Plan to reinstate timber re-launched

Mr Landini is a former The Nationals member and candidate who was part of the local faction trying to stop the conversion of local forests into National Parks in 2010.

The Coalition was unable to stop the then Labor Government from making the deal.

Mr Landini has since left the National Party and is in the process of gathering support to start his own political party.

Its primary aim is to form a Riverina State separate from NSW and Victoria and to reinstate industries lost in the region under successive governments.

Mr Landini will re-table his policy on returning the timber industry to the Millewa section of the forest at 11am today at the Mathoura Transaction Centre.

He is expected to be joined by long-time sawmill operator Chris Crump.

“This policy will re-establish the red gum timber industry in Mathoura,” Mr Landini said.

“This will provide essential building and heating material to many people and recreate the employment valued at $80 million per annum in the year 2010, with most of this in the local area.”

Originally penned in 2017, the Riverina State Group’s timber policy sets in place a plan to “re-enact the timber harvesting practises” based on the NSW Code of Practice for River Red Gum Forests and a set of principles developed by the group.

The group’s plan reads as follows:

1) The forests be re-divided into the compartments surveyed prior to 2010.

2) Each compartment will be available for harvesting in a rotation of 15-25 years, depending on the quality of the timber in the relevant compartment.

3) Appropriate individual trees be selected for harvesting, considering especially a) inferior trees that will otherwise be naturally dominated by superior trees and eventually perish; b) damaged trees that will not grow to normal potential and naturally eventually perish; c) diseased trees that will not grow to normal potential and naturally eventually perish.

4) The quantity of these trees being approximately 30 per cent of the commercial stock. Trees selected shall be as evenly distributed throughout the relevant compartment as possible. Clear felling, i.e. complete felling of all trees in a compartment, is prohibited.

The policy states that this will be done while protecting fauna habitat trees and recruitment trees and suggests the forests will also be available for firewood collection at a suitably regulated quantity.

Anyone interested in learning more about the policy is welcome to join Mr Landini at the Mathoura Transaction today at 11am for the presentation of the policy or afterwards at the Mathoura General Store for refreshments from about 11.30am.

More information about The Riverina State Group and its aims and policies is available at theriverinastate.com.au.