4. AREA LOGGED Vs AREA PROTECTED

Logging industry propaganda

• Only 0.2 per cent or 300 ha of the Otways is logged each year. Link
  
  
• Otway forests cover 156,000 ha (or 162,856 ha) of public land and only 300 ha is logged every year. Link
  
  
• About 70% -75% of public native forests in the Otways are within reserves and will not be logged. Link
  
  
• West RFA process increased Otway reserve levels to new highs. Link

Brief Response

Only 0.2 or 0.3 per cent or 300 ha of the Otways is logged each year

• Every year for the past decade, an average of about three square kilometres of Otway forest has been clearfell logged. That is an area bigger than the Melbourne CBD every year. It is not a trivial or insignificant area being logged.
  
  
• Talking in small percentages ignores the cumulative effect of past and future clearfell logging.
  See Otway logging where?
  See logging history maps.
  

Otway forests cover 156,000 ha (or 162,856 ha) of public land and only 300 ha is logged every year.

• Although there sounds like a lot of public land in reserves within the Otways area, most of the forests and natural landscapes of Western Victoria have almost all gone. Of the 5.8 million ha of land in Western Victoria, only 437,000 ha or 7.56% is protected in permanent reserves.
  See Western Victoria devoid of native vegetation
  
  
• The Otways Forest Management Area (FMA) consists of 883,000 ha and stretches from the South Otway Coast up to Skipton in the North and from Camperdown in the West to Winchelsea in the East. However 75% of this vast area is cleared land for agriculture. Only 18% remains as public forested land. Of the remaining public forest only 7% is within legislated parks and reserves that provide permanent protection for the little remaining natural ecosystems of the Otway FMA

About 73 - 75% of public land in the Otways is within reserves and will not be logged.

• Existing reserves protect a lot of non-commercial forest types and ecosystems such as coastal foothill forests and heathland.
  See Otway tall mountain forests lacking protection.
  
  
• Only 20% of the remaining wet forests in the Otways are in permanent reserves. Up to 70% of remaining wet forests are available for logging on both public(50%) and private(20%) land.
  See West RFA protected a small amount of wet mountain forest
  
  
• About half of the wet forests within the Otway National Park were clearfell logged before logging was halted in 1985.
  According to the West RFA Discussion Paper (Page 43) there is 46 square kilometres of cleared and several disturbed land within existing legislated conservation reserves in Otway wet forests.
  

West RFA process increased Otway reserve levels to new highs

• The West RFA did not increase the amount of legislated permanent reserves in the Otways.
  See No new legislated reserves for the Otways
  
  
• Special Protection Zones (SPZ) within state forests are not legislated reserves and can be clearfell logged at the Minister's discretion. This has already occurred within SPZ located in East Gippsland. The native forest logging industry misleadingly includes non legislated reserves as a part of the total area that can not be logged in the future.
  See SPZ,s are temporary reserves
  
  
• Existing Otway SPZ's have a high proportion of heathland, non commercial timber species and already logged areas. All forest with Special Management Zones(SMZ) is available for logging.
  See West RFA protected a small amount of wet mountain forest.
  
  See Otway tall mountain forests lacking protection.
  

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