The beauracracy of collecting firewood

Last week, I posted an article about collecting firewood and the difficulties involved in getting a collection permit. In that article I promised to keep you informed of my progress. Read on ...

COLLECTING FIREWOOD ... continued from last issue

Stephen Deed phoned me back last Friday late in the afternoon and we discussed the problem I have been having in legally locating firewood in the Whitfield collection area.

He advised that, under the circumstances, it was O.K. to collect storm fallen timbers on the way into the forest and that he would visit the area next week to install temporary signs to that effect.

He also advised that DSE was arranging wood collection depots in many areas but this idea had not yet reached the upper King Valley.

With the RCoW limb removal program, following the legal process would not work. Upon establishing that the council was removing limbs, one has to drive to Wangaratta to get a written permit from council and then drive to Beechworth or Myrtleford to get it signed by DSE. This would take half a day from areas such as Whitfield and by the time you returned, the wood would already be gone to illegal firewood collectors.

Stephen assured me that DSE understood the problems of remote communities and that they were working towards a practical resolution. He noted that small communities such as Tallangaatta and Whitfield do not present an environmental threat in local wood collection. I put it him that residents in remote areas should be able to obtain a season ticket to collect storm felled timbers in their areas.

After the phonecall he emailed the two maps shown here to make it easier to locate the Whitfield firewood collection area. Click on the images for full screen sized maps.

As it stands, whilst it is far too difficult to follow the current firewoof collection regulations, most people will continue to collect their requirements outside the law.