Council will oppose logging

THE Shire of Yarra Ranges has slammed the State Government’s‘poor water policy’ and voted unanimously to oppose any further logging of water catchments in the region.
All eight councillors agreed to petition the State Environment Minister Gavin Jennings to consider a policy of no logging in local water catchments.
President of The Central Highlands Alliance Sarah Rees welcomed the councillors’ action.
“The council have some landscape jurisdiction over these two catchments and therefore have a responsibility to Melburnians, they are doing what any responsible council would be doing during the 11th year of drought – trying to save our precious water resource,” Ms Rees said.
“Based on scientific reports dating back to the early 1950s, logging is well known to reduce water run-off in catchments and increase evapotranspiration due to the replacement of mature forests with young, thirsty regrowing forests.”
Currently, VicForests has seven logging coupes planned for the Armstrong Creek catchment and a further four coupes planned for the Cement Creek catchment.
Timber Communities Australia Victorian state manager Scott Gentle said he was disappointed to learn of the council’s decision.
“Nothing to date shows that logging has any detrimental affects to water catchments.
“I find it difficult to believe that the council has made their decision without looking at the facts,” Mr Gentle said.
Mr Gentle said that although he was aware of the councils ‘green rhetoric’, he was unable to understand where the shire was heading in the future.
“The decision is absolutely ridiculous, it places hundreds of jobs in jeopardy,” Mr Gentle said.
“We already have to compete with illegal timber from third world countries and, even though we are the most regulated industry in Australia, it seems that there are more and more rules being put forward.”
Angry about the decision, Mr Gentle said he was unsure as to why the council was involved in the issue.
“It has nothing to do with the council. We are regulated by the state and federal governments and until the council can control infrastructure and trees hanging over footpaths they should stick to what they know,” Mr Gentle said.