Timber Harvesting
Melbourne's water supply catchments cover approximately 157,000 hectares including large areas of National Park. Some of the catchments are State Forest. The Department of Environment and Sustainability conducts timber harvesting in these State Forest catchments (Thomson, Tarago, Bunyip and Yarra Tributaries). Bunyip and Tarago are currently not utilised for Melbourne's water supply.
All timber harvesting is conducted in accordance with the Victorian Code of Forest Practices for Timber Production , which contains measures to protect water yield and water quality, including leaving buffer zones along streams, installing drainage on timber harvesting tracks and ensuring that access roads are well maintained. Audits are conducted to ensure compliance with the code.
In the Yarra tributaries (four comparatively small catchments in the Warburton area) timber harvesting is conducted in only one catchment per year. Water is not taken when timber harvesting occurs (December to April) - instead it flows downstream to assist with the environmental flows in the Yarra River.