Port Macquarie, June 17, 2024 – This morning, conservationists targeted the Pentarch Sawmill near Port Macquarie, blocking entrances to protest the mill’s consumption of logs sourced from native timber forests within the proposed Great Koala National Park. The protest follows recent confirmation that Pentarch has been receiving logs from these areas.
Susie Russell, spokesperson for the North Coast Environment Council, stated, “We believe that the logs being received at the mill include ones that are being cut illegally. Earlier this year, we proved that the Forestry Corporation were not searching for Greater Glider den trees and logging within the legal requirement for a 50-meter buffer around all glider den trees.”
“They are still logging around Greater Glider den trees. Illegally obtained Koala Feed Trees and Greater Glider buffer trees are being supplied to Pentarch by the Forestry Corporation,” Ms Russell said.
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“Last week we notified the EPA that the Forestry Corporation are retaining less than half the legally required number of Koala Feed Trees in Orara East State Forest. We are still waiting for the EPA to stop Koala Feed Trees from being cut down and to enforce the law,” Ms Russell said.
Russell emphasized the urgency of the situation, highlighting the irreversible impact on local wildlife.
“Communities up and down the coast are frustrated and desperate. A few logging jobs are being used as the reason to destroy the people’s forests. State Forests are public land and we believe they should be managed for the public good. That means biodiversity, water catchments, carbon capture and storage (the only method that actually works), recreation, and for their intrinsic values.
Koalas, Gliders, and many other forest-dwelling animals have been around for tens of millions of years, and yet in the blink of an eye, we are watching them being wiped out. Extinction is forever and we are here today to say enough is enough.”
The protest drew attention to the broader impact of logging on native forests. “Buying Pentarch floorboards is buying the homes of Koalas, Gliders, Forest Owls, and Spotted-tailed Quolls. The same goes for woodchips from Australian Native Landscapes. This wasteful industry is profiteering from forests that have World Heritage Values,” said Ms Russell.
She also criticized the financial inefficiency of logging practices. “Last year, the Forestry Corporation lost $15 million logging public native forests, in addition to receiving tens of millions of dollars in other public subsidies.”
“Millions of dollars are going into programs to stop extinctions, and yet the most simple and straightforward way to stop extinctions of our unique animals is to stop destroying their homes.”
“Every player along the chain takes a cut. The contractors who cut the trees, the truckers who haul the logs and the woodchips, and the companies such as Pentarch. The Government and the people of NSW lose. We pay for the roads, the Forestry Corporation, and ultimately we pay for all the damage done,” Ms Russell said.
Russell concluded with a stark warning to companies like Pentarch. “There is no future for companies that profit from the destruction. There is no future for Pentarch. We suggest they start making their exit plan.”
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