In what could be a landmark case for north-east NSW forests, the Environmental Defenders Office solicitors acting for the North East Forest Alliance have today served papers on the Commonwealth and NSW Governments challenging the re-issued Regional Forest Agreement for north-east NSW.

Dailan Pugh, North East Forest Alliance, July 2021

I’m woken in the dark, just before dawn, by torchlight flashing across the camp, and look over to see the long black shape of heavy machinery parked on the forest road. With my heart in my mouth I get up and approach as quietly as I can, ready to take a photo to send out with an action alert to our crew asleep here at camp, and in towns from Orara down to Grassy Head. But what comes into focus as I get closer is a Land Rover with twelve-metre long bamboo poles tied to its roof racks (that’s almost as long as a semi!) which Old Mate has driven through the winding backroads over the top of the mountain.

Forestry Corporation logging in the Nambucca and Bellingen catchments is based on a faulty soil assessment method and is causing soil erosion and polluted waterways, report finds.

Cooks Creek in Juugawarri NP 2019 vs Cooks Creek September 7 2020 after a Pollution incident (sediment delivery) from road-grading upslope.

Reported to Lyn Orrego July 2021 EPA and NPWS, soil catching devices installed.

Jonas for Bellingen Environment Centre.

Last week (29^th May 21) a group of locals participated in a second koala survey. Both surveys have found koala scats in Compartment 27 and 23.

As shared by Dominic King - Mayor, Bellingen Shire Council.

Last month (7/05/21), The Bellingen Shire Council Councillors and senior staff had the opportunity to meet with NSW Forest Corp (NSWFC) to discuss the continuation and increase of the industrial logging of some of the most biodiverse, intact, and unburnt Forests on the East Coast. There was some hope (at least from the three Greens Councillors and the community) that we would be able to get some up to date, accurate and easily accessible information on what is the degree of, past, current and future logging plans for the Bellingen Shire (the so-called wood bowl). We were also hoping for an improvement in the communication and engagement from FC to the Council, the community and other stakeholders that are impacted by their disruptive and destructive operations. Finally, that we would see some acknowledgement that things had to change in the management of public forests considering the increasing on-ground evidence that climate change is upon us and is a major threat to our way of life.  

Northern Rivers community members are rallying in Cherry Tree State Forest west of Casino today as it is threatened with logging this week.

Dodging the issue of Bell Miner Associated Dieback again

Dailan Pugh, April 2021.

When I moved to live in the upper Clarence River valley in the early 1980’s I quickly learnt that the tinkling of Bell Miners (Bell Birds) was a harbinger of death, of understories infested with lantana and overtopped by sick and dead eucalypts.

Accounting for burning in issuing new Wood Supply Agreements.

Dailan Pugh, April 2021.

From August 2019 until January 2020 a series of wildfires burnt through 2.4 million hectares of north-east New South Wales (north from the Hunter River), encompassing 29% of the region and around half the remnant native vegetation. Due to the drought the fires were unprecedented in their extent and the intensity with which the wet forest refugia burnt.

Forest Corp returning to the scene of the crimes,  Cherry Tree State Forest.     

Jim Morrison

Following an extensive list of breaches to regulations in 2015, logging is scheduled to  begin again in Cherry Tree State Forest  in August this year.