BREAKING: logging in Toolangi stopped today for the 4th week running. Read the thread to find out why the community is defending this forest from VicForests logging operations

Firstly, Victoria shouldn’t be logging any native forest. We know better. Science says stop, communities say stop, economic reality says WTF (VicForests operates at a massive taxpayer funded loss)

But specific to this forest in Toolangi… last year a Supreme Court injunction prohibited logging here due to the high density of bushfire affected threatened species. The injunction has lapsed, so logging VicForests has moved in.

The government still doesn’t have a plan for these species, yet logging of critical habitat across Victoria continues.

Here’s the government survey of the area for one of these bushfire affected threatened species, the Greater Glider (shown by stars on the map). Also, see that red circle down the bottom? Thats a critically endangered Leadbeaters Possum. Getting a bit close, don’t you think?

The government’s so-called Forest Protection Survey Program identifies threatened and endangered species in forest scheduled for logging. Once found, logging goes ahead. Go figure. So much for “protection”.

As well as greater gliders, this forest is home to other threatened species including the sooty owl and smoky mouse. Endangered barred galaxia are found just down the hill.

VicForests own logging plan shows that 70% of the trees harvested from this stand will be made into paper or garden stakes.

There is an obvious alternative to this madness: stop exporting our plantation wood and make that into cheap paper and wood products instead of our carbon storing and biodiverse native forests.

By the time 2030 comes round ( @DanielAndrewsMP ’s native forest industry transition deadline), there will be no habitat left in our state forests. This is why the community is out defending Toolangi forest today.

UPDATE: logging truck prevented from loading logs that are home to threatened species in Toolangi.