MEMBER for Murray Plains Peter Walsh has called for an “immediate” reopening of the domestic firewood collection season amid supply shortages and surging power bills.
The spring collection seasons doesn’t open until September 1, but Mr Walsh said with the late and protracted winter, too many people in regional Victoria were going cold because they couldn’t afford to heat their homes.
Mr Walsh said the Nationals wrote to the State Government outlining the present shortage of firewood supply, “which for many in our community, is their sole source of heating this winter”.
He said when it is reopened, there needed to be sites within reach of “every” regional Victorian.
“There is a range of factors causing the shortage, but the most damaging has to be the shutdown of the timber industry due to legal action,” Mr Walsh said.
“This has restricted access to commercial supplies for the many residents who rely on these providers.
“As a result, commercial operators who can get access to timber are doing so through other avenues, with a lot of them heading into NSW. Our commercial contractors need more support. This ridiculous situation has also created a thriving black market in illegal wood.
“This has all driven up costs considerably, putting the resource financially out of reach for even those who can access a supply.”
A report in The Weekly Times claimed more than 260,000 rural and regional households will lose access to about 42,000 cubic metres of firewood next year, as supplies from VicForests and community forestry operations are terminated.
Yard owners say they will run out of Victorian-sourced firewood by the new year, forcing them to compete for limited supplies out of NSW, where the price of red gum has already surged by $60 a cubic metre.
Firewood Association of Australia general manager Dane McGreevy said older regional Victorians would be hardest hit, as the shortage pumped up prices.
“When you shut down the timber industry you shut down cheap heating, especially for regional and rural communities,” Mr McGreevy said.
“Some people will go out and source their own (firewood) illegally, others just can’t – the oldies and those reliant on local wood merchants.”
Mr Walsh said with many senior residents relying on solid fuel heating, he was hearing of an increasing number of cases where they were shivering through the nights due to firewood either not being accessible at all or being too costly to purchase.
“For those who have an alternate power heating source, electricity prices are making it unaffordable, so pensioners and low income households are not using this alternative,” he said.
“Public firewood collection is closed in winter each year, due to concerns about potential damage being caused during wet periods, but there is far more damage being done behind the closed doors of far too many homes and an immediate re-opening of the season would provide a solution for many in this predicament.”
According to the Conservation Regulator, illegal collection could negatively affect forest health, wildlife habitat and public safety.
“Uncontrolled firewood collection can lead to the loss of important habitat such as hollow logs and dead trees,” a spokesperson said.
Under the Forest Act 1958, people who collect firewood outside designated firewood collection areas or a firewood collection season or take more than the maximum allowable amounts can face significant fines, or even one year imprisonment
The spring season closes on November 30, before the autumn season from March 1 to June 30.
Environment Minister Ingrid Stitt has been contacted for comment.
