As protestors today began simultaneous demonstrations against native timber cutting in northern NSW, one person was detained and forestry operations were suspended.
After a Lismore man was suspended from a tree as part of a “civil disobedience” action by neighborhood environmentalists, logging operations in the Doubleduke State Forest, south of Woodburn, were stopped.
Before police arrived and took him into custody, engineer Andrew George spent several hours perched 25 meters above harvesting machinery.
The coastal emu, koalas, barking owls, small lorikeets, and brush-tailed phascogale, according to activists, live in the forest in the Bungawalbin watershed.
In a statement, a representative for the Forestry Corporation NSW reaffirmed the organization’s viewpoint, claiming that “wood harvesting in native regrowth forests takes occurs in about 1% of state forests each year, and each area is totally regrown.”
According to the spokesman, “Doubleduke State Forest is a regrowth forest that has been harvested for lumber and regrown numerous times over the past 100 years.”
Award-winning artist Suey McEnnally and Manning Valley environmental scientist Ella Baker were chained to the gates of Pentarch Forestry’s Heron’s Creek sawmill in Kew, close to Port Macquarie.
According to activists, it is NSW’s biggest native forest sawmill.
Police have come and are attempting to free both women from the gates of the sawmill.
The facility’s back gate has been taken down, but Ms. Baker is still fastened with a D-lock around her neck.
A protester at the sawmill named Juliet Lamont described the manner police transported Ms. Baker as “disturbing” and “abhorrent.”
Instead of waiting for [Police] Rescue to arrive, they chose to remove Ella by the gate hinges.
Ms. Lamont expressed worry over the harsh treatment of demonstrators.
“I was taken out of my [tree climbing] system pretty dangerously during my tree-sit at Yarratt State Forest,” she claimed.
“Prior to the NSW state election, we need to reach a point where fair play is expected during this protest and campaign.
“People deserve to be treated humanely and not put in danger,” the protesters said, “and we’re not doing this to get arrested.”
The elderly McEnnally, who is anticipated to be removed by Police Rescue, is still fastened to the gate.
As various organizations advocate for the government to switch to wood plantations, protest action has increased over the past month ahead of the state election.
Save Bulga Forest, the community organization that organized today’s protest at the Pentarch sawmill, has organized eight protest activities on the lower Mid North Coast since Christmas in opposition to an increase in forestry operations.
Sue Higginson, a member of the New South Wales Greens, participated in the demonstration at Doubleduke and several others on the north coast this month.
According to Ms. Higginson, “I believe the state administration is aware that the end of public native forestry logging is near.”
“Vic and WA both made commitments.
“It’s ridiculous, it needs to end, and the NSW government is aware of this.”
