SAVE OUR JARRAH

The Forest Products Commission (FPC), a Government Agency, will be logging part of the Mundlimup Forest that lies between the Jarrahdale Road going towards the Albany Highway, and Balmoral Road. This 80 year old Regrowth Forest, heavily logged in the past and now slowly recovering, includes the Mundlimup Walk Trail and picnic site, frequently used educational and historic sites including an old sawpit, and scientific research blocks.

Logging at Cobiac was with a large machine developed from an excavator, weighing 40 ton. It has an ‘arm’ (with circular saw at the end) which can reach the point where branching starts and can ‘decapitate’ the tallest of jarrah trees, before cutting through the main trunk about 1 metre from the ground. This machine is driven through the forest to wherever the targeted trees are and leaves a 5.2 metre wide swathe of compacted soil and destroyed or damaged bushes and trees including sheoaks, red gums and centuries old balgas.

After cutting the logs are brought to a ‘log landing’ which is a totally cleared area of forest with newly built access roads where the logs are collected by trucks and (we understand) are taken to Manjimup for milling.

Logging of the Mundlimup forest within 1km of Jarrahdale is scheduled to start in October 2009 and access roads and log landings will be developed within the forest prior to that time – ie August/September 09. If allowed to proceed, it will seriously undermine one of the major tourist and educational assets of Jarrahdale.

Every effort must be made to prevent the destruction of one of the best stands of Jarrah forest within the metropolitan area of Perth.

TAKE ACTION NOW