Trails lead to forest fight

24,000 respondents want trees left standing

PETITION calling for an immediate end to the logging of native forest in Tasmania’s North-East has gained more than 24,000 signatures.

It was started by Blue Derby Wild, which has been campaigning to protect the forests in the area.

Co-ordinator Louise Morris said the most immediate concern was the forest around Krushka’s trail in the Blue Derby mountain bike trail network.

“We’ve got a petition of over 24,000 people from across Australia who know that our forests are worth more standing and want to see them protected for the climate values, the biodiversity,” she said.

“It’s a place where some of our most successful industries are growing in nature-based tourism.”

The town of Derby is booming on the back of the mountain bike trails, which have attracted millions of dollars in investment and drawn tourists from across the world.

The nearby forestry activity has sparked protests, with concerns it will be detrimental to the eco-tourism industry.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s general manager conservation and land management Suzette Weeding said the proposed harvest areas were entirely outside the mountain bike trails.

“Sustainable Timber Tasmania is currently undertaking detailed operational planning for partial harvesting of two areas, referred to as CC105A and CC119A, in public production forest neighbouring the Krushka’s and Atlas mountain bike trails at Derby in 2021-22,” she said.

“The two coupes will be partially harvested, one using seed tree retention silviculture and the other aggregated retention.”

She said both would be regenerated to native forest using seed sourced from the local area.

Ms Morris said the petition highlighted how much the Tasmanian public was behind protecting the forests.

“These are the most carbonA dense forests in the world with eucalyptus remnants and rainforest species, they really are worth conserving,” she said.

“The government has been open to conversations from the Premier’s office – he does understand the value of these forests in the North-East.”

A government spokesman said substantial measures were being put in place to protect the trails from forest operations, including a minimum 50m forest buffer to minimise any effects, and the coupes would not be clear-felled.