Upcycling felled timber to help rehabilitate Kiewa River

REPURPOSED timber from the restoration of Bogong High Plains Road has already delivered benefits for a nearby waterway rehabilitation project on the Kiewa River being undertaken by the North East Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA). The timber, collected from felled trees, was donated by Major Road Projects Victoria and East Gippsland-based construction partner Whelans Group Investments following the completion of repair works on Bogong High Plains Road after the biggest landslide in Victoria in more than 40 years in October 2022. The North East CMA has worked with MRPV in line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for repurposing timber felled during road projects for waterway rehabilitation, first introduced by the Victorian Government in May 2019. The timber provided will form part of a project on the Kiewa River between Tawonga and Tawonga South. Funding via a VFA fish habitat grant is being sought to support delivery of the project. MRPV executive program director Alexis Davison said donating timber from felled trees on their projects ensures a continued life cycle for the valuable resource, and enables important collaboration between different agencies. North East CMA project officer, Richard Dalkin, said the partnership with MRPV leverages a rare opportunity where a road project was located close to the waterway rehabilitation site on the Kiewa River. “Often the biggest challenge is finding timber in the location where these works are being undertaken,” Mr Dalkin said. “The biggest cost of these waterway projects is cartage of the timber being repurposed. “We are also working in another partnership with Alpine Shire which is providing timber for this project.” North East CMA chief executive officer, Katie Warner, said instream woody habitat (IWH) is important for the health of waterways and biodiversity. “It helps sustain fish populations; providing fish with shelter, food resources, breeding areas and territorial markers,” Ms Warner said. “Reusing timber removed during road construction such as the work on the Bogong High Plains Road boosts opportunities for instream woody habitat rehabilitation projects." Ms Warner said North East CMA would continue to work in partnership with private contractors and other agencies to best utilise repurposed timber on future waterway projects. “Working with the road project managers from the early planning stages of this project has ensured the best possible outcome,” she said.

Upcycling felled timber to help rehabilitate Kiewa River

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