Wild #188

Page 36

CONSERVATION

GREEN PAGES

A selection of environmental news briefs from around the country. EDITED BY MAYA DARBY

VALUABLE TIMBERBEARING FORESTS OF ALPINE ASH WERE

LARGELY EXCLUDED FROM THE PARK.”

MOUNTAIN FORESTS AT RISK

Participants in a FoE field trip near Mt Wills, heading to four planned logging coupes

Victoria’s Alpine National Park only partially protects the forests of the state’s High Country. Ceasing native-forest logging in the areas around the park needs to begin now.

M

any Wild readers were part of the long and ultimately successful campaign in the 1970s and 80s that saw much of the Victorian high country protected in the Alpine National Park. What younger readers may not know, however, is that many important forests were excluded from the park. In effect, it has an ‘economic’ boundary—that is, the valuable timber-bearing forests of alpine ash were largely excluded from the park, while the commercially useless snow gums and higher alpine zones were included. Some areas of the proposed park were even subjected to ‘once only’ logging before being included. The Alpine NP sits within a wild landscape that’s predominantly public land still open to logging. While there’s a state government commitment to end native-forest logging in Victoria by 2030, the damage done across the Alps by the Black Summer fires has made it clear that this deadline is far too late. Sadly, key areas of ecological value are now at risk of logging. Friends of the Earth (FoE) is campaigning to have particular forests—selected on the basis of their ecological values and proximity to the park— protected from logging. These include Mt Stirling, a popular spot for XC skiing, walking, mountain bike riding and trail

36

WILD

running. It has up to eleven areas of forest scheduled to be logged. Logging will have dramatic impacts on recreation, as well as fragmenting the high-elevation forests that circle the summit area. The Little Dargo, just south of Mt Hotham, is a special, unroaded headwater area that contains old forests of mountain gum and recovering alpine ash. Unlike much of the surrounding area, it has only been lightly burnt in recent decades. Logging is likely to yield mostly low-value products like pulp. Mt Wills is an ‘island in the sky’—a small plateau which supports old-growth snow gum woodlands. It is connected by Long Spur to Victoria’s highest mountain—Bogong (Warkwoolowler). There are impressive, older alpine ash forests on Long Spur, below the Mt Wills summit, which are scheduled for logging. Dense, flammable regrowth from logging operations would pose a direct risk of intense fire to the uphill old forests of Mt Wills. You can find out more about these areas by heading here: melbournefoe.org.au/foe_s_work_in_the_ vic_high_country. And to learn about the many threats to the Victorian high country, you can read FoE’s Icon at Risk report here: melbournefoe.org. au/an_icon_at_risk. CAM WALKER, Friends of the Earth (Melbourne)

LEARN MORE: The Icon at Risk report outlines the many threats to the Victorian high country, which include: - Climate change, including out-ofcontrol wild fires, dieback of snowgums and loss of alpine ash, plus loss of snow pack - Invasive species, including deer and horses - Logging - Commercial development FoE also runs regular ‘citizen science’ field trips to the high country to map both loss and resilience. More details here: melbournefoe.org. au/snow_gums_ and_citizen_science


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS

2min
pages 142-146

SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS

4min
pages 140-141

EXTENDED FIT SERIES

0
pages 138-139

THERMOBALL TRACTION V MULES

7min
pages 136-138

MANASLU ND50:65L

1min
page 136

WINTER TENTS A COMPARISON

5min
pages 134-136

THE WALK IN SECTIONS

10min
pages 130-133

MURRAMARANG SOUTH COAST WALK

3min
pages 128-129

SOUTH COAST WALK

3min
pages 126-127

RED CENTRE

5min
pages 124-125

No Turning Back

10min
pages 118-124

THE SPAGHETTI TOUR

6min
pages 112-115

UNBOXED

16min
pages 102-111

ROCK & ROLL

3min
pages 94-101

Mt THE

15min
pages 84-93

THE WAY BACK HOME

10min
pages 76-83

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE

11min
pages 64-75

GETTING SCHOOLED

10min
pages 56-63

FIRES FUTURE OF THE

9min
pages 52-55

SUBSCRIBE TO WILD AND SUPPORT LOCAL ADVENTURERS TELLING STORIES THAT MATTER

0
page 51

GET A FREE HELLY HANSEN BEANIE (RRP$60)

0
page 50

LAST YEAR’S LESSONS

2min
page 48

PHOTOGRAPHING THE EAST KIMBERLEY

3min
pages 46-47

LEAVE NO [ONLINE] TRACE

9min
pages 42-45

TYTO, THE TREESITTER

6min
pages 40-41

GREEN PAGES

2min
page 38

PAGES

2min
page 36

DOUBLE DUTY

3min
pages 34-35

FEAR CAN BE YOUR FRIEND

3min
page 32

GIVE IT A CRACK

3min
page 30

SHELTER FOR ALL SEASONS

0
page 29

THE DUNNINGKRUGER EFFECT

4min
pages 18-28

COVER SHOT

1min
pages 13-17

Letter of the Issue ]

4min
pages 12-13
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.