The Little Red Toolangi Treehouse (Mission Statement: “To raise awareness, educate and empower the public to respond to the commercial destruction of Australia’s native forests.”) has issued an urgent call for community members, especially Victorians, to contact the state environment minister to ask her to stop logging around an old growth mountain ash tree known as the Kalatha Giant. A community blockade has now started – scroll down for updates.

Details on the photo above:

“Here is a photo of legend Berni Mace in front of the Kalatha Giant for reference of its size. These are the trees we are trying to protect to reach this stature as most of the old ones have been taken down by logging now. So few remain. And they want to log right up to the edge of this one that brings hundreds of tourists A WEEK!!!!”

The Treehouse facebook page reports that:

“Logging of this important coupe, Zinger, next to the Kalatha Giant Tree in Toolangi, cannot be allowed. It is home to Leadbeater’s possums, Barred Galaxias and Greater Gliders and contains many large old hollow-bearing trees. We have been advised that machines may move in in the next couple of days.”

Take action

They ask you to call the office of the environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio, and leave a message urging the minister to cancel the plan to log the Zinger coupe, which is close to the Kalatha Giant in the Central Highlands.

(03) 9637 9504 or Electorate office – (03) 9422 5171

Update, 3 March 2020

Day 2 of the Kalatha Valley of the Giants protest in Toolangi and the Bulldozer has successfully been stopped!!

More than 20 community conservationists have stopped the bulldozing of the access road to the Kalatha logging coupe. Clearing began yesterday evening after the camp was moved on.

This old-growth valley is the heart and soul of the Toolangi forest and cannot be logged. As numbers at the camp have continued to grow, we’re prepared to be here for as long as it takes for this area to be permanently protected.

Today is World Wildlife Day and in 2020 VicForests still think it’s ok to be logging the habitat of Victoria’s forest-dependant threatened species.

”The 2019/20 bushfires have already devastated so much of Victoria’s precious forests, to continue with the logging of threatened species habitat in the wake of the bushfires is just criminal.” said a community member.

Please support in any way you can by coming to Toolangi and visiting our camp along Kalatha Road. We must also continue to flood the phone lines of Premier Dan Andrews, contact him now on: (03) 9651 5000.

Toolangi

Update, 2 March 2020:

PEACEFUL BLOCKADE ESTABLISHED!!

Forest Conservation Victoria, have established a peaceful blockade in the Kalatha Valley of Giants, Toolangi.

Earlier this morning a bulldozer was turned away by our blockade with a brave person suspended 20m attached to a structure, blocking the driveway access to the forest scheduled for clearfelling.

This logging coupe is within 200m of the beloved Kalatha tree, one of the largest remaining Mountain Ash trees on mainland Australia. This patch of forest is home to endangered species, with Greater Glider, Leadbeater’s Possum and Barred Glaxias detected within the “Zinger” coupe.

The 2019-20 bushfires were globally unprecedented, devastating more than 20% of Australia’s native forest. It is essential we protect unburnt areas like the Kalatha Valley of Giants. There is less than 1% of old-growth, Mountain Ash forests remaining in the Central Highlands.

Support us in the ongoing campaign to protect this forest and come visit the Kalatha blockade camp at the Kalatha tree walk.

FCV