South West Timber Hub launch ecological thinning demo site to help maintain forest health in drying climate

A timber industry leader is playing an important role in the future health of South West forests, recently launching an educational project demonstrating the benefits of ecological thinning. South West Timber Hub officially launched the Kirup Ecological Thinning Demonstration Site on December 10, a project which began in 2019 after they determined ecological thinning — which involves removing smaller diameter trees from a forest — was crucial to maintaining forest health in a drying climate. SWTH project manager Wendy Perdon said while the project had maintained its original focus on forest health, it had evolved to become more significant. “When the State Government announced that native forestry would end in 2021, we realised that this project had the potential to take on an education element as there was an increased interest in ecological thinning,” she said. “This project was unique from the start, and we are proud to see it reach the stage of being officially open and playing an important role in helping people understand how different techniques of ecological thinning impact forest health.” The site features five areas within the forest, one with no treatment and four treated with different techniques of ecological thinning. Visitors to the site will be guided to each treatment with signage, which explains which technique was used and the Noongar forest health assessment of that technique. Mrs Perdon said a diverse community reference panel made up of former South West Greens member Chrissy Sharp, scientists, environmentalists, community members and forestry industry representatives was involved in the project. “We then engaged Traditional Owners to assess the forest health of the site, so we could incorporate their knowledge and vital insights into the project. “Research at the Kirup site will continue, making this project significant not only now, but for many years to come.”