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“It’s essential the affected forest is managed with a greater level of sensitivity and salvage logging will compromise the ecological integrity of this park,” he said.
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Australian National University ecologist Professor David Lindenmayer was shocked by the plan.
“I’ve never heard of this happening in a national park in Australia – it’s entirely inappropriate,” he said.
“Salvage logging is the most damaging form of logging because it’s a double disturbance. You have a wind storm or a fire, and as the system is recovering, you kick it in the teeth by logging.
“When you log a forest and cut or clean up the trees that have fallen over, the forest you regenerate is incredibly fire-prone for the next 40 years because there is a dense understory of regrowth.”
The national park offers a rainforest escape. Its steep volcanic hills are covered in stands of mountain ash and home to wallabies and lyrebirds.
Ecologist David Lindenmayer says salvage logging from a national park is “entirely inappropriate”.Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones
Landcare groups say they have surveyed both of the earmarked areas – the largest is 75 hectares – on foot and estimate about 30 per cent of the tree canopy has been damaged. They argue that does not justify the planned works, as much of the areas were not storm damaged.
In meetings with community groups, the department said logs removed from the national park would be sold, and proceeds split between the department and VicForests.
Where debris is removed, it will be “provided to the community as firewood and other timber products, and commercial use”, the department said in a statement.
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Any proceeds from the commercial supply of debris will be used to reduce the cost of the operation and to rehabilitate storm damaged landscapes, it said.
Victorian National Parks Association spokesman Jordan Crook said it was not the parks’ role to supply pulp mills or meet timber contracts.
“This highlights the conflict of interest and commercial incentive of VicForests at a time of statewide timber shortage,” he said.
VicForests recorded an unprecedented $52.4 million financial loss this year, which it blamed on the cost of court cases brought against it by community environment groups.
In its 2021-22 annual report, tabled in parliament on Wednesday, VicForests chief executive Monique Dawson said the year had been “incredibly challenging” and the agency did not meet its wood supply targets.
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