LOGGING in native forest in Orara East State Forest was halted by protesters on Wednesday morning, June 6.

A 55-year-old ‘forest defender’ suspended herself 30 metres high in a tree-sit from ropes strung across the only entrance to the forest, blocking all trucks, vehicles and workers from logging the forest.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

“I’m taking this action today, because the NSW Government has failed us,” the protester said, who wished to remain anonymous.

“It’s devastating and irresponsible to bring these giant machines into these fragile ecosystems, crushing the understory, and taking the trees that koalas and other endangered species rely on for their survival.”

The activists in the Orara State Forest are amongst a growing number of people who believe the NSW Labor Government’s promise of a Great Koala National Park (GKNP) in the area has resulted in a massive increase to proposed logging in the region.

National newspapers have documented that more than seventeen percent of state forests within the boundary of the park are slated for logging in the next year.

The Orara East group is saying that if the NSW Government is serious about koalas they must stop the logging of these proposed forests immediately.

They claim recent surveying has proved the area currently being logged is a vital habitat corridor linking several local koala populations, where logging will severely impact these koalas’ chances of survival.

“Australia is a world leader in species extinction,” the tree sitter said.

“Like they’ve recently shown in Victoria, we know that native forest logging is coming to an end.”

It is not just animals that the protestors are concerned about however.

“I can’t sit back and wait while governments continue to kick the can down the road, leaving forestry workers isolated without a plan,” the protester said.

“I would rather see their skills used to repair the damage done from previous logging and help create the reserve system we need.

“Our wild places are crucial to our well-being.

“If you took one step inside this compartment you’d see that what Forestry Corp says about ‘sustainable harvesting’ is misleading and dishonest.”

April Healey, a teenager whose home borders the forest, told News Of The Area, “I think it’s criminal that, during this climate crisis, we are logging forests that are part of important ecosystems.

“I’ve seen koalas coming into our property fleeing from logging and we hear koalas at night.”

The group says that an immediate, absolute end to all destructive logging practices in NSW is the only rational option for protecting habitat forests like Orara East State Forest and for slowing the extinction crisis of the east coast’s threatened species.

A spokesperson for Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) confirmed the active protest on Wednesday, saying that operations in Orara State Forest had been suspended due to wet weather.

The spokesperson pointed out that forest operations are active worksites that are extremely dangerous.

Forestry Corporation engaged police to ensure community members are safely outside the operational area.

News Of The Area has contacted the office of Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage, but has yet to receive a response.

By Andrew VIVIAN