BODALLA Forest Rest Area and the Mummaga Lake Walking Track have been declared safe and reopened following recent timber harvesting, however work to restore and improve the area will continue over the coming months.
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Forestry Corporation of NSW’s newly appointed south coast Partnerships Coordinator Brendan Grimson said the area had been carefully assessed to ensure it was safe to reopen.
“Bodalla Forest Rest Area and the Mummaga Lake Walking Track are popular visitor spots so we wanted to reopen as soon as the area was safe to ensure the community could continue to use and enjoy the forest facilities,” Mr Grimson said.
“We have removed some dangerous trees and limbs and cleared buffer zones around branches and leaf litter on the forest floor to minimise any fire risk and ensure it is safe to use the picnic facilities, walking tracks and camping areas again.
“We have completed some restoration; including fixing the toilets, clearing the entrances to the walking tracks and re-seeding grass, but it is still a work in progress.
“We plan to burn the branches and leaf litter around the rest area to create a rich seed bed and encourage natural regeneration, but with the hot dry weather we will not be able to complete any burning until after fire season ends in March.
“Visitors will continue to see improvements over the coming months as the area begins to naturally regenerate and in the New Year we will also look at some further improvements, including updating signage around the area and at the start of the walking tracks.”
Senior production manager south, Daniel Tuan thanked the community for their patience during the recent operation.
“Bodalla State Forest is predominantly a regrowth forest that has previously been harvested for timber and this operation provided an important economic boost to local timber processing and wood product industries,” Mr Tuan said.
“A significant proportion of the timber was supplied to the Narooma sawmill, creating local work in the production of high quality flooring and decking products. The operation has also supplied other local processing businesses along the coast and produced firewood, which will provide locals with affordable home heating next winter.
“We will continue to closely monitor this area to ensure it regenerates into a thriving forest, which will continue supporting the local area for many years to come.”