Summer of protest for Tassie's forests

September 27, 2005

by Claire Konkes

Protesters returned to the Lower Weld Valley yesterday and climbed into eight tree platforms, vowing to stop a road planned for logging.
And they are promising tree-sits, blockades, family picnics and a forest village to draw attention to Tasmania's forests this summer.
Huon Valley Environment Centre spokeswoman Jenny Weber described the eastern side of the Weld River - which is unlogged, unlike the western side - as the "forgotten forests" in the deal signed between Prime Minister John Howard and Premier Paul Lennon last year.
She said the Weld Valley was mentioned in the lead-up to the deal but did not make it in the final package.
The Wilderness Society said the forests left off the Howard-Lennon package were also in environmentalist's sites this summer.
Returning from a trip to the Florentine yesterday, campaigner Vica Bayley said the southern Styx, upper Florentine, the Blue Tiers and Great Western Tiers all needed protection.
In the Weld Valley, Forestry Tasmania wants to log two coups along the road this summer, but another 20 coupes - varying between 50 - 100ha in size - were also planned, Ms Weber said.
"If the road goes through 2000ha of forest will be open to logging," she said. "There's an urgent need for protection."
The Weld Valley protesters' camp - called the village - is just 30km from Huonville in the same direction as Forestry Tasmania's Tahune Airwalk.
"We are so close to the Tahune Airwalk," she said. "But people don't know [the Weld Valley] is here."
Protesters wanted to make sure the Weld Valley forests were on everyone's mind when the State went to the polls next year, Ms Weber said.