Latest News
Contact Jaclyn Symes
October 21, 2020
Minister Jaclyn Symes, who's responsible for VicForests, is pushing to change laws to remove the democratic right for community groups to take legal action against VicForests. Despite the horrific black Summer bushfires, and the Federal Court ruling VicForests broke the law, she's backing VicForests'...
Read MoreEmail the Minister, her Department has failed to protect forests and wildlife
October 17, 2020
The Department has failed to put in the proper protections for a Large Brown Tree Frog detection on Mt Jersey. We're sick of the Department failing to regulate the rogue loggers, they need to charge VicForests and start acting to protect forests and wildlife,...
Read MoreNew species of rare frog discovered, logging threatens its survival on Mt Jersey
October 17, 2020
The Large Brown Tree Frog, Litoria littlejohni, endemic to south-eastern Australia has been split into 2 species, now Litoria littlejohni and newly named Litoria watsoni, halving its distribution and population. But state-owned logging company VicForests is currently logging just over 200m away from a...
Read MoreVicForests once again fails to get the green tick
October 08, 2020
Government owned logging agency VicForests have finally released the results of their 2019 Forest Stewardship Council audit, revealing they've failed to achieve FSC certification. This is the fifth try to get the green tick, the audit report reveals major non-conformances for failure to protect...
Read MoreLegal battle for protection of old growth forests continues in the Supreme Court
September 07, 2020
Our good friends from the Fauna and Flora Research Collective (FFRC) are back in court on September 16th to defend East Gippsland's precious old growth forests from logging! Despite the government's supposed ban on old growth logging, old growth is still getting the chop...
Read MoreHave your say on inquiry into ecosystem decline
August 18, 2020
Right now submissions are open into the Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into ecosystem decline. The inquiry is an important opportunity to voice our concerns about how important Victoria's unique and threatened ecosystems and wildlife are, and that we expect the Victorian government to implement better...
Read MoreEast Gippsland's forests under threat & a free pass for illegal logging
August 11, 2020
In the wake of the most catastrophic bushfires to date, and under the cover of Covid-19, the Dan Andrews government has started logging fire-damaged forests and precious areas outside the fire extent in East Gippsland. Forests that are recovering, and some of the last...
Read MoreBunnings axe ties with VicForests over illegal logging
July 01, 2020
A leaked Bunnings staff newsletter has revealed Bunnings will phase out VicForests products from their supply chain following a federal court judgement which found they had illegally logged over 25 areas of native forest, and that their future logging plans fail to comply with...
Read MoreEmail the Victorian gov, moratorium until there's action for threatened wildlife
May 12, 2020
Despite this summer's terrible bushfires, the government are rushing in to log fire-damaged forests, and precious unburnt areas under the renewed legal exemptions for the logging industry from national environment laws. Thanks to thousands of Victorian's like you emailing the government and engaging in...
Read MoreVictorian government to log thousands of hectares of fire damaged forests
May 01, 2020
The Andrews government logging agency VicForests have written to Goongerah Environment Centre outlining plans to log thousands of hectares of forests affected by the 2019/2020 bushfires in East Gippsland, despite the known devastating ecological impacts of salvage logging. The government's own regulator is working...
Read More"The forests are now silent", short film tells the story of Kuark
April 28, 2020
Earlier this year we visited the ancient forests of Kuark with wilderness photographer Rob Blakers. A shocking series of before-and-after shots show the horrific impacts of the fires to ancient and rare cross-overs of warm and cool temperate rainforests. Environment Victoria traveled to bushfire...
Read More10-year legal exemptions rolled over, State and Federal govs fail to protect threatened species
April 01, 2020
Legal exemption for the logging industry from federal environment law was signed off on Monday for another ten years in spite of the horrific impacts of the bushfires on forests and wildlife. Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are agreements between State and Federal governments...
Read MorePhotos reveal Kuark forest devastated by recent bushfires
March 22, 2020
After a five year long community campaign, the iconic Kuark forest in East Gippsland was finally protected by the Victorian government. Tragically, Kuark was severely impacted by the devastating fires of 2019/2020. Kuark forest was one of the most bio-diverse forests in Victoria, rich...
Read MoreEnvironment Dept. allow VF contractors to go rogue on roadside clearing
March 03, 2020
Roadside clearing operations on the Princes Highway are complete, and now along hundreds of kilometres of tracks through burnt and unburnt forests, roadside logging is well underway. VicForests cowboys have been contracted by the Environment Department for hazardous tree removal, and they've been given...
Read MoreLogging industry 'suspended' pending closure in East Gippsland
February 07, 2020
VicForests has cancelled logging contracts in East Gippsland following the catastrophic bush fires this summer. It's estimated that around 50% of forests previously scheduled to be logged have been burnt by the fires, forcing VF to rethink its plans and suspend logging until at...
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