Tyenna Valley | TA ANN

TN044B. Image by Rob Blakers

The spectacular area of forest in which The Observer Tree is located is a prime example of Tasmania’s ancient forests. This coupe is located within a kilometer of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and has been recommended for inclusion in the protected area (i). Yet it remains under threat from logging.

In mid-December 2011 logging machinery began work in this coupe. Two days later the Observer Tree was launched, bringing international attention to the plight of this threatened forest. By the end of the first week, logging machinery had been removed from the coupe and has not returned. However, this coupe still remains on the forestry schedule and loggers could return any day.

This world heritage valued forest features tall eucalypts towering above a rainforest understorey. The giant old trees contain many hollows, providing habitat for a range of species. These tall eucalypts are the survivors of a natural fire that may have come through the area a hundred years ago. They stand side by side with a new generation of younger eucalypts. Leatherwood, celery top pine, and sassafras are abundant and the steep gullies overflow with ferns.

This forest is home to a few much-loved Tasmanian devils, including a mother devil and her young. On December 12th 2011, conservationists captured footage of a mother devil carrying food in her mouth. A few months later, a healthy juvenile devil was seen in the same area, new out of the den. The protection of this area is critical, as maternal devil den sites are used from generation to generation and play an important role in the survival of this species.

As well as devils, many other threatened or endangered species have been documented in the area including goshawks, wedge tail eagles, and spot tail quolls.

The pristine waterways of this forest flow from the top of Mount Mueller and are home to endangered hydrobiid snails (ii).

Yet the survival of the flora and fauna of this forest is at risk, due to Ta Ann’s wood supply demands. This coupe was meant to be protected by a conservation agreement, when the Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) was signed in August last year. Sadly, this forest was excluded in order to provide wood to Ta Ann (iii).

Please help stop this spectacular forest from being turned into veneer. CLICK HERE to take action.

For more information about the ‘A forest a day’ project, which is a collaboration between Huon Valley Environment Centre, Still Wild Still Threatened, The Last Stand, Markets for Change and Code Green, please click HERE.

TN044B. Image by Rob Blakers

[i]Hitchcock, P. (2012), IVG Report 5A: Verification of the Heritage Value of ENGO proposed Reserves, p. 77 [View online]
[ii] Forestry Tasmania, Forest Practises Plan TN044B. Forestry Tasmania, Hobart.
[iii] Hoffman, O. (2011) Rescheduling Work – January and February 2012, As requested by The Australian Government. 21 November 2012 [view online]

Logging coupe TN046A, Tyenna Valley

This 27 hectare coupe is situated at the base of Mount Mueller, near the Styx and Tyenna Valleys. There is a magnificent walking track that takes visitors up the mountain to a glacial lake called Fossil Lake. This track is located right in the middle of the area scheduled for logging. This forest contains examples of western peppermints and snow peppermint gums with a mature rainforest understorey. Sassafras, myrtle, celery top pine, horizontal and leatherwood are common throughout the area. There are also substantial areas of pure rainforest present on the site and significant stands of native laurel. Other areas within the coupe are populated with mature tea trees, pandanii and heath.

This coupe is within 700m of the current Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Hitchcock concludes that the Styx-Tyenna assessment area in which TN046A is located “would not only make a major contribution to the value and integrity of the TWWHA in respect of tall eucalypt forests but also facilitate maintenance of regional connectivity” (1).

This forest is within an area identified as having potential karst systems, based on data from the Tasmanian Karst Atlas (2). Hitchcock noted this in his report, stating “there is significant mapped karst within the ENGO-proposed lands” (3).

Still Wild Still Threatened have surveyed the area for wildlife using remote sensor cameras. Threatened species including Tasmanian devils and spot tailed quolls have been recorded within the coupe. There are also significant areas of mapped grey goshawk habitat in the surrounding areas that occur within a kilometer of this site.

Logging has not yet begun in this magnificent tract of forest. However, with the extension of the current inadequate “conservation agreement” it remains excluded from the moratorium and, as such, is under imminent threat of destruction. TN046A is on Forestry Tasmania’s logging schedule for this year.