EPA must issue correction as a matter of urgency.

Giant trees- are they protected or not?

The Environment Protection Authority must issue an immediate correction re its position on the legality of serious and flagrant breaches of the logging rules in Ellis State Forest, west of
Coffs Harbour.

Television footage on August 10, showed forest protectors measuring the stump of a Giant Brushbox Tree. It measured 150 cm diameter. Under the grossly inadequate rules that regulate this
destructive industry, Giant trees have to be greater than 140cm diameter to warrant protection. It can take slow growing trees hundreds of years to reach that size.

“The report quoted the EPA as saying that the tree didn’t “appear to meet the criteria of being a giant tree. And in this case can be legally logged.”

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“The NCEC has written to senior executives of the EPA asking for an urgent response to what appears to be a serious breakdown in their chain of command.

“A spokesperson for the EPA cannot issue a statement saying there appears to be no breach and the Giant Tree was legally harvested, when the prima facie case, as evidenced with video footage, is that there has indeed been a breach and there is a giant stump as evidence,” said Environment Council spokesperson Susie Russell.

“Are there some rules that are policed and others not? Is there some secret further criteria we don’t know about?

“Does this decision making prior to any investigation apply to other aspects of the EPA’s work?

“The EPA needs to take it’s name seriously. What is happening in Ellis State Forest appears to be serial breaches by serial offenders. These large trees will not be replaced, not even in the lifetimes
of our great, great grandchildren.

“The Government and the logging industry moan about people protesting in forests as breaking the law, but it would seem they have no problems when their weak environmental protection laws are
broken.

“It is highly likely there are more breaches in the vicinity to be found, as the tree in question was part of a grove of old-growth trees and many other large, old trees are now on the ground.

“The EPA should issue an immediate Stop Work Area for this site and do a proper investigation,” Ms Russell said.