Silvan

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
Fucks sake, can't catch a break... :confused: Also,VicForests logging the whole hillside as an answer to the storm damage? FFS.

https://www.facebook.com/yrmtb said:
On the 27th of October, members of YRMTB were invited by DWELP to meet at silvan reservoir on-site regarding broad acre works scheduled to be conducted within the national Park. Parks Victoria representatives were also involved in discussions, and Matt Harrington from council was on hand to advocate for mountain biking in the region. The work is being conducted by DWELP/Forest fire management, not Parks Vic.

YRMTB were advised of further storm recovery works, which included fuel reduction and timber salvage. Two zones of works identified encompass several of our formalised trails. The first zone sits internal of track 13, which is bordered by JJs and stretches over to the finish of Temple of Zoom. Trails in the middle projected to be effected by broad acre incl telegraph, magpie, dam good view to name a few.

The second zone, which is bookmarked for works post zone 1, sits between barges and Bartlett track, and overlaps approximately half of lyre lyre.
The contract for the work has been awarded to Vic Forests, with the checkered history of this organisation is certainly contributing to concerns with this approach and potential repercussions of this forecasted work. It’s worth highlighting that as an organisation, and as a wider community, YRMTB have always worked alongside and cooperated with land management in areas such as fuel reduction works. These however have never, in our experience, looked like the works forecasted. We haven’t been able to find a prior example of VicForests operating within national park.

Sometime in the near future, the national park will look very different for a considerable amount of time. There will be closures in place of where users can recreate, and several exclusion zones. Heavy excavation work will take place to construct loading zones for timber salvaged. Large excavators will be moving around within the forest, whilst logging trucks head to log drop zones.

It’s extremely important to note that these works are happening right through the Dandenong ranges national park, not just in the silvan reservoir area.

It goes without saying that we are not excited about this, nor do we feel the use of heavy machinery in these areas is appropriate. We are especially concerned about the use of heavy machinery in zones up towards Olinda. Whilst we’re the mountain bike experts, and our relationship is founded upon recreation and user experience, one of the overarching reasons we get out and ride is the forest and our connection to it. We’ve spent enough time in the Dandenongs to understand just how special it is, and how sensitive areas up around Olinda are.
It also must be noted that to date DWELP and Forest Fire Management have been thorough and forthcoming with their willingness to understand the value of mountain biking in the area, and are working with us to address our concerns.

YRMTB have respectfully but firmly outlined our expectations, which we feel should have been prepared and organised as one of the first priorities.
YRMTB have stated the following must be in place;
  1. Trail audit - an external company needs to map and assess the trails, so we’ve got an accurate value on them and can ascertain what funds are needed for restoration, should that be needed
  2. Timelines of work - which zone is closed for which dates
  3. Amendment of work zones to allow Tchans and Temple of Zoom to remain open (the trails are fine, but access is blocked due to logging truck zones)
  4. A plan for trail reinstatement if necessary. This means a proper tender process run in coordination with the club to award a contract for a trail construction company to rebuild the trails after works are completed
  5. Proper funding in place to ensure the trails are in the same post work condition once they’re reopened. If several trails must be fully rebuilt from the ground up, it’s our expectation that the money and the contract for rebuild is in place prior to work commencement.
As a club, we’ve also asked for more literature and evidence regarding forest fire, and the need to remove fallen trees. This touches on the way a standing forest burns, versus a storm damaged forest. What is the difference between a forest floor of small leaf litter and shrub, bark etc, versus a forest floor comprised of fallen trees. How does asset location effect or guide the need to complete these works? The chlorine treatment plant is relatively close to the Magpie area, however infrastructure and assets are substantially further with relation to other zones that are deeper into the national park, with much higher environmental sensitivity. Is there another, less intrusive method that could be implemented in the steeper, wetter zones up around Olinda? We are not experts in fire load management or bushfire behaviour. Further clarification on this is sought so our community better understands the reasonings behind the work.

We’ve also requested more transparency regarding the contract with Vic Forests. If the fallen trees are being salvaged by VF from the forest and then sold on, how much profit is forecasted? Why have trail repairs/rebuilds not been forecasted in the operational costs of this work?
Asides from the impact to our trails, there are much larger issues at hand. The environment in silvan and through to Olinda is extremely valuable and sensitive. For that reason, we do need to play the upset parent card at times and go as far as asking members of our community to not build trails wherever they’d like. Whilst we love new trails, there needs to be an understanding that we’re operating within a National Park and the highest level of care and sensitivity must be adhered to. We’ve got a pretty awesome little network. We’d really like to show it some love. It’s all about quality, not quantity. Mountain biking should coexist with the forest, not overrun it, at its expense. We feel we’ve struck a great balance by having an appropriate amount of trail, in the appropriate areas, that allows our users to experience the national park in an appropriate manner. For these reasons, there are very strict rules and policies about disturbance in the park, and for good reason. It really saddens us, that we spend so much time in the forest, advocating for the park, connecting with the park, and respecting the park, to see the green light given to machinery that threatens to undo all of that. There is a lot of discussion about the impact caused by mountain biking, what about an excavator? It’s not just about the trails. So Many users share these sentiments, not to mention our wildlife that call the Dandenongs home.

Lastly, we’ve been through a really, really trying time with Silvan the last 2 years. For obvious reasons, we don’t want this work to happen, period. We are happy with our trails. We love the national park and are so grateful for the opportunity to mountain bike in there. Whilst there lies an opportunity to have a company like world trail, Dirt art etc come in post works, Silvan is unique down to the way it’s been built and the huge amount of different hands, eyes and minds that have left their own little legacy for us all to enjoy. For that reason, we are advocating for the trails to be left as untouched as can be. We would much rather work together with DWELP on a plan that avoids the trails and mitigates any disturbance to the bare minimum. By doing so, DWELP will not only avoid having to fund an extremely expensive rebuild, our community will also be able to enjoy the trails we’ve all come to love so much.

We have communicated our expectations to DWELP and FFM, along with our concerns. Representatives from DWELP are working through this and we will be meeting onsite again before any work commences. We are grateful that land managers recognise the value mountain biking brings to the region, and how much we care about the park.

Thanks for the support, it isn’t always a smooth road, but that feeling of riding singletrail in the Yarra Ranges makes it all worth it.
 

Asininedrivel

caviar connoisseur
FFS why are our tax dollars still going towards propping up VicForests just so they can fuck up more of our environment? Fallen trees provide habitat for shedloads of fauna and are an integral part of an ecosystem, they're not fucking firewood.

Aren't there NIMBY Boomers in the Yarra Ranges? *checks notes* yes, there are at conservative estimate a metric fuckload of them. Maybe we can put them to good use lobbying against this.
 

CHEWY

Eats Squid
I imagine it will be removing all the felled timber from the storm, probably for fire management reasons.
 

CHEWY

Eats Squid
FFS why are our tax dollars still going towards propping up VicForests just so they can fuck up more of our environment? Fallen trees provide habitat for shedloads of fauna and are an integral part of an ecosystem, they're not fucking firewood.

Aren't there NIMBY Boomers in the Yarra Ranges? *checks notes* yes, there are at conservative estimate a metric fuckload of them. Maybe we can put them to good use lobbying against this.
There's literally piles of timber sitting around.
 

Plankosaurus

Spongeplank Dalepantski
FFS why are our tax dollars still going towards propping up VicForests just so they can fuck up more of our environment? Fallen trees provide habitat for shedloads of fauna and are an integral part of an ecosystem, they're not fucking firewood.

Aren't there NIMBY Boomers in the Yarra Ranges? *checks notes* yes, there are at conservative estimate a metric fuckload of them. Maybe we can put them to good use lobbying against this.
pull the wings off a few flys and take some photos, that should get them chaining themselves to the trees there ;)
 

Asininedrivel

caviar connoisseur
Not to defend trail destruction, but from the YRMTB post it seems to be in aid of creating better fire breaks. So at least it's kinda understandable.

Be a lot better if they could be put in away from existing trail networks, but I guess from the land manager's perspective it's already disturbed land so it's a better place for it.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
I blame @ozzybmx mates for needing fire wood :p.

View attachment 398745
I really wish they'd report this kind of stuff more as "habitat destruction" or "illegal old growth tree felling".

Calling a tree that size 'firewood' is horseshit. Even if it's dead it'd still form hollows and allow for nesting opportunities for critters and birds.
 

Flow-Rider

Burner
I really wish they'd report this kind of stuff more as "habitat destruction" or "illegal old growth tree felling".

Calling a tree that size 'firewood' is horseshit. Even if it's dead it'd still form hollows and allow for nesting opportunities for critters and birds.
Pretty sure they have listed that somewhere, the original article that I read about it did.
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
What's this broad acre works? - pardon my ignorance.

Big shame as Silvan is the local now, and I love Lyre Lyre to bits!
Not to defend trail destruction, but from the YRMTB post it seems to be in aid of creating better fire breaks. So at least it's kinda understandable.

Be a lot better if they could be put in away from existing trail networks, but I guess from the land manager's perspective it's already disturbed land so it's a better place for it.
This follows on from the previous discussion above around the post-storm logging - which is pretty contentious not just with YRMTB and mtb riders but also with the trail runners, walkers, birders et al, and national parks/conservation groups who don't want to see what remains of a forest that has suffered the destructive impacts of the storms be further flattened in the name of "remediation". \

I think as much as anything else the frustration with DEECA/VicForests is a sense that they treat the area as a problem to be solved with interventionist management rather than as an asset with a range of motivated user groups who want to see the forest conserved, as as a result don't meaningfully work with those groups and end up doing shit like flattening mountain bike trails at the same time as dragging their feet for years on sanctioning additional trails etc. The YRMTB crew have put huge amounts of volunteer time into Silvan and Warby over the last few years and then shit like this comes round again... can't blame them for wanting to throw their hands up.
 
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