Timber Release Plan

‘MAIL’ readers may have seen an unattributed ad last week which made reference to VicForests’ Timber Release Plan (Mail, 7 July, page 2).
In response to the ad, I would like to clarify that the purpose of VicForests’ Timber Release Plan (TRP) is to plan out potential harvesting areas for the next five years.
The plan is updated annually with areas that have been harvested and successfully regrown also removed.
The TRP does not change or increase the area available for timber harvesting.
All areas that appear on the TRP are already designated for timber harvesting by the Victorian Government and the timber upon this land is already vested with VicForests.
The TRP consultation process is designed to enable community input into our planned operations.
VicForests welcomes feedback or concerns to be raised on areas that are proposed additions to the TRP and we welcome this as an integral part of our planning process.
Comment is specifically sought on the timing of harvesting operations, the use of particular haulage routes, the proximity of proposed harvesting to private property or public use areas, or the identification and protection of other forest values within specific harvesting sites.
All input is considered prior to finalising any changes to the TRP.
I would also like to assure the community that we are fully committed to implementing our share of the 13 key actions approved by the Victorian Government to improve outcomes for the Leadbeater’s Possum and work collaboratively with partners to deliver this major undertaking.
This work includes honouring the 15,000-hectare moratorium area for two years while landscape level surveys are undertaken, working around new 12-hectare reserves for any identified Leadbeater’s Possum colonies, innovative changes to harvesting practices to better cater for biodiversity, ground-breaking research with universities, improved protection of potential Leadbeater’s Possum habitat, and targeted pre-harvest Leadbeater’s Possum surveys.
We support the commitment by the Victorian Government to establish the Industry Taskforce.
However, in the meantime we will continue our operations in the normal, tightly regulated manner and continue to generate the substantial social and economic benefits that the industry delivers including the provision of thousands of jobs and the generation of hundreds of millions of dollar in economic activity in regional Victoria each year.
For more information on VicForests’ operations please visit www.vicforests.com.au.
Nathan Trushell,
VicForests.