Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

The Allure of Fungi by Alison Pouliot has recently been published by the CSIRO.  

Alison’s press release:

“Although relatively little known, fungi provide the links between the terrestrial organisms and ecosystems that underpin our functioning planet.

A few weeks ago we included a post on The Victorian Environment Assessment Council draft report on its Central West Investigation.

The report recommended that a significant part of the Wombat forest be included in a new Wombat-Lerderderg National Park. A further recommendation was that the western part of the Wellsford State Forest be absorbed into the Bendigo Regional Park, and the eastern and northern section of the forest be created as a nature reserve. The main impact of these latter changes would be the protection of the Wellsford from logging. Readers will remember that Vicforests was proposing renewed logging in this magnificent box ironbark area.

Although the report does not directly cover the Mount Alexander shire we think that it is important for as many people as possible to forward written submissions supporting the positive features of the report.

The closing date for submissions has been extended from 31 October to Monday 10 December.

It’s spring! Wildflowers are a bit slow to emerge this year, but there are signs–plenty of orchids, for example. And we can always hope, though it’s been dry, and doesn’t look like it’s going to improve. Here’s the Bureau of Meteorology predictions on the chances of above average rainfall to November:

The recent VEAC Central West report puts it this way: ‘As with most of Victoria, the Central West Investigation area has already experienced some effects of climate change. For example, since the 1950s average annual rainfall in the investigation area has declined by 100 to 200 millimetres and average temperatures have increased by approximately 1.2 to 1.4 degrees. These trends are projected to continue with more hot days, increased fire weather and more frequent extreme weather events.’

So, dry or not, it’s still Spring, the time to get out and see what our bush can do.

And, of course, we know that our forest managers are aware of the severe conditions, and keen to do everything they can to maintain resilience in the face of these conditions. Right?

Maybe not.

Those visiting one of our wildflower hotspots had better brace themselves for yet another experience of land managers’ road upgrades.

Typical section of Morgan’s track, September 2: This is not ‘keeping within the track footprint.’

Morgan’s Track has well and truly got the treatment from the grader: gouging of track edges, numerous scalped areas where machines have turned around, a tendency to widen the track, plus some intriguing vegetation removal. It’s not always clear what this last is for. We are often told by managers that crews are instructed to ‘stay inside the track footprint.’ This has now become a bit of a joke.

Here’s a question: if road maintenance crews are given the job of cleaning the gutters in Swanston Street, would they think it a good idea to gouge a few inches, or a few feet, out of the footpath? Possibly not: but DELWP has traditionally, it seems, considered the verges of bush tracks to be pretty flexible. A gouge here, a scalp there: it’ll all come back OK.

Maybe: but in increasingly severe climatic conditions, managers’ responsibility is to improve natural resilience, not scrape away at it…or at least, you’d think so…

The Victorian Environment Assessment Council has recommended that a significant part of the Wombat forest be included in a new Wombat-Lerderderg National Park.

The recommendation comes in VEAC’s draft report on its Central West Investigation.

Also included in the report is a recommendation that the western part of the Wellsford State Forest be absorbed into the Bendigo Regional Park, and the eastern and northern section of the forest be created as a nature reserve.

The main impact of these latter changes would be the protection of the Wellsford from logging. Readers will remember that Vicforests was proposing renewed logging in this magnificent box ironbark area.

VEAC has clearly bent over backwards to accommodate conflicting demands for the Wellsford. The recommended changes would exclude logging: but regional parks are managed primarily for recreation, and allow practically all recreational activities apart from hunting. This latter is seen, logically enough, to ‘[conflict] with use by large numbers of other recreational users.’  The nature reserve section of the forest would be managed along the lines of a national park.

‘The intention of these draft recommendations is to focus protection of key natural values in the recommended nature reserve and recreational activities in the recommended regional park.’

There are many other recommendations in the VEAC draft report, which can be found here. Though it concerns areas outside the Mount Alexander region, it is of absorbing interest to anyone interested in the wider Central/West central Victorian region. We’ll go into some of the issues it deals with in future posts.

The VEAC investigation was characterised by some pretty strange lobbying by  recreational interests, some of whom seemed to think it is an infringement of their liberty to be obliged to drive their car on a road. The council’s attempt at a balanced compromise is probably going to cop some flak, so those interested in the proper management of our neighbouring regions are encouraged to check the draft, and make a submission.

Written submissions close on Wednesday 31 October 2018.