How could the short-term firewood supply issue be summed up?
The domestic supply of firewood to local communities will be mostly unaffected until the end of winter 2003 because timber in the Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands that has already been felled for community firewood purposes can still be collected by people with a domestic firewood permit. In addition commercial firewood cutters, including those who have traditionally sold their wood locally, will be able to collect firewood that they have already fallen for up to three years and can still sell it in the normal way. The Five-Year Firewood Plans have identified that there is a sustainable long-term domestic supply of firewood from public land for most towns in the region, (although there may be some increased travel distances and some supply of different species to meet current demand). In the next Five-Years the Government has committed to meeting firewood shortfalls in the Box-Ironbark area.
