Shire of Katanning conducting patrols to stop wood thieves ‘decimating’ remaining pockets of natural habitat

The Shire of Katanning is conducting patrols to stop “significant” harvesting of firewood in the last remaining pockets of natural habitat in the area. The Shire is adopting an educational-based approach to stopping people from “decimating” local reserves by taking firewood, according to Shire regulatory service manager Shane Chambers. Mr Chambers has warned would-be illegal firewood harvesters that they could find themselves facing a State prosecutor and magistrate if they are caught repeatedly committing the offence. “We want to do things on an educational basis, certainly in the first instance,” Mr Chambers said. “If we are seeing anybody, we’ll say, ‘look what you are doing, it’s illegal’. We want to try and work with the public, the Shire is very much focused on education as our primary option and enforcement action as a last resort.” Mr Chambers said the Shire had received several reports of firewood — from both fallen and living trees — being harvested in the reserve around the Katanning speedway. “Because there’s been such significant clearing in the Great Southern, there aren’t any reserves which firewood can be harvested from,” he said. “There’s not a lot of reserve land left in the area and to have it decimated is not ideal.”