Monday 11 December 2006

Weld Valley Touring Route

It looked like a good opportunity. Forestry Tasmania were touting the opening of a touring route in the Weld. There's also a pdf. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you can take yourself around the route, but have to get on an Evan's Coaches bus and be driven around. Comfortable perhaps, and no doubt justified as a safety matter in an area where forestry operations are underway. However, I'd sort of hoped I could just hop in the car and drive around having a look at what's really going on out there. Anyway, I've asked Forestry whether this is possible, and await the answer, without much hope, nor expectation of a rapid response.

There was a letter in The Mercury today from Rob Blakers (photographer), in which he suggests that approximately 1/3 of the Weld forests are available for harvesting. This media release recently from Forestry Tasmania indicates that only 12.5% is available, and only 2% will be harvested over the next 8 years. It will be interesting to watch the debate that now ensues. The government have been caught out fudging the difference between buttongrass moorland and "old-growth forest" in the past and there have been various disagreements about the meaning of the numbers. This Google starts to give a flavour.

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