Originally published in The Age - By Farrah Tomazin, 25 February, 2018

The Andrews government has spent years investigating claims of unlawful logging against its state-owned timber company without enforcing any penalties.

Documents reveal Victoria's environment department is currently probing 27 alleged forest breaches against VicForests, reported by the community between January 2016 and December 2017 - including multiple claims involving rainforests, where timber harvesting is prohibited.

Police have broken up a peaceful blockade of an old growth forest logging operation at Granite Mountain near Buldah in far East Gippsland. A man who climbed a tripod structure blocking access to the old growth logging coupe was arrested at 6pm yesterday evening. The man was charged and bailed and will appear in Orbost magistrates court in April. Logging in the untouched forest will resume today after the protest halted operations for ten days.

Government officials from the Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport (DEDJTR) and Resources are expected to break up a forest blockade this morning in far East Gippsland. Four cars carrying 6 authorised officers from the department and one local police officer are on the site this morning.

Conservationists from the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) are continuing to blockade an old growth forest logging operation at Granite Mountain in remote East Gippsland today. The blockade was established on Monday January 22^nd, and has halted logging in the contentious area for seven consecutive days. Fifteen people are maintaining a presence on the site today, one person is positioned in a hammock suspended from a tripod structure blocking the logging road.

Old growth logging operations in far East Gippsland have been stopped again for the fourth day this week, as conservationists continue to blockade the access road to the VicForests logging coupe at Granite Mountain, near the Errinundra National Park.

A person is suspended in a hammock hanging from a tripod structure that is blocking the road and preventing access to the logging site. Logging in the old growth forest has been stopped since the blockade was established on Monday morning.

Conservationists from the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) continue to maintain the peaceful blockade of old growth forest at Granite Mountain in far East Gippsland that was established on Monday morning. As the blockade enters its second day a person remains suspended from a tripod structure that is attached to forestry road gate, preventing access to the old growth logging site.

Forest conservationists from Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) have established an old growth forest blockade this morning at Granite Mountain, near the Errinundra National Park in far East Gippsland. A person is suspended 10 metres above the ground, hanging from a tripod structure that is blocking access to the logging operation.

For twenty years the native forest logging industry has been exempt from complying with Federal environment laws. The exemption is granted through the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs).

Old growth forest on Granite Mountain in far East Gippsland is under imminent threat. VicForests has listed coupes 889-506-0032 and 889-506-0017 as "Harvest Pending", a sign that logging coupe commence any day.

We conducted  a half day survey of the old growth forest in the coupe and documented many very large old growth trees. We've submitted this report to the environment department and Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio calling on them to protect this area.

VicForests is pursuing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for the third time in decade. The internationally recognised certification label regards itself as having strict environmental standards.

Today we joined FSC's independent auditors from SCS Global to show them the impacts of logging on threatened wildlife and old growth forest that is non compliant to the FSC standards.

Great news! Logging was set to commence in old growth forest in the Goongerah Creek catchment this summer, but it has been given a temporary reprieve as it is now the subject of the Kuark forest old growth Supreme Court Case, brought by the Flora and Fauna Research Collective (FFRC).

Support the case with a donation here

Here's the latest update from the FFRC website with about the case.

Forest conservationists who established a blockade of old growth forest in East Gippsland are celebrating today after environment groups secured a legal injunction that has stalled the logging operation.

Controversy erupted last week when VicForests constructed a road into the forest to commence logging. Goongerah Environment Centre launched an online petition calling on Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to step in and protect the old growth forest, the petition has so far attracted over 6500 signatures.

Lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia  acting for Fauna and Flora Research Collective secured a Supreme Court injunction this morning to halt the logging arguing that the government has not protected the minimum required area of old growth forest in East Gippsland.

Twenty conservationists have established a forest blockade in East Gippsland to prevent logging machinery entering an area of old growth forest due to be logged this week by the Victorian state government logging agency VicForests.

A road has been pushed into the ancient Kuark forest and logging could commence any day.

The forest is one of the most significant stands of old growth forest remaining in Victoria.

Logging has not yet started, so there's still time to stop it

To mark National Threatened Species day, we've teamed up with Friends of the Earth Melbourne to release a report documenting 27 unlawful native forest logging operations in protected threatened species habitat and rainforest. 

These logging operations have occurred under the Andrews Labor government.

Read the report here.