A Mid North Coast logging company has been ordered to pay over $34,000, and its director placed on a 2-year good behaviour bond, in the Taree Local Court for a range of private native forestry offences at a property in Belbora in 2023.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) launched a prosecution against O’Connor Logging Pty Ltd and its director Stephen Sean O’Connor following a series of inspections which found evidence of forestry operations in the buffer zone around waterways (called the riparian exclusion zone).
NSW EPA Director of Operations John Forcier said the unlawful operations had impacted native vegetation and caused up to 140 tonnes of sediment to be washed into waterways that feed into Burrell Creek.
“The Private Native Forestry Code of Practice exists to safeguard native vegetation, soil and waterways, and complying with these requirements is not optional,” Mr Forcier said.
“As well as constructing and using a snig track and two log dumps within a sensitive riparian zone, the contractor was using unstable stream crossings that were not adequately constructed to prevent erosion.
“Riparian exclusion zones are established to ensure soil erosion and water pollution does not impact natural aquatic ecosystems and our inspections found much of the work occurring well within these buffer zones.
“The community expects forestry operations to be managed sustainably. When the rules aren’t followed, the environmental risks are real, and the EPA will take enforcement action to address that.
“Company directors should also remember they have a legal duty to ensure their operations comply with environmental laws, and that they can be personally liable when their businesses ignore their obligations.”
In addition to the total penalty of $34,000, O’Connor Logging was ordered to publish a notice regarding the offence in the Manning River Times and pay the EPA’s legal costs of $15,000.
Mr O’Connor was convicted and placed on conditional release order requiring him to be of good behaviour for two years.
EPA MEDIA | DANIELLE WILLIAMS | 0448 196 606
24-hour Media Line (02) 9995 6415 [email protected]
