Bushfires: Eden woodchip blaze pits loggers against greenies

A fire burning 100,000 tonnes of wood chips in a NSW timber mill has sparked an insensitive response from environmentalists.

Fritz Michelin, 75, left, says green groups are wrong to cheer the mill’s destruction. Picture: Sean Davey.

A fire burning 100,000 tonnes of woodchips in Eden’s timber mill on the NSW south coast — lit by embers from the devastating bushfires — has reignited tensions between the logging industry and environmentalists.

As the region reels from the extensive loss of livestock and tourists during what is normally the busiest time of the year, the longer-term future of forestry in the state is also in question after the fires burned almost 5 million hectares of bush in NSW alone.

Fritz Michelin helped build the road into the timber mill 50 years ago, and at 75 he still works there as a logging truck contractor five days a week, nine hours a day. He called on a green group celebrating the destruction of the mill to “use a bit of common sense”.

“I just hate it when they don’t show any sympathy that the chip mill’s gone and they are tree huggers and animal lovers. But today … they don’t care about people being put out of work.

“Have a think about what’s happened,” he said.

“We have got the most restrictions on us here in Australia … (the mill leaves) no scar on the environment. You can see some logging that’s been done in the last couple of years but after that, three years later, you’ll drive out there and you won’t even know it’s been logged.”

Mr Michelin said environmental groups — mostly out-of-towners — had been engaged in a long-running conflict with Eden’s logging industry since the 1980s.

Eden has a population of 3000, making the mill one of its biggest employers with 70 full-time and contract workers.

Earlier this week, Environment East Gippsland posted a photo of the timber mill on fire on Facebook with the caption: “YESSS!!! In all this horrific loss — some really good news! The Eden Chipmill is burning down – all buildings and infrastructure as well as the woodchip pile.

“A major cause of ecosystem collapse, loss of carbon stores, wildlife crisis, climate chaos, political corruption … over the past 50 years.”

The Facebook post by Environment East Gippsland.

Eden Chamber of Commerce president Peter Whiter declared “we have to be kinder to each other” as his town and neighbouring communities faced a mighty rebuilding effort.

Mr Whiter estimated the bushfires would cost the local economy many millions of dollars.

“We’re talking about people’s lives. I understand their (EEG’s) point of view,” he said.

“I mightn’t agree with it, but I understand their frustration and perhaps even their hatred to the place but ultimately it’s people’s livelihoods.

“We have a really long history of timber operations here. I would be sad to see an end to that but what I would like to see is a more sustainable and holistic approach to the land management, especially around forestry. There’s so much stuff that’s left there that is perhaps combustible.”

Malcolm McComb, a spokesman for Allied Natural Woods Exports, which runs the mill, said it was unclear how long the fire would continue because he was unaware of a chip stack of that size ever having burned before.

There was “no question” infrastructure had been damaged but some structures, including the petrol station, were still standing.

“There is no reason why it would close from a point of view of damage. You’re only talking about steel (sheds) and concrete, it’s all readily replaceable,” he said.

For the next decade, Mr McComb envisaged more timber than the industry would know what to do with and predicted a huge clean-up operation of the burnt and dead wood.

“What happens 25 years from now, that’s a whole other discussion. This is a watershed event in terms of forest management in Australia,” he said.

“It looks like the entire resource has been wiped out.”

Bega Valley Shire Council Mayor Kristy McBain said it was completely inappropriate to celebrate the decimation of an industry but noted EEG was not from the local area and “probably has no real understanding of the real ongoing effect this might have on us”.

EEG did not say why the Facebook post was taken down, nor did it respond to criticism that the post was insensitive.