Warning over common park act attracting fines up to $9,800 as winter trend 'spikes'
This week, two Victorians were allegedly caught by police "loading freshly cut and split timber" into a tandem trailer in a pre-dawn sting. "The trailer, two chainsaws, two block splitters, two mobile phones and the cut timber were seized on the spot," the state's Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action (DEECA) recounted.
The alleged illegal act took place at the Wandong Regional Park just after 5am on Monday. While that matter remains under investigation, officers have taken the opportunity to warn others of the steep fines — between $814 and $9,879 — for offenders caught in the act. Taskforce Ironbark, a state-wide initiative led by the Conservation Regulator in partnership with Parks Victoria, has been established to crack down on commercial firewood thieves.
Officers said night patrols are now routine, vowing to "hold accountable" members of the public breaching the law. Speaking to Yahoo News, Taskforce Ironbark Manager Brady Childs said the "systematic illegal felling of trees for firewood" is often undertaken by black market operators "with full knowledge that the activities are illegal".
"The Conservation Regulator's intelligence sources, including community reports, confirm firewood theft occurs all year round, with a significant spike in activity leading into and during winter," he said.
"We formed Taskforce Ironbark, led by the Conservation Regulator, in partnership with Parks Victoria, which is utilising routine and targeted patrols, to monitor areas of Victorian public land using a range of surveillance techniques, and responding to community reports, to catch commercial firewood thieves."
Childs said the taskforce targets firewood theft hotspots, working with other regulators both within Victoria and interstate. "If you're caught illegally harvesting timber from public land for commercial sale, you will be held accountable for the environmental damage, and risk facing prosecution and losing your equipment," he said.
💰 Aussies warned over fines up to $5,500 for illegal bush act
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Officers can issue on-the-spot fines exceeding $814 for breaches of firewood collection rules. More serious offences can attract penalties of up to $9,879 and 12 months' imprisonment. Authorities also have the power to seize chainsaws, trailers, vehicles, and any other equipment used in the offence.
It's an issue that occurs all over the country, with government departments in both Queensland and New South Wales earlier this month issuing alerts to try to deter people from committing the illegal act.
Why can't you take firewood from national parks?
Authorities remind people that logs, branches and leaf litter aren't waste; they serve as critical habitats and nutrients. They feed a myriad of insects, fungi, mosses, and lichens, which in turn support birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
Removing them clears away vital shelter and breeding grounds, damages soil health, and impedes natural decomposition, undermining ecosystem function. For live trees, the impact is even worse — removing vegetation destroys habitat, disturbs native species, and fractures the interconnected web of forest life.
Barriers that help prevent erosion can be lost, while tree roots that stabilise waterways are severed, raising the risk of sediment runoff and water pollution.
National parks are carefully managed to preserve complex ecosystems. Every fallen branch, rotting log, and standing tree plays a role in nutrient cycling, habitat provision, erosion control, and carbon storage. Removing items for firewood or decoration may seem harmless, but it erodes the foundation of these fragile ecosystems, undermining decades of conservation efforts.
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