The elimination of logs felled by final one year’s ferocious storm by Victoria’s central highlands has resumed in the Wombat Woodland after protesters were eliminated from the worksite.
Key facets:
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Storms in June 2021 felled endless trees in parts of the Wombat Woodland
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Vic Woodland has employed contractors to definite fallen logs stop to Babbington Hill in the Wombat Woodland
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Wombat Forestcare says weeding out the logs is pointless and is causing extra wound to the ambiance
Logging contractors were not impeded by local environmentalists from the Wombat Forestcare community on Wednesday, even supposing several of the protestors continued to visual show unit the clearing work from a stop-by street.
The contractors and the protesters fetch accused one but another of threatening behaviour all by the dispute.
Contractor Jim Greenwood acknowledged his team of 4 workers turned into employed by Vic Woodland to clutch away the logs by 120ha of the woodland at Babbington Hill.
He acknowledged it came at the search data from of the industrial arm of the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation.
He acknowledged activists from Wombat Woodland Care had not interrupted their work since Game Management Authority workers had intervened.
“It be the major time (the work has not been interrupted) for days,” Mr Greenwood acknowledged.
Wombat Forestcare spokesperson Gayle Osborne acknowledged her community turned into protesting the wound that turned into being precipitated by the community.
“Right here’s intended to be a nationwide park, and promised to be a nationwide park, and now we’re seeing this huge destruction of the jam,” she acknowledged.
She acknowledged contractors had cleared nearly a hectare of standing trees to make a “huge” log touchdown that might presumably well per chance also fit two B-double vehicles and equipment.
Ms Osborne conceded the logs might presumably well not be eliminated without causing wound, nonetheless she acknowledged weeding out the logs turned into pointless because they did not mask a fire menace.
She acknowledged the logs wished to preserve on the ground to form future natural habitat.
“Most definitely the most most tracks are stop to trees that survived the storm, that are home to threatened elevated gliders, and fetch now been weakened to the extent they will also drop anyway,” Ms Osborne acknowledged.
“There’s also a wedge-tailed eagle nest on the hill and the equipment has been working illegally too stop to that.”
Mr Greenwood acknowledged there had been additional wound to parts of the woodland as the contractors eliminated the fallen logs.
“We are in a position to handiest attain what we are in a position to however or not it is not potential to attain no wound,” he acknowledged.
“But we for certain don’t appear to be going out of our manner to attain extra (wound) and we’re not taking something else out that turned into not already broken.”
He acknowledged seek for work had been accomplished to guard threatened species.
“Now we fetch got a tablet which tells us the areas we’re not allowed in, and or not it is not correct regarding the animals,” he acknowledged.
“There are areas we’re not allowed in on yarn of a form of daisy.”
Mr Greenwood acknowledged protesters were risking their lives by entering the work jam.
“Three walked in other day correct sooner than dark,” he acknowledged.
“They were all in grey and murky clothes and also you couldn barely respect them.”
He acknowledged he told the protesters whould fetch a vest on so workers can even respect them and so that they’d taken that on board.
“It be about making definite no person will get wound,” he acknowledged.
“If I’m lifting and transferring a log that weighs 10 to 12 tonnes, I’m in a position to not correct end.
“They bear not realise the hazard they are in. It be crazy.”