Sawlogs & Sleepers

The Last Tree Harvested Commercially

P McHugh

The Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced in Parliament on 23 May 2023 that commercial harvesting of native State forests would end on 1 January 2024. After the announcement, FFMVic 1 stated that harvesting and haulage contractors would remain engaged by VicForests until 30 June 2024 and continue to support the fuel-reduction burning program. But then, on 5 January 2024, VicForests instructed all its Community Forestry licensees that they had only a month left, and that operations were to cease on Monday 5 February. Allegedly, the date was brought forward by five months because it was feared that conservation groups, who were taking court action against VicForests, were about to launch legal action against individual licensees as well.

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Geoff Evans and the "last tree"
5 February 2024
Source: G Evans

Geoff Evans grew up in Stawell and graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick in 1971. On leaving Creswick he was posted to Toolangi and assisted in managing the 1939 ash regrowth thinning program. After completing a forestry degree at Melbourne University he moved to Forrest in 1975 to supervise logging and regeneration operations on the Otway Ridge. In 1978 he was transferred to Powelltown as the Assistant District Forester, responsible for fire protection and forest operations. He was also responsible, along with others, for building the iconic “Walk Into History”. In 1981, he moved to Horsham as the Fire Protection Planning Officer for Western Victoria, but on the formation of CFL in 1984 he secured a new role as the Assistant Regional Manager Operations (ARM-OPS) for the Horsham Region.

In 1985, Geoff was accredited as one of the first Level 3 Fire Controllers, a position he maintained for 26 years. Geoff went to America in 2000 as part of the first international fire deployment and was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in 2004. Following more restructures in 1993, Geoff was appointed Senior Forester and Fire Management Officer at Horsham.

He retired in 2011 and applied for a licence to cut firewood in the Cherrypool State Forest, 45kms South of Horsham. Over his 13 years of thinning red gum regrowth, Geoff cut an average of 20m3 firewood per month over an 8 month season, which began each October. His best ever month was 69m3 but, in the rush of his last four weeks before the closure, he and his family managed to cut a massive 175m3.

Following the early shutdown, VicForests held a “wake” for all its community forestry licensees across Victoria at Beaufort on 5 April 2024. Prior to the event the VicForests supervisors got together and came up with a few awards, and Geoff was presented with the “Most Consistent Cutter” award. At the “wake” It also emerged that Geoff had felled the very last commercially harvested tree in State forest on the morning of 5 February 2024. The tree was a red gum in his firewood coupe in Cherrypool State Forest.

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1 Forest Fire Management Victoria

Native Forest Production

Forestry Businesses

The link below will provide access to maps of sawmill and tramline locations in a number of forests.

The link below provides access to a spreadsheet recording sawlog and sleeper production statistics.

Peter McHugh

Peter graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry at the end of 1977 and his first postings with the FCV were to Mirboo North and then later to Kallista/Gembrook. 

Like many others, Peter was awarded two years full-time study leave to attend Melbourne University to complete a Bachelor of Forest Science during 1979 and 1980. 

Upon graduation from Melb Uni, Peter headed the small mill study team to examine the recovery of sawn timber from logs produced on State forests. After a short two year tour-of-duty with forest research based at Sherbrook Peter found himself caught up in the prolonged restructure process that accompanied the formation of Conservation Forest and Lands from mid-1983.

After some turmoil, Peter found a role in the newly formed Dandenong Region, first as Resources Assessment Officer where he was instrumental in the introduction of Geographic Information Systems for the Department, then later at Woori Yallock and Powelltown as Senior Forester for the Yarra Valley preparing a major Forest Managment Plan. In another departmental restructure during late 1993 Peter moved to Gippsland as Senior Forester and then held a number of varied roles in forest management. 

Peter has a strong interest in community engagement and was able to study in Indonesia, Canada, Sweden and the UK.

Peter rose through various firefighting roles from crew leader at Ash Wednesday in 1983, Air Attack Supervisor to become a Level 3 Incident Controller and Agency Commander. Like most staff and was heavily committed to the large fires across Gippsland including the alpine fires in 2002/03, 2006/07, Aberfeldy/Seaton in 2013, Black Saturday in 2009 and the Hazelwood Mine fire.

His work in developing the Cobaw Staff ride won Peter the prestigious State Fire award in 2012 and a result he was invited by the US Forest Service and US Marines to participate as an participant/instuctor in their a senior fire leadership course which examined the lessons learned from the Battle of Gettysburg.

Peter retired in 2016 after nearly 39 years and now finds time to volunteer in his local community and write some history of the Forests Commission.

Peter McHugh

Peter graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry at the end of 1977 and his first postings with the FCV were to Mirboo North and then later to Kallista/Gembrook. 

Like many others, Peter was awarded two years full-time study leave to attend Melbourne University to complete a Bachelor of Forest Science during 1979 and 1980. 

Upon graduation from Melb Uni, Peter headed the small mill study team to examine the recovery of sawn timber from logs produced on State forests. After a short two year tour-of-duty with forest research based at Sherbrook Peter found himself caught up in the prolonged restructure process that accompanied the formation of Conservation Forest and Lands from mid-1983.

After some turmoil, Peter found a role in the newly formed Dandenong Region, first as Resources Assessment Officer where he was instrumental in the introduction of Geographic Information Systems for the Department, then later at Woori Yallock and Powelltown as Senior Forester for the Yarra Valley preparing a major Forest Managment Plan. In another departmental restructure during late 1993 Peter moved to Gippsland as Senior Forester and then held a number of varied roles in forest management. 

Peter has a strong interest in community engagement and was able to study in Indonesia, Canada, Sweden and the UK.

Peter rose through various firefighting roles from crew leader at Ash Wednesday in 1983, Air Attack Supervisor to become a Level 3 Incident Controller and Agency Commander. Like most staff and was heavily committed to the large fires across Gippsland including the alpine fires in 2002/03, 2006/07, Aberfeldy/Seaton in 2013, Black Saturday in 2009 and the Hazelwood Mine fire.

His work in developing the Cobaw Staff ride won Peter the prestigious State Fire award in 2012 and a result he was invited by the US Forest Service and US Marines to participate as an participant/instuctor in their a senior fire leadership course which examined the lessons learned from the Battle of Gettysburg.

Peter retired in 2016 after nearly 39 years and now finds time to volunteer in his local community and write some history of the Forests Commission.