The sawmill relies on hardwood from Victoria’s state-owned mountain ash forests, which are home to the endangered Leadbeater’s possum. The forests have also been devastated by successive bushfires, reducing both the Leadbeater’s possum habitat and timber available for harvest. Conservationists call for moratorium on logging to save endangered Leadbeater’s possum Read moreThe Hermal Group bought the timber mill for $28m from the Tasmanian company Gunns in 2012, five months before the former timber giant went into administration. Meanwhile, the Victorian Greens leader, Greg Barber, said the buy-out would come at the expense of the survival of the Leadbeater’s possum. “Labor has saved some jobs for the short term but can’t bring itself to reduce logging levels to protect the possum,” he said.

Source: The Guardian July 03, 2017 00:36 UTC