Illegal Firewood Clamp Down

DUE to insurance issues local farmers are increasingly concerned about letting people onto their properties to collect firewood, but Local Land Services and police have warned people should not illegally collect firewood from travelling stock routes or trespass on private properties, instead they encourage people to get a permit to collect in local state forests.

Jamie Maddocks, coordinator of travelling stock routes for Local Land Services said they are monitoring reserves and fines of $5,500 may be issued to people breaching the law.

“There are all kinds of people who are using stock routes illegally, especially at this time of year when people are out looking for firewood,” said Mr Maddocks.

“The most significant impact is that dead trees and fallen timber provide habitat for many species of birds, mammals and invertebrates and many of our travelling stock routes are of medium to high conservation value,” he said.

“Some people may not be aware of the impact that they are having by just cutting up a log that’s fallen down or timber that’s blown down in a storm,” he said.

“They probably think they are just tidying the reserve up or it’s not impacting anyone, but the cumulative impact of everyone from the community relying on firewood from a local travelling stock reserve has significant impact,” Jamie Maddocks said.

Chris Kemp, Merriwa farmer and executive councillor on NSW Farmers, said farmers are fed up with people trespassing on their properties.

“It’s not unusual for farmers to drive around and find someone is out their cutting their wood without bothering to call in and ask and it’s not the taking of the timber it’s the other issues of them operating a chainsaw on your property and the liability side of things,” said Mr Kemp.

“If we lobbed into their backyard and made ourselves at home, they’d call the police,” he said.

“There has been so much illegal hunting around here that most people now have a nil tolerance policy on trespass, I know all my neighbours do,” he said.

“There are dangers on properties and if they’ve asked permission we can tell them we’ve dug a ten foot hole somewhere and in the rest of the world people put up fancy tape around things, but farmers don’t tend to do that,” Chris Kemp laughed.

Inspector Shane Buggy from Hunter local area police command warned a fine for trespassing can quickly escalate.

“Trespassing on rural properties does occur we see cut fences and illegal hunting and we want to remind people who are doing this that an infringement notice of $350 for trespassing can escalate quickly if there is also stealing involved or malicious damage and the more serious matters will go to court,” said Inspector Buggy.

“Collecting firewood might seem fairly innocent to some people, but at the end of the day it is someone’s property and unless you’ve got permission, you shouldn’t be there,” Shane Buggy said.

Illegal activities on travelling stock routes include dirt bike riding, dumping rubbish and camping.

Camping is legal if you are travelling with stock and low impact activities such as bush walking and bird watching are also allowed.

People with a permit are able to collect firewood from designated state forests, which includes the Barrington.

Permits can be applied for online and a full list of local state forests where permit holders can collect firewood is provided: Online Permits at Forestry Corporation.

Illegal activity on travelling stock routes can be reported by phoning:

• Local Land Services: 1300 795 299 or
• Local Police: 02 6542 6999.