Conservationists have slammed a suggestion steep sloping areas of forest west of Coffs Harbour could be ‘cable-logged’. Source: ABC News
The state’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said the idea has been raised in discussion papers, and a trial proposal from the Forestry Corporation is anticipated.
Cable logging involves rigging flying foxes over steep terrain, and selectively logging trees from above to reduce the impact on soil and surrounding scrub.
State Forest west of Urunga, Nambucca Heads and Bellingen have been earmarked.
It is used many countries across the globe as a low-impact form of logging.
But Kate Smolski from the Nature Conservation Council (NCC) said steep terrain should remain off-limits.
“The claims from the industry that cable-logging is somehow more environmentally sensitive, is just not true,” she said.
“These steep slope areas are critically important for both protecting our riparian zones from soil erosion, and they’re critical wildlife habitat because they have older, more mature trees.”
Ms Smolski said cable logging has an enormous impact on surrounding forest.
“The industry claims that is minimises the use of heavy machinery that churns up the soil,” she said. “However considerable soil disturbance will still result, because of the roads that are constructed along the ridge, and the bottoms of the gullies.
“And as a result of the tree-felling, and needing to drag the trees out of the area.”
The Forestry Corporation said that any trial of cable logging south west of Coffs Harbour is still a long way off.
Senior planning manager at the Forestry Corporation, Dean Kearney, said they are working hard to find a way to sensitively and sustainably harvest the steep terrain.
Mr Kearney said the most basic details of what exactly will be trialled are yet to be developed.
“The first stage we’re looking at is just putting together some planning conditions,” he said.
“There’s a whole planning phase that we’ve got to go through, where we will consider additional measures and what sort of technologies we’re going to be implementing.
“So additional details will be made available, and consultation will occur at that time.”
Mr Kearney said prior logging of the area in past decades demonstrates the forest can regenerate.
“The areas that we’re looking to trial this technology in are areas that have been harvested in the past,” he said.
“So they’re regrowth forests, and in that sense it is sustainable by definition.
“In terms of the steep slopes, we’re confident we can find a technology that will ensure the soil and water properties in that area are protected.”
