HQPlantations to commence mature forest harvesting around Wild Horse Mountain
OVER the next 12 months, HQPlantations will commence harvesting mature plantation forest around Wild Horse Mountain in Beerburrum East State Forest.
HQP stakeholder engagement manager, Stephanie Hunt, said within the harvesting area, the plantation trees were mostly 28-year-old Southern Pines.
“This type of tree has been specifically developed for the Queensland climate and predominantly used to make structural timber for local house construction,” she said.
While some parts of the plantation forest in this area will be closed for public safety during forest operations, access to the Wild Horse Mountain lookout will be maintained.
However, visitors should be prepared for short delays for traffic control on some occasions. Special arrangements will be made for affected local residents.
“HQP harvests around 3% to 5% of its plantations each year, ensuring a sustainable and continuous supply of timber to local industry, and everything harvested is replanted for future generations,” Ms Hunt said.
HQP is also planning to harvest several hardwood plantations in Beerburrum East, Beerburrum West and Peachester State Forests and on HQP’s private property, commencing mid 2024.
There are seven hardwood plantations scheduled for harvesting, ranging in size from 2 to 76 hectares, totalling 148 hectares.
Following harvest, the compartments will be replanted with Southern Pine to supply renewable timber for the construction of Queensland homes from sustainable materials.
HQP does not harvest native forest and any native forest buffers will continue to be protected.
