect these areas. Please take a moment to sign the cyber action, sending a message to the corporate customers of Ta Ann.
Every day in July we will profile a new area of forest or logging coupe that is under threat or that has been logged in the period of time when it should have been under a moratorium.
We will kick of tomorrow by featuring one of Tasmania’s most significant tracts of tall eucalypt forest and wilderness areas; Butlers Gorge. Watch this space for your daily forest information and spread the word! It’s time for the world to know the truth about Tasmania’s forests.
This project is a collaboration with Still Wild Still Threatened, Huon Valley Environment Centre, Markets for Change, The Last Stand, Code Green and other grassroots forest campaigners in Tasmania.
T h e O b s e r v e r T r e e 