Clarence Valley Councillors during a field trip earlier this month to show them what occurs in sustainable forest management and harvesting.
Clarence Valley Council has dumped a push to phase out native forest logging on public land after a mass show of strength by loggers and union reps. Sources: Daily Telegraph, Timberbiz
The area outside the Maclean Council chambers was packed with hundreds of loggers, CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union) members and industry supporters on Tuesday.
Those who argue native forest logging should be phased out were few and far between.
Adam Curlis, from Glenreagh, said he showed up because he was concerned about the loss of koala habitat from logging.
“I firmly believe we need to begin to act now to develop a plan for the future of the logging industry in this state – we are at a tipping point,” he said.
The contentious issue was first raised in front of a packed public gallery at a Clarence Valley Council meeting in June.
Then, councillor Debrah Novak moved a council resolution to delay debate until October.
All councillors except for Karen Toms voted to postpone the debate because she wanted to “kill the motion on its head then and there”.
Outside of council chambers, pro and anti-logging views have raged through the Clarence Valley community.
In August, forestry industry supporters met with former mayor Ian Tiley.
Led by Marshall Notaras Hardwood general manager Donna Layton, the vice-president of Timber NSW, the group handed over piles of paperwork, stating they had already received 2242 submissions rejecting the proposal.
And earlier this month the native forest industry based in the Clarence Valley took most of the Clarence Valley Councillors on a field trip to show them what occurs in sustainable forest management and harvesting.
The field trip was led by Donna Layton and Kristy Hackett of Marshall Notaras Hardwoods, Lorna Greensill and Cherie Baynham of Greensill Bros, Kirsty Parker of M&M Timbers and Andrew Favelle of Abbey Timber in Sydney,
The councillors were taken through in detail the various stages of planning and harvesting an approved state forest area. Dean Caton and Dean Kearney of FCNSW and their team showed the detailed planning that provides exacting planning in real time.
Despite the fierce divide in the community, councillor Greg Clancy was the sole voice supporting the motion at Tuesday’s meeting.
He said the motion had been misunderstood by many who believed it was about closing down the timber industry. Instead, he said it was a proposal calling on the state government to develop a long-term plan for forestry.
“The motion is not about closing down the timber industry,” Cr Clancy said.
“We can’t keep logging forest forever and accept they’ll last,” he said.
But his fellow councillors disagreed, noting the importance of the timber industry to the Clarence Valley’s economy and the regulations already put in place by the state government.
In a heated moment, Cr Toms said Cr Clancy was “scaremongering”.
“This is a Greens push and it’s happening in other councils and it’s sad that it’s happening in ours today,” she said.
Cr Clancy was the sole vote in favour of the motion.
