The announcement that native forest logging will end in eastern Victoria on January 1, 2024 is great news for the forests of the high country.

We wrote a brief piece explaining the implications of the announcement here.

As we noted in that story, this means the state will be spared another six years of intensive logging and allow us to start the generations long work of restoring a landscape that has been deeply impacted by intensive logging and repeat fires in recent decades.

However, significant areas of the high country are still included in an updated Timber Release Plan (TRP) which could be logged before the January 1 cutoff date.

We are watching a number of key areas, including Mt Stirling, the headwaters of the Little Dargo, and Mt Wills area to ensure that no last minute cut and run logging occurs.

It is good to note that Alpine Resorts Victoria is saying that proposed logging at Mt Stirling may not proceed given the cessation of logging by January 1, 2024.

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Now in its 6th year, the Victorian backcountry festival will happen at Mt Hotham again over the first weekend of September.

The three day event (September 1, 2, 3) features the normal program that we all love guided tours, workshops, a speakers program, demo village, repair cafe, and the saki in outdoor bar on a mountain top.

The festival is 100% volunteer run and the committee is working hard to deliver another great event.

Registration for the festival is now open, with an early bird rate of $40 for the weekend. This covers basic and very important costs like insurance for the festival. Registering will mean you receive details of the tour program when it is announced. Registrations after July will be $50, so get in now and save.

You can register here.

https://events.humanitix.com/2023-victorian-backcountry-festival-early-bird-tickets