A NEWS Of The Area reader has raised concerns that Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) contractors have left Orara East State Forest in a “dangerous mess”.
The Forest floor debris has the potential to be a major bushfire contributor with the projected heatwave.
The reader said she and a friend attempted to ride electric mountain bikes up to the top of Mt Coramba, starting along East Bank Forest Rd and then tried to navigate up forestry trails.
She said the road was fine but the smaller tracks are now highly eroded and felled logs and branches covering them, making cycling almost impossible.
The reader said, “Although I like [a] challenge, constantly having to jump off a 25kg electric bike and push it up and over debris made the experience unenjoyable.”
She said the trails have the potential to be excellent walking and mountain bike tracks and hoped this would eventuate when the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) is established.
The reader said large scrap piles of stripped bark, broken branches, dead saplings and “a cemetery of abandoned processed logs” is a dangerous fire hazard.
A spokesperson for FCNSW said the operation in Orara State Forest was undertaken in mid 2025.
The operation ceased mid-way through due to the moratorium on timber harvesting in the area proposed for the GKNP.
While no further timber harvesting took place, the spokesperson said FCNSW undertook work to ensure roads were graded and drained and seed was placed on log dumps to help ground cover establish quickly.
The spokesperson said Forestry Corporation works closely with the NSW Rural Fire Service on fire management and remains the land manager for the area proposed for the GKNP during the moratorium and will continue to monitor the accessibility of roads.
By Andrew VIVIAN
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