The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has a choice about what to do with the forest around the central Victorian hamlet of Trentham. It can fell it for sawlogs and woodchips, or leave the forest standing to protect a pair of endangered powerful owls that have made Trentham their home. Under the proposed Commonwealth-state forest agreement, outlined in a consultation paper two weeks ago, the Wombat State Forest around Trentham remains in the schedule for felling. The first round of cutting is likely within 12 months. Trentham residents claim the consultation paper shows bias towards timber production at the expense of conservation and other forest values such as tourism.
Governments say the agreements balance all forest values.
The community formed the group to examine how the forest agreement covering western Victoria might affect their township of 700 people, whose Old Railway Walk through the area marked for logging is featured in state tourism brochures. We have a number of other trades and businesses who benefit from tourism. If tourism was to die in the town, the town would start to struggle again. Powerful owls are listed as endangered under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. Loss of habitat is the main threat to them.