Media Release
5 Jan 2008
Tasmanian Forest Blockade Launched as Tragic Weld River Logging Bridge Imminent
“In southern Tasmania today, forest activists have returned to the Weld Valley, to defend 1000 hectares of threatened wilderness from a propose bridge over the wild Weld River. A tree sit blockade has been erected on a major access road in the Weld Valley, pending the imminent destruction of ancient North Weld wilderness forest for a second Weld River logging bridge that will be a tragedy for Tasmania,” Huon Valley Environment Centre Spokesperson Jenny Weber said.
“This new Weld Heritage Rescue Station is calling for the immediate protection of the North Weld Wilderness area. Ancient Forest in the north weld with some of the most high quality wilderness forests in Tasmania, have had few people ever walk through them and now they may be lost to the chainsaws and bulldozers,” Jenny Weber said.
“The incursion of logging into areas such as the North Weld Wilderness may heavily impact the untouched wilderness values adjacent to the Snowy Range World Heritage Area. Instead of further destruction of wilderness areas, protecting forests could be recognized as important for storing carbon, filtering water, cleaning the air and sheltering threatened species,” Jenny Weber said.
From The Mercury newspaper:
Protest blocks Weld road
MICHAEL STEDMAN and AAP
January 06, 2008 12:00am
PROTESTERS have blockaded a major road into the Weld Valley in a bid to stop 1000ha of untouched forest being logged.
Early yesterday two people scaled trees with cables connecting them to a structure blocking the road below, where another 10 activists had gathered.
The tripod-like structure cannot be cleared without removing the activists from the trees.
Huon Valley Environment Centre spokeswoman Jenny Weber said they were trying to stop the construction of a bridge over the Weld River that would allow a large area of ancient forest to be destroyed.
"This new Weld Heritage Rescue Station is calling for the immediate protection of the North Weld Wilderness area," Ms Weber said.
"The incursion of logging into areas such as the north Weld wilderness may heavily impact the untouched wilderness values adjacent to the Snowy Range World Heritage Area."
Forestry Tasmania spokesman Ken Jeffreys confirmed a bridge was proposed but said there were no immediate plans to build it.
He said two gates had been destroyed by protesters.
"I just find it extremely arrogant that this group thinks it is entitled to break the law when others are not," he said.
A separate Forestry Tasmania statement said most of Weld area was protected.
"The vast majority of the Weld is protected and the boundaries of the World Heritage Area contain buffers to ensure these conservation values are fully protected."
It said the area the activists were concerned with included trees of various ages that would be logged for special timbers to be used for crafts and design.
