27/03/2024
AN APPEAL FROM US TO YOU
It’s been raining cats and dogs and plantation roads everywhere are very wet, boggy and fragile right now. Normally that means we’d close the plantations but it’s Easter and school holidays so we thought we’d try something different and just appeal to you to do the right thing. Please stay away while it’s this wet and stay out of the mud once good weather returns. The chances of getting bogged are really high and the likelihood you’ll damage our road network is even higher. Although we’re required to maintain public access, we’re not required to maintain it everywhere all the time. These are plantation roads primarily for timber production and we pay all the costs associated with maintaining and repairing them, not the government. A road we’ve upgraded for forest operations before a wet weekend can require tens of thousands to fix after a busy weekend of recreation. We don’t even receive a subsidy for repairs or maintenance. Also, when the forests are this wet, trees are more likely to fall down without warning, and hanging branches are more likely to drop, especially if there’s wind and rain. So if you won’t do it for us, do it for your own safety. Your compliance could mean fewer closures in future, which means you could be back out there sooner when the rain stops. On the other hand, if we see muddy vehicles everywhere we may not have a choice.
TLDR: Please protect what you love and stay away until the sun’s been out for a few days.
Give us a thumbs up so we know you’re with us on this and appreciate the trust we’ve put in you over Easter 👍
