Forests NSW fined for breaches

FORESTS NSW was issued with four penalty notices on Monday for environmental breaches during logging operations in Yabbra State Forest, near Urbenville, last December.

Members of the North East Forest Alliance environmental lobby group conducted an audit of the site late last year identifying the breaches and initiating an investigation by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

“The department’s fines of $1200, and a warning letter, relate to Forests NSW’s illegal, systematic and repeated breaches of the Threatened Species Act,” alliance spokesman Dailan Pugh said.

“These are grossly inadequate penalties for the trashing of 1.7ha of rainforest, two wetlands, the apparent cutting down of over a hundred feed trees for threatened species, and the likely killing of many yellow-bellied gliders and Richmond Range frogs, among other at risk species.

“A variety of other breaches we identified were upheld, but excused by the department on the basis they reputedly occurred when a post- logging burn got out of control.”

Forests NSW declined to comment yesterday.