Kendal Chronicle - Letter to the Editor
15 Apr 2010
LORNE NSW 2439
The Editor
I am writing to inform you of an environmental emergency occurring now in the Camden Haven region. In recent years I have watched with increasing alarm the number of Camphor Laurel seedlings inundating the tracks through Kerewong State Forest, as light regimes are altered deliberately as an experimental forestry practice.
I drew this to the attention of Forests NSW operational personnel when I accidentally met some of them along a track about a year ago.They advised me that this altered light regime was a deliberate policy, referring to it as an experiment in Blackbutt regeneration.
I showed them the results, 50 seedlings at a time in places due to the change in light regime. They seemed a bit concerned.
One year later there is no change in practice and an increasing number of seedlings. A few weeks ago I received a letter stating that a ‘dark’ area of the forest (not logged for about 6 years I understand) is to be logged in May, which will bring more seedlings and more growth of those existing.
I investigated to see whether the Camphor Laurel seedlings that I witness increasing on the tracks are also in other parts, i.e. non tracks. Over Easter I traversed hundreds of acres between Tipperary Road and Lorne Road and Upsalls Creek Road, recording with GPS and film Camphor Laurel seedlings between 2-3 inches high every few square metres. They are also appearing along all the drainage lines, creeks etc that have less darkness now. Where no control burns will be able to take place, (I don’t know if Camphor Laurel seedlings are destroyed by fire or not), this could be a big issue.
I refer you to Google Earth – type in Kerewong Forest NSW and look near where it says Southern Cross Horsetrail and slightly to the left of that - to see the scale of proliferation of this potential mono culture.
The area I traversed was/is only a fraction of the Mid North Coast Forests being treated to this new light regime so almost all of Forests NSW land on the Mid North Coast, that has been and is to be logged by these current methods, will be inundated with Camphor Laurel within the next few months, year and so on.
Forests NSW current practices are going to result in a virtual mono- culture of Camphor Laurel where there was once a hardwood forest resource. The implications for biodiversity are shocking, let alone economic resource. The impact on neighbouring agricultural land will also be immense, as it will be almost impossible for private landholders to control this invasive tree species that will be seeded via thousands and thousands of hectares onto their own land.
I am happy to supply film and GPS records for anyone requiring verification of this report.
Yours faithfully,
Local citizen – address supplied