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PropertyGuide GippslandTimes
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KITTEN SEASON PAGE 9
10,000 BASS RELEASED PAGE 21
LEGAL IMPACTS Philip Hopkins
LITIGATION brought by environmental groups had a fundamental impact on VicForests’ financial results in 2022-23, the state government forestry body said in its 2022-23 Annual Report. The chief executive, Monique Dawson, said VicForests had planned to harvest $112 million in timber, returning a margin of $27 million to be applied to the costs of delivering related government services. VicForests harvests native forest timber, sells the timber to processors and regenerates the forest coupes before returning them to DEECA to manage. Key processors in Wellington Shire are Australian Sustainable Hardwoods in Heyfield and Radial Timber in Yarram. “Instead, VicForests harvested $17 million in timber and paid compensation of $110 million for undersupply to customers (compared to $7.5 million in FY2022) and $421 million to contractors who were not able to work (compared to $6 million in F22),” she said.
“This was entirely due to the impact of orders made in litigation brought by environmental groups.” In 2022-23, VicForests sold 65,759.54 cubic metres of sawlog and 95,257.02m3 of pulpwood, representing about 17 per cent of planned sales, the annual report said. Firewood log sales were also reduced, totalling 16,767m3. Market conditions for sawn hardwood continued to be strong despite a weakening in house construction. “The tightening of log supply resulted in increased demand for the available sawn hardwood, which maintained the upward trend in sawn hardwood prices,” the report said. “Prices paid by VicForests sawlog customers increased around 11-12 per cent over the 12 months.” Ms Dawson said VicForests provided strong evidence that it had taken care to manage risks to threatened species, complying with the explicit regulatory rules developed by expert foresters over many years. These carefully balanced
economic, social and environmental considerations were as required by the principles of ecologically sustainable development. “Court orders imposing significant additional obligations, including requiring VicForests to identify and protect individual animals or plants, do not reflect this public policy balance,” she said. As a consequence of the unsuccessful court outcomes, Ms Dawson refuted claims that its operations amounted to illegal logging. “VicForests has complied with the Code of Practice for Timber Production in its operations and associated prescriptions to manage environmental threats,” she said. “However, vagaries in the Code have meant that when raised before the Court, the Court has determined these measures, driven by science and research, to be insufficient and requiring more before timber harvesting operations can occur.”
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VicForests accepted the Court’s decisions and complied with the interim and final orders. Legal costs for VicForests amounted to $5 million. As a result of the Court orders, Ms Dawson said VicForests worked with the University of Melbourne and drone providers to develop and deploy a survey method that uses thermal imaging technology in conjunction with a normal RGB (red, green, blue) camera and spotlight. This enabled comprehensive night-time surveys to be conducted safely in the forest. “We believe this work is at the cutting edge of survey technology and provides a pathway to comprehensive surveys for nocturnal animals that is efficient and effective – reducing the risk of injury to surveyors operating in difficult and often dangerous conditions,” she said. Continued Page 5
LESS LE ESS THAN TH HAN NA MO MONTH ONT TH TILL TIL LL
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“Everything is hard before it is easy.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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CHRISTMAS PARADE
Sale local Melissa Tatterson has expressed her gratitude to The Alfred Hospital for saving her life after she suffered an aneurysm and stroke in 2014. She’s been very lucky to watch her boys Jimmy (left) and Blake grow up, as she was not expected to survive her transfer to The Alfred from Sale Hospital. STORY PAGE 7