SIDELING

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THE SIDELING MYRTLE FOREST DRIVE - GONE

I remember in my youth we used to take family drives from Launceston to Scottsdale through the myrtle forest across the Sideling. Sometimes we would go on to St Helen's. When time permitted we took the beautiful drive down Lottah Road and on through Gould's Country beneath the Blue Tier. It is one of those beautiful myrtle or mixed wet forest drives - a symbol of what is Tasmania! The Sideling Range has now been largely clear felled. The picture on the left is at the top of the Sideling. Mt Barrow is in the distance with clear felling as far as the eye can see. Never to be a wet forest again!

From Scottsdale the Tasman Highway passes through the rich farm lands of Ringarooma and Branxholm and on to the old mining town of Derby. From here, the highway passes through what is left of the mixed wet forest of the Weldborough Pass. A small Myrtle Forest reserve is passed on the left before reaching the top of the pass and descending into Pyengana. The whole area on the left is scheduled for clear felling. Weld Hill is not protected - the area to the right (west) just before reaching Weldborough. The official maps (see www.thelist.tas.gov.au) even mark the area as 'scenery'! Not for long!

The Blue Tier is due to be heavily clear felled during the summer of 2003/04! Much of the North Eastern Highlands have already gone!

I commenced preparing the web site www.TouringTasmania.info largely as a hobby and to simply provide information to visitors on Tasmania's natural attractions outside the well visited 'icons'. One of my first trips was to Lee's Paddock's opposite the commencement of the walk to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. A very attractive forest drive itself. On returning some 12 months later I found the forests in the area had been clear felled - right to the top of the tree lines on the mountain sides. I commenced questioning the need for the practice. A further 12 months on I find that the same practice is occurring beneath the escarpments of the vast majority our ranges. The target for clear felling looks to have been these very fertile and timber rich areas.

The same story applies to all of our forests. The Styx Valley, the far North West or Tarkine Forest, Tasman Peninsula, Eastern Tiers, Great Western Tiers, Reedy Marsh and Ben Lomond. The Florentine Valley behind Mt Field has been largely clear felled.

In my travels I have meet many 'locals'. A visit to a local hotel in the Fingal Valley recently, summed up the feelings - 'they have gone too far'.

I can only join the loud chorus of opinion that the clear felling of old growth forest should stop. Certainly public forests.

All the issues of 1080 poison, the silting of water supplies, the need for a fire risk assessment of single species plantations along with the destruction of the very valuable ornate timbers left to burn on the forest floor are all well debated! See