July 14th, 2025Grieving forest destruction
The Wombat Forest community recently joined with Extinction Rebellion to draw attention to what it says is environmentally damaging salvage logging in Wombat State Forest.
An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said theatrics took place on the roadside of the Forest Fire Management Victoria log-storage site near Daylesford where large volumes of logs are stored from nearby industrial scale salvaging.
“Dressed in black mourning attire, the gathering grieved the recent forest destruction by FFMV salvage-logging works. Red Rebels silently communicated distress. After short eulogies, Red Rebels and some mourners visited the nearby forest coupe where many larger trees once stood tall.
“Red Rebels performed again in silent contrast to the broadscale logging destruction. A vast field of upturned tree stumps, logging slash, recently churned mud and discarded logs was surrounded by tall native forest and creek lines. Mourners noted how the vast log clearing punctured the forest canopy horizon; a new landscape scar that can be seen from satellites.
“In June 2021, a large storm impacted significant patches of Wombat State Forest bringing down swathes of forest. Roads and tracks were quickly cleared of fallen trees. From 2022 until its 2024 demise, VicForests intensively logged the nearby ‘storm-recovery’ areas. Vast volumes of timber were removed locally.
“FFMV commenced ‘debris-management’ works in late 2023. The organisation repeatedly emphasised to local communities that its works were distinct from VicForests with no heavy machinery used, taking only fallen logs and isolated hazardous trees, all works were ‘non-commercial’ and low impact.”
Wombat Forestcare convenor Gayle Osborne said it was clear the salvage works were causing serious environmental harm.
“Soils are being compacted, young plants destroyed, and future habitat for many species is being lost – all the while failing to mitigate fire risk.
“We have had three years of unrelenting industrial scale salvage of storm-thrown trees from the forest. At one stage there were 14, 35-tonne machines removing large logs and compacting the soil. The log depot contains just a very, very small percentage of logs that have been removed from the Wombat Forest.
“There are many reasons these logs should remain in the forest, they are a critical part of the ecosystem – providing habitat for small reptiles and mammals, food for fungi, and moisture retention that helps keep the forest floor damp.”
In the last edition of The Local (Edition 335) a state government spokesperson said: “The government announced in 2021 that it would create three national parks, two conservation parks, and seven new and expanded regional parks in the state’s central west – this includes the Wombat-Lerderderg National Park covering more than 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh.
“Legislation to create three new national parks will be introduced into parliament as soon as practical. The great outdoors are to be experienced and admired, not locked away. Our focus is bringing more families to the bush and more jobs to the regions – while making sure to keep our forests healthy for future generations.
“No timber harvesting is taking place in the Wombat State Forest, no trees are being removed unless they present a hazard and no clear-felling is occurring in these operations.” Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Matt Hrkac
