Serious damage to environmental values by FFMV

Toorloo Arm Stoney Ck
Lake Tyers State Park

(Planned burn: Nowa Nowa-Stoney Creek GP-TBO-NOW-0014)

FFMV burnt 35ha here on 05-03-2025

The rest of this 122ha burn was ignited on 11-04-2025

This old coastal forest in Lake Tyers Park, is on Toorloo Arm/Stoney Creek, a RAMSAR listed wetland, adjacent to warm temperate rainforests sites of significance. Within the burn site there is old growth forest, estuarine wetlands, limestone box woodlands and rainforests. Threatened arboreal fauna recorded in the burn area include Masked Owls, Sooty Owls, Greater Gliders and White-bellied Sea Eagles.

The planned burn was ignited by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) on Wednesday 5th March 2025 and severely burnt 35 ha of the scheduled 122 ha planned burn area. The burn has caused significant and widespread damage to environmental values in the affected area within Lake Tyers State Park.

Below: Before and after - same location. Crown scorch is visible from the satellite below on 12-03-2025.

Gippsland Environment Group surveyed the site after burning. In a 20 Ha section of the burn surveyed, more than one hundred very large old hollow bearing trees were destroyed by FFMV operations. We recorded more than eighty large old trees that had collapsed or been felled, and dozens more were severely damaged or killed by the burn but still standing. Many more will collapse in coming weeks.

Below: Gippsland Environment Group survey 24-03-2025

GEG survey each waypoint is a fallen hollow bearing tree

Many of the very large old trees appear to have been felled by machinery whilst alight, indicating that the fire was very intense, necessitating emergency intervention to prevent the planned burn from becoming a major bushfire. Additionally, threatened EPBC listed plant species were killed and smashed by burning and roading during this operation. In the weeks since, wood cutters have been scouring the Park, taking the cut down old trees as firewood.