Independent Liberal Member for Alfred Cove Dr Janet Woollard called on the Minister for Environment to implement a moratorium on all logging proposed or being carried out at Chester Block, east of Augusta in the south west.

“As a matter of urgency, I have asked the Minister for Environment to stop all logging that is proposed at Chester Block as there are concerns that the bushland there is classified as woodland and as such, it should be unequivocally excluded from all logging operations,” said Dr Woollard.

Dr Woollard said Chester Block lies on the Scott Coastal and Nillup Plains, which are classified as woodlands and sedgelands by the Department of Agriculture.

“Under the assessment criteria for the Conservation Commission review of old growth amendments it states that, all jarrah woodland, whether or not included as old growth in the corporate database is unavailable for logging,” said Dr Woollard.

Dr Woollard said she has been contacted by several community groups, including Margaret River based Cape to Cape Alliance, who believe that Chester Block should not be logged and have raised issues about the viability of the proposed project.

“The projected yield from the logging of Chester Block will be less than one cubic metre of first and second grade jarrah per hectare. As a result, despite Chester Block being in a high conservation value area, if it is allowed to be logged, it will be at a considerable loss,” said Dr Woollard.

“There is no viable reason why you would log a high conservation area at a loss, especially when recent International research has highlighted the fact that forest and woodland areas play such an important role in the storage of carbon. On that point alone, Chester Block should not be logged.”

“I hope that the Minister will act quickly to protect this valuable piece of natural woodland before it is too late.”