This week, we look to views from the community. Thank you to those who were prepared to share their thoughts and continue the dialogue.

Brent Lodge

“My main concern was the mess on the floor and the impacts on the camping spots.

“We’re lucky to have a state forest with the Murray just out of town.

“I think it’s important to leave enough for nice camping spots for visitors and locals to go out into the bush and enjoy.

“I found the engagement process with forestry is pretty good.

“They’ve not said no to a meeting. They’re willing to come forward to a meeting to share their knowledge and have the answers to our concerns.

“They’d be willing to take anyone out there and show them an example and explain what’s going on.

“I think it all got off onto the wrong foot, because no one sort of knew what was happening, until it was already happening.

“When you go heading out the bush to camp and fish, you enjoy watching the wallabies and life getting around. I think it’s about striking a balance between community/visitor expectations and the management of the forests.

“As campers, you enjoy a few big trees around and having somewhere nice to come and enjoy time out, and a fish.”

Lauren Mathers

“I hear a lot of people whinging about how much timber is coming out of the forest.

“People question how much timber is coming out, so we went for a drive out at Campbell’s Island and I was kind of shocked as to how much stuff was left on the ground.

“It makes accessibility hard for the public, I mean, people that want to come in and cut firewood now, they’re not even going to be able to get their ute to pull it all out.

“I guess it’s not really against the industry, because it’s a great industry and it’s obviously sustainable, because it’s been doing it for so long.

“But I still question that overarching authority from the EPA as to how the forests are managed. Are they being over-managed? Because, it should be a community asset as well, being a working forest, but we’re not going to be able to use Campbell’s Island the way we were for quite some time now.

“If the forestry is going in there to thin timber, then why not take more logs from less area? I don’t know.

“The meeting was great, because we could have a conversation with the industry and forestry.

“I think that communication is important, communication is key.

“I think Barham’s dynamics are changing a lot and there’s lots of people moving here. People sort of need to understand why things are being done.

“We’re local, and we didn’t understand the process. Now, I guess that’s part our fault, too, for not asking enough questions.”

Todd Gelletly

“I’ve been involved in red gum since I was a 10-year-old kid helping Dad on school holidays, weekends and things in the bush.

“I see lots of benefits in a working forest for the forest itself.

“There’s the active management of the trees, you know, making sure that there’s a continual cycle of sustainable growth.

“There are environmental protections within the planning instruments that we operate under. We ensure fire trails and roading are well maintained. There are already some breaks in place for industry to access any potential fires.

“I think the industry’s proven recently that it’s very transparent.

“It’s very open to discussion with the community about any issue, and we’d like to continue that, whether that’s through the local media or through an organisation such as Western Murray and Murray Connect.

“The biggest threat to our industry is the pen in hand of a politician, not the fact of our management.

“We’d like to see longer term supply agreements to customers that will give our businesses and our communities security and long-term prospects of employment and the long-term benefits of an actively managed State Forest.

“If there’s particular areas of high use community areas, like the beach or the rocks where people go to congregate and frequently use, the industry is more than prepared to work with the community to ensure a positive outcome.”

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 18 August 2022.

Related stories: Branching out – Part one; Branching out – Part 2 of forestry conversations