VIC - Campers and homeowners banned from collecting FIREWOOD in NP and public lands

[janderson]

I hope this explains the situation.
Barmah National Park is 70,000-acre, Established‎ in 2010. Before this it was a State Park used by many including the bush workers that installed and maintained the tracks, bridge's ect. When National Parkes took it from the community's that live along the boundary we were promised that we would always have access to firewood for domestic use. The Park was taken over with only 3 years of funding. Now there's no money left so there is now no maintenance to tracks or infrastructure. Tracks gone to being overgrown, bridge's pulled out or fallen down ect.
Earlier this year we had a fire in the NP. The CFA, DELWP & sParks Vic were unable to reach it due to fallen trees ect on the tracks. All they could do was watch it until the morning when they finally found a bulldozer to clear the tracks. Lucky for us a creek stoped it from spreading to far, however we lost many old gums.
Now as for no wood in there. No, not much where people camp as they are allowed to collect firewood from any ware at any time. The areas that don't have many campers there is plenty. If you go deep in to the bush there is an abundance laying about. Last Autumn I cut my 16 cubic meters of one fallen tree. But had 3 muddy creek crossing to get to it. Visitors and Campers don't go to these areas.
Don't forget the local's now more about the bush that anyone, we also know many areas that visitors will never find. How many know of the hut and where it is? Even the Rangers don't know about it.
Each year we have an Autumn and a Spring domestic food season. Normally for 3 months but for the last few years this have been reduced. One Spring we only had 1 month. We are only allowed to collect a maxim of 16 cubic meters per household per year. We are also restricted to 2 meters per trip/day. We are designated an area that we are only allowed to use. I live 1km from the NP but in 13 years my minim travel has been 60km return. The current wood coup is 100km return.
Up here we only have wood for heating and a lot still cook and heat water with it. In the country electricity is to expensive (we pay a higher price than those in the city's). We don't have Natural Gas. Bottle Gas is also expensive. Around $130 45 litre bottle. In the city a pensioner gets a discount with every gas bill for gas used. Pensioners in the country do not get a rebate on Gas until they have bought 3 bottle. So we pay in advanced before we get the rebate were in city's its after it is used. Even with the rebate it's still a lot more expensive. So for us in the country we use wood for heating and a lot of people even depend on it to cook.