Pine plantation logged by Australian
Paper Plantations and aerially sprayed by Grand Ridge Plantations
Pty Ltd on 21 September 2001. According to John Cameron General
Manager of Grand Ridge Plantations in a letter to Friends of the
Earth dated 2 October 2001, "The herbicides used were Simazine,
Lontrel and Verdict. This formulation is not available in granular
form". Mr Cameron also included a sheet entitled Environmental
Precautions Helicopter Spraying which included the point "All
permanent streams are sampled to confirm free of contamination".
A letter sent by Friends of the Earth to Mr Cameron sent October
15, 2001 asked in regard to the above point, "when the samples
were taken, who took the samples, how often the samples were taken
and where the sampling took place?" Friends of the Earth
also asked for a written copy of the sample results. Friends of
the Earth is still waiting for a response to the letter.
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October 2001:
Recent pine logging by
Grand Ridge Plantations in the Traralgon Creek catchment
- 2km's north of Mount Tassie. Note lack of buffer
zones in drainage lines.
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November
2001:
Roading in the Merrimans Creek catchment.
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December
2001:
Plantation
93-78: At this site, just off Livingston Road, a logging
track was cut across the top of a gully feeding into the
Morwell River West Branch. It is also evident that a Blackwood
had been cut down (to be supplied to whom?). Soil movement
will be likely to occur at this site die to the poor quality
of the logging track.
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November 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-83. Illegal logging was
observed taking place at the end of York Road in the Franklin
River catchment. Loggers are apparently going after Blackwoods
in an area of regenerating forest. Massive amounts of
soil disturbed at the site, with at least 1km logging
'roads'illegally bulldozed through the bush. Grand Ridge
Plantations were informed in late November. This photo
shows what all the destruction is about. A blackwood stump
with the tree obviously being removed. This indicates
that an illegal Blackwood market is occurring in Victoria
with trees sourced from the Strzeleckis.
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October 2001:
Grand Ridge Plantations (Hancock)
after the near completion of logging of this pine plantation
in the Morrison Creek catchment.
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November 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-83. Illegal logging was
observed taking place at the end of York Road in the Franklin
River catchment. Loggers are apparently going after Blackwoods
in an area of regenerating forest. Massive amounts of soil
disturbed at the site, with at least 1km logging 'roads'illegally
bulldozed through the bush. Grand Ridge Plantations were
informed in late November.
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November 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Hancock
Watch observed loggers in this location mainly driving their
bulldozers and logging machinery off road when in many cases
the road would have sufficed. Offroad bulldozer operations
were observed for several km's in the Merrimans Creek catchment
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Recent pine logging
in the Merrimans and Sassafras Creek catchments. Note
the extent of native vegetation remaining in the Sassafras
catchment on the far ridge.
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Massive soil disturbance
caused by logging contractors in the Merrimans Creek catchment.
Domestic water catchment for the town of Seaspray.
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Merriman Creek catchment.
Photo taken from near Callignee South. Recent pine logging.
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Merriman Creek catchment.
Photo taken from near Callignee South. Recent pine logging.
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Merriman Creek catchment.
Photo taken from near Callignee South. Recent pine logging
showing poor roading..
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October 2001:
Plantation LEGL 93-106. Merriman Creek catchment.
Photo taken from near Callignee South. Recent pine logging
showing poor roading including slumping batters.
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October 2001:
Recent pine logging by Grand Ridge Plantations
in the Traralgon Creek catchment - 2km's north of Mount
Tassie. Note lack of buffer zones in drainage lines.
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October 2001:
Recent pine logging by Grand Ridge
Plantations in the Traralgon Creek catchment - 2km's north
of Mount Tassie. Cable logged due to steepness of slopes.
Is this type of plantation forestry sustainable?
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October 2001:
Photo taken from Mount Tassie looking
north into Latrobe Valley. Grand Ridge Plantations pine
logging occurring in the Traralgon Creek catchment. It
is also evident that vast areas of pine plantations throughout
Victoria have been logged by Hancock in the past two years.
How sustainable has this logging been? Rumour has it that
workers are claiming that Victorian Plantation Corporation,
prior to the sale to Hancock, were targeting the best
of the pine plantations in the state, for logging in order
to make the sale price look more impressive to potential
buyers. Rumour also suggests that sustainable yield throughout
the state has been breached leading to rumours that Hancock
possibly wants to cut and run.
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October 2001:
Recent pine logging by Grand Ridge Plantations
in the Traralgon Creek catchment - 2km's north of Mount
Tassie. Note lack of buffer zones in drainage lines.
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October 2001:
Grand Ridge Plantations (Hancock) and an
eastern tributary of Morrison Creek.
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November 2001:
Grand Ridge Plantations (Hancock)
gully erosion occurring in Morwell River Catchment in
recently logged pine plantation.
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November 2001:
Grand Ridge Plantations (Hancock) recently
logged pine plantation with roading resembling a quarry
in plantation just off Midland Highway.
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November 2001:
Grand Ridge Plantations (Hancock) recently
logged plantation.
This photo indicates the steepness of the
slopes at something like 45 degrees in places.
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