Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to seek details about impact of logging operations

Cr Peter Alley raised the issue at Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s August meeting.

Cr Alley said he was very concerned about the impact which was happening within our forests.

“I’m very aware most of it is totally outside the jurisdiction of council,” he said.

“Nevertheless, we need to be asking the questions and we need to have an understanding of it.”

Cr Alley said Forestry Corporation paid no rates to the council and the damage done by logging trucks on the council’s roads and wooden bridges was a cost borne by residents.

The council requested the general manager seek information from the Forestry Corporation.

The council wants to know about the impact on the local government area of the current and proposed forestry operations, forestry trucks on the road network, water catchments with run-off and siltation of watercourses, koala habitat and biodiversity in general.

The general manager will also request senior Forestry Corporation management attend a briefing at the council on the impact of forestry operations in the local government area.

Forestry Corporation senior manager forest stewardship Kathy Lyons told the Port News: “Forestry Corporation has worked closely with the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council over many decades, being major landholders in the local government area, and we would be happy to update council on current operations.”

Ms Lyons said the local state forests had been managed to provide timber products for more than 100 years, producing some of the best hardwood timber in Australia for family homes, electricity poles, local bridges, fencing and railway sleepers.

“Many families in our region have been connected to the forest and timber industry through working for “the forestry” and employment in local sawmills including Herons Creek, Haydon Timbers at Rolland Plains and Hurfords at Kempsey,” she said.

Forest harvesting operations were carefully planned, Ms Lyons said, to strike the right balance between sourcing renewable timber for the community, protecting waterways and animal habitat and ensuring they regrew many more trees than they harvested.

Cr Alley’s comments in the council report noted State Forests occupied a significant proportion of our local government area. 

The comments raised the impact of logging operations on the road and bridge network as well as koala habitat, biodiversity and water catchments.

The council is not designated as a regulator of activities within State Forests. 

Cr Alley’s comments in the council report said the purpose was to inform councillors and senior staff of the plans and impacts of logging operations by Forestry Corporation on our local government area and to establish what he hoped may be an ongoing dialogue with Forestry Corporation.

Cr Alley raised the matter in his role as a councillor.

He will also contest the seat of Port Macquarie as the Country Labor candidate in the 2019 state election.