Silencing the Stihls in the Ahaura

Forest and Bird, Volume 17, Issue 3, 1 August 1986, Page 29

Silencing the Stihls in the Ahaura

Bv

Gerard Hutching

hough the letter that the Forest Service sent to the Kopara Sawmilling Co in December last year in which it offered the above Sale Area 628 for sale was couched in more prosaic terms, conservationists knew what effect logging would have on these magnificent forests. Trees more than 500 years old and more than 30 metres high, part of a vital wildlife corridor allowing birds to migrate from the Southern Alps to lowland forests, would be destroyed in minutes, undoing the work of centuries. Further north at Giles Creek and Slab Hut Creek, a separate beech woodchipping sale would endanger the wildlife corridor linking the Paparoa range and the Southern Alps at two key points. This galvanised the conservation movement into action ina desperate attempt to salvage the fragile corridor. The Ahaura Gorge forests had been earmarked for reserve by the Wildlife Service in 1976 and 1977, and supported by the DSIR in 1981. It was part of a reserve package that conservationists had been pressing for — others include Mt Harata, Tawhai, Doctors Hill, Oparara, Ngakawau, AtbaraNile and the Paparoa National Park. In addition, some of these reserves are also referred to as ‘‘wildlife corridors’, allowing birds to travel from one forest to another. The following account is by no means exhaustive, but highlights the key moves taken by conservationists to rescue these magnificent forests. August 26 and October 10, 1985 — Letters sent to the Forest Service sought an assurance that there would be no "‘preemptive"’ strike against the recommended — Ahaura Gorge reserve. No assurance

was forthcoming however. November | 1985 — Reserve proposal sent to Forests Under-secretary David Butcher. Later Butcher is to say that he was unaware of the corridor’s existence until it was too late. December 13, 1985 — The Forest Service writes to the Kopara Sawmilling Co, advising it would sell them 12,000 m3 out of the proposed Ahaura Reserve alongside the Ahaura River. By April, Butcher makes the astounding admission that this offer was ‘the prize cock-up of the lot.’’ December 18, 1985 — The Government announces that an estimated 30,000 beech trees from North Westland-Buller will be sold for woodchipping in the first year. The upshot, says Guy Salmon, is that forests will be devastated, wildlife killed and most of the jobs created will be in Japan. This separate sale will later involve conservationists in rescue attempts on two wildlife corridors just north of the Ahaura Gorge — Giles Creek and Slab Hut Creek. Figures released later by the Forest Service point to the economic futility of beech woodchipping. It expects to lose $43,000 in its one year operation, but NFAC show even this figure is unrealistic, and that the real loss might amount to $1.7 million. December 20, 1985 — Then-Society President Dr Alan Edmonds sends a strongly worded telegram to the Government, protesting at the woodchip sale and the Ahaura Gorge (Sale Area 628) sale. "Conservation and recreation groups appalled by this shattering of mutual trust. Request immediate announcement of compensatory reserves or review of decision." Fortunately for the Government the Christ-

mas break intervenes, and no action is taken. February 3, 1986 — Forest and Bird gears up for a major public battle to pull the logging gangs out of the wildlife corridors/ proposed reserves. West Coast Forest and Bird branch releases a statement charging the Forest Service with being ‘‘needlessly provocative" in allowing the Ahaura Gorge and Doctors Hill (near Hokitika) logging. The Forest Service says it is simply following plans approved by the Government. March — Attention focuses on the upcoming JFC Easter gathering, this time held in Murchison. Conservation Under-secretary Philip Woollaston, who is to play a pivotal role in the drama, is invited to the gathering. On a tour with a busload of conservationists, Woollaston helps push a huge log aside blocking access to view woodchipping in the wildlife corridor. April 10 — Conservation Director Gerry McSweeney sets out a detailed proposal to Woollaston with alternative logging sites for the three key remaining controversial sites — Giles Creek, Slab Hut Creek and the Ahaura Gorge. This was the first of a number of letters sent to the Government over the following six weeks. April 23 — The Government announces a halt to logging at the Giles Creek and Slab Hut Creek wildlife corridors. No job losses will occur as the beech logs will now be obtained from ‘‘environmentally less sensitive areas.’’ The Ahaura Gorge is the remaining immediate large problem. April 24 — An 800-strong meeting in Christchurch calls on the government to halt the Ahaura logging. Speaking at the meeting, David Butcher says the Forest and

FOR SALE

12,000 cubic metres of virgin rimu forest, growing on top terrace of an outstanding sequence of podocarp-beech forest river terraces, unrivalled in the region. Site adjacent to the Ahaura River gorge, inland from Greymouth. River is ranked as one of the five exceptional South Island rivers on scenic and recreational grounds. Forest is home to large populations of kaka and parakeet (birds increasingly rare elsewhere.)

Wildlife Services are working together to ensure that logging techniques are not inconsistent with a viable wildlife corridor but on questioning admits that the gorge forest is being clearfelled. April 27 — Butcher makes the celebrated ‘‘prize cock-up"’ admission in the New Zealand Times, and describes the logging at three points of the wildlife corridor as an "unfortunate accident.’’ He believes the Forest Service does a good job "‘by and large,"’ and that the best he can hope for regarding millers and environmentalists is that both will be "moderately unhappy."’ May 3-4 — During a visit to the Ahaura Gorge, Gerry McSweeney, Kevin Smith and

conservationists from Westport, Greymouth and Christchurch find a large forest gecko lying on top of a huge felled rimu. The gecko normally lives in the high tops of the rimu. Parakeet and kaka are abundant in virgin forest around the logging site. May 17 — Minister of Forests Koro Wetere is told that, although the blame for the Ahaura Gorge logging lies with the Forest Service and the Government, Forest and Bird is prepared to make a contribution of $5000 to assist with re-location costs. The offer is conditional upon the gang being removed completely from Sale Area 628. May 21 — The Dominion informs the pub-

lic about the Society's $5000 offer as the lobbying intensifies. May 22 — Gerry McSweeney appears on Radio New Zealand's Tonight Show and in a 10-minute interview with host Paddy O’Donnell tells a wide audience why the Society is prepared to pay $5000 for the forest. May 23 — The media pressure continues with a Morning Report item on the subject. Meanwhile, a rimu is still being cut down every few minutes. The Forest Service argues that there is not enough timber outside Sale Area 628 to meet the mill's legal requirements.

Recently the new Director-General of Conservation said that he wished to avoid ‘grumbling greenies" fighting past battles. Unfortunately for Mr Piddington the battles are not over; fine environment like the Ahaura Gorge forests is still being senselessly destroyed. In Christchurch and on the West Coast there is currently a huge glut of building grade rimu selling cheaper than fast-growing radiata pine. The Coast mills are creaming off their rimu cut for high quality decorative grades and sawmill burners are flat out burning the waste. This crisis will continue until 1990 when long-term legal commitments end to mills whose present cut is far above the sustainable production of native and exotic forests. The options are unpalatable and compromise inevitable. If the sawmill contracts were broken, astronomical compensation would have to be paid — clearly impossible for a Government already beleaguered by its deficit. The timber must therefore be found, but only from logging damaged or lower valued forests, thus avoiding proposed re-

serves and their linking corridors. The reserves and corridors need full legal protection now, not in 1990. Unfortunately, the operative management plan for North Westland fails to protect many of these key areas repeatedly identified for protection by the Wildlife Service and the DSIR. It ignored the vast majority of public submissions which supported their protection; last minute rescue bids like Ahaura are the consequence. Even now the Ahaura forests have no legal protection. They are only temporarily safe and could again be sought for logging. However, every crisis provides positive lessons. The Ahaura Gorge experience shows that one can save a valuable area and safeguard sawmill jobs. Timber supply and demand information now gathered by the Joint Campaign on Native Forests shows that all the proposed reserves and wildlife corridors in the North Westland can be protected yet jobs retained until exotic supply replaces natives from 1990 onwards. This information has now been shared with the West Coast United Council

who have begun meetings with conservation groups to explore common ground. For too long both the United Council and the Government have been captive to official claims that timber supplies were inadequate to allow creation of reserves as well as meet mill commitments. Like Sir Humphrey on Yes Minister, such officials can always find insurmountable problems with others’ ideas. Until an independent analysis is made of such claims they remain unchallenged. Fortunately, an outside analysis was made in the case of the Ahaura. Today the deep waters of the Ahaura wind seaward, cutting their scroll shape down the 10,000-year-old glacial terrace sequence of the gorge — without the accompaniment of the Stihl chainsaws and the crash of forest giants. Instead, rafting, canoe and jet boat tours of the gorge herald a new era; the Coast’s booming tourist industry, with a turnover of $100 million a year, is poised to take over as the region's biggest revenue earner. pf Gerry McSweeney, Conservation Director

May 26 — The Joint Forestry Campaign furnishes Philip Woollaston with the information which shows that there is more than enough timber outside the Ahaura. Using the Forest Service’s own figures, it identifies 62,500 m3 of podocarp timber outside the proposed reserve in Hochstetter forest in largely cutover areas which could be used. During the beginning of this week, the Forest Service, Wildlife Service and Woollaston meet several times with the Society. May 27 — The Forest Service agrees to move the gang out of Sale Area 628 to the area suggested by conservationists at a cost they estimate of $40,000. Philip Woollaston says he knows of no other log sale proposals from planned reserves or wildlife corridors. The Government asks the Forest Service to bring millers, environmentalists and officials together to identify where timber can be obtained with least conflict to meet legal commitments to sawmills until 1990. Several weeks later Woollaston announces no compensation is payable to the company as earlier asserted because costs were recovered from within the Forest Service. »&