22.09.11 Logging halted by protest in West Wellington forests, Southern Tasmania

This morning logging has ceased in the West Wellington forests where
Huon Valley Environment Centre has set up a tree sit.  A
conservationist sits in a tree, and the bulldozers that have been
destroying these forests that require urgent protection, have been
halted.  Ten conservationists remain in the forest, with contractors
and Forestry Tasmania present.

Ten conservationists have today set up a tree sit in West Wellington
forest in Southern Tasmania, where logging has recently commenced
inside the proposed 430 000 hectares of forest that needs urgent
legislated protection.

"Right now in Tasmania we are losing future national park forest as
Forestry Tasmania continues to disregard the high conservation values
of these forests.   A moratorium on logging in the identified high
conservation value forests was due in December 2010.  Though in the
last months, this area of West Wellington forest has had a new road
pushed in and now logging has commenced,"  Huon Valley Environment
Centre's Jenny Weber said.

"Huon Valley Environment Centre is committed to monitoring the
bulldozers leaving.   A repeat of the moratorium process can not
happen where we see logging continue due to the blatant disregard for
the process by Forestry Tasmania,"  Jenny Weber said.

"Logging in these West Wellington forests is to feed Ta Ann's
contract.  We are very concerned that Forestry Tasmania has recently
stated that there is a large area of forest inside the nominated area
of 430 000 ha high conservation value forests, needed for logging to
meet the Ta Ann contract," Jenny Weber said.

"We are still losing crucial wildlife habitat and native forests that
have been identified for immediate protection, and we are calling for
an immediate end to the logging of these forests.  It is urgent to
secure the promised protection for 572 000 ha of wilderness and old
growth forests," Jenny Weber said.

Pictures available here: http://on.fb.me/os2Qqu