The South Australian Government has committed to replanting 150 hectares of a forest, in the state’s mid north, destroyed by bushfire. Source: ABC Rural
Fire destroyed 450 hectares of the Bundaleer Forest, south of Jamestown, in January 2013 leaving an estimated area of 100 hectares.
The state’s Forests Minister Leon Bignell said ForestrySA would begin replanting the pine trees in autumn.
The area is expected to produce 22 years’ worth of commercial-size logs.
Local community groups had been lobbying the Government to replant the Bundaleer Forest.
Ed Morgan, part-owner of the local Jamestown sawmill, and member of the Northern Forests Initiatives Group said it was a positive step forward for the region.
“It shows a positive commitment to the future of our sawmill and the future of foresty in the north,” he said.
“It’s shown a bit of confidence in the state and the industry that’s here, especially in the rural and regional areas which has been lacking a bit in the past.”
The community is involved in further discussions with the State Government about the long-term future of Bundaleer Forest and the nearby Wirrabara Forest, which received damage to 90% of its plantations from a bushfire in 2014.
Mr Morgan said the Northern Forests Initiatives Group was exploring a range of options for both forests.
“So that we’ve got more of a diverse industry,” he said. “For many years the forest was diverse, the later methodology of ForestrySA has been to reduce the amount of community activities happening inside the forest.
“I see with more localised management we may be able to see a lot more of those activities, like horse riding and camping.”
