Cottonwood Range – showcase of cataclysmic clearing
When the GECO crew scouted the Cottonwood range near Bendoc they found old growth forest is being logged 1km from this appallingly bad logged site. It was logged 11 years previously. Their photograph shows it had its earlier wattle regrowth scalped back to bare earth in the hope of coaxing eucalypts back first, but has been rendered a barren landscape devoid of anything but dead bracken.
Even more shocking is VicForests’ plan to clearfell another 20 stands of forest within 2kms.
This Google Earth image shows the above bracken field and failed regeneration with the planned and active logging coupes in the Cottonwood Range. This is a high altitude area 1000m above sea level. Frosts and snow can be severe and affect regeneration, as can long hot summers. With the poor regeneration record, there should be no further logging in these sites until those areas that failed to regrow can be restored back to supporting its original forest species.