Forestry Corp set to undertake a short-term trial to mechanically remove tree heads in Mogo State Forest as they seek to reduce onsite-debris in a small area of the compartment.
The area, having been logged, was marked for some time as suspended, indicating that more activity was planned.
Locals who are attentive to the logging operations have responded saying "While the reactivation of the forest for the purpose of the trail is welcome, it is hoped that the trial might lead to Forestry improving their logging operations and leaving the forest floor as they found it rather than turning into something akin to a lazy teenager's bedroom".
NSW biggest native forest logger loses sustainability certification
Pentarch Forestry, the biggest native forest logger in NSW and one of the biggest in Australia, has lost its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainability certification and has been required to remove the FSC logo from its website.
“An FSC audit found its due diligence system was out of date, native forest and plantation wood were being mixed together, and threatened species assessments were not being done.
“While Pentarch has been on a buying spree, acquiring Boral Timber and Dormit mills in 2021, it has neglected basic sustainability obligations,” said Harriett Swift, spokesperson for SERCA (South East Region Conservation Alliance).
"While the failed FSC certification applies to Pentarch’s plantation wood, a critical issue identified was around the company’s capacity to separate plantation woodchips from native forest woodchips.
"This posed a risk of native forest woodchips being sold as FSC certified plantation chips.
“Conservationists have long been concerned about the Eden chipmill’s potential to mix up plantation and native forest chips due to the loading arrangements there.”
“The major part of Pentarch’s business is logging and processing wood from public native forests which have failed to achieve FSC certification.
“It has a monopoly on all logs taken from State Forests in the Eden Region."
"Pentarch has managed logging for the highly controversial Eden woodchip mill since 2015 and bought out the Boral Timber interests in August 2021, making it a major player in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
"In 2017 it obtained FSC Controlled Wood Certification for its Eden, Victorian and Burnie plantation operations.
"This certification was controversial and opposed by conservationists at the time and at each following occasion when it came up for renewal.
"Ultimately, the FSC Auditor, Global Mark Pty Ltd came to similar conclusions to those proposed in conservationists’ submissions," Harriett Swift, spokesperson for SERCA (South East Region Conservation Alliance) said.
Background
FSC public dashboard showing suspended FSC certificates (search for Pentarch, certificate status ‘suspended’)
The Pentarch website no longer displays the FSC logo.
Michael West media article https://michaelwest.com.au/greenwashing-nsw-logging-behemoth-loses-certification/
