Main points
- A man has been handed a 15,000 fine over the felling of Cooktown Ironwood trees
- The 113 trees - up to 466 years old - were cut down in the Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park in 2020
- The man and his workers had been contracted to cut down trees on neighbouring cattle stations
A logging contractor has been fined in a Far North Queensland court over the felling of 113 trees, some more than 400 years old.
A member of the public noticed the cut down trees in the Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park near Cooktown in October 2020.
The following month, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers catalogued the damage, identifying 93 of the trees as Cooktown Ironwood and a further 20 various species.
They estimate more than half of the Cooktown Ironwoods were up to 250 years old, with the largest tree taking up to 466 to grow.
A man who can’t be named for legal reasons was charged with taking a natural resource of a protected area without authority.
The Department of Environment and Science said he was the contractor of a timber export company, which had been given permission to harvest Cooktown Ironwood trees on two cattle stations bordering the park.
“The man was hired by the timber export company to conduct harvesting activities and he hired other people to conduct the felling,” a DES statement says.
“Between 18 September and 22 October 2020, an unknown timber cutter employed by the man felled 113 trees in the Rinyirru National Park.”
The man was due to face Cooktown Magistrate’s court this week but failed to appear.
He was given a $15,000 fine in absentia and was also ordered to pay $250 in legal costs.
