Bright plantation: Harvesting at Mystic in 2022

March 3, 2022

UPDATE

What has been happening since the July 2021 notification?

HVP, our cable harvest contractor, and Alpine Community Plantation (including the Alpine Cycling Club, North East Victoria Hang Gliding Club, and event operators) have continued to work together to prepare and plan for the 2022 harvest operation.

When will it commence?

The harvest worksite will close from 15 March 2022, which is the Tuesday after Labour Day long weekend. The main worksite will remain closed throughout the operation, and additional zones will close from time to time, depending on where machinery is active.

What does this mean for Mystic users?

For Mystic Park users, stay in touch with trails information via Mystic Park, Bright on Facebook, and Trailforks (app or website) to check for closures. If you are a member of the North East Victoria Hang Gliding Club, please refer to NEVHGC for information about launch access during the operational period.

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26 July 2021

HVP Plantations wish to provide early notification of 2022 harvesting and haulage operations within the Mystic basin of Bright, which will continue the life cycle of pine plantations in this area.

• Safety
• Roadworks
• Harvesting
• Log transport
• Preparation & tree planting
• Community recreation
• Plantation access
• For more information
• Map

Safety

HVP takes safety seriously, please note the following:

• Forest operations worksites are dangerous. The harvest worksite will be closed to vehicles, pedestrians, and riders twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for the duration of the operation.
• The planned worksite closure zone is marked on the map at the bottom of this post.
• Beware of increased heavy vehicle traffic and machinery moving in and out of the plantation.
• Hazards and risks to people’s safety are not always obvious.

Roadworks

UPDATE 25/11/2021: The construction site around the intersection of Robinson Rd and Brown Rd will be closed from Monday 29 November to Friday 3 December. Please refer to ‘Mystic Park, Bright’ on Facebook, or download the free Trailforks app to check for trail closures.

Road works will be undertaken to prepare for harvesting, log loading and transport. The timing is most likely to be in November 2021, lasting approximately two weeks. This operation will focus on the area around Robinson Rd and Brown Rd. Some trails near the worksite will need to close during this operation, to manage the risks of machine movements, earthmoving and dislodged rocks.

Harvesting

The plantation area shaded in green on the map (at the bottom of this post) is due for harvest, commencing late February 2022 and continuing into June 2022. This area was harvested and replanted in the late 1980s, so the current crop of trees is over 30 years old, and ready to be converted into sawn timber and other building and paper products.

• The harvest worksite and a number of roads, tracks and trails feeding into the worksite will be closed for the duration of the operation.
• The harvest worksite crosses over Moran Rd up towards the Mystic launch. This means permitted traffic accessing the launch will be detoured during the harvest operation.
• The harvest operation will remove a number of mountainbike trails.

Log transport

Our drivers will transport the plantation logs from the Mystic worksite to HVP’s customers in Myrtleford, Wangaratta, Benalla.

• Transport will commence a few days after harvesting commences, and is expected to continue from the Mystic harvest site into Winter 2022.
• The transport route (shown on the map at the bottom of this post) includes Mystic Lane, Robinson Rd and Brown Rd.
• Our professional drivers are committed to road safety. Cyclists and pedestrians must yield to trucks.

Preparation & tree planting

Crews will hand-plant a new crop of trees in Winter 2022. Alpine Community Plantations and the Alpine Cycling Club are planning for future trail building after the new crop has been planted. Mystic’s trail network is ever evolving, and newly planted areas create a ‘clean slate’ for future trail building.

Community recreation

HVP recognise that many community members have an affinity with our forests, and enjoy walking, running, riding and flying activities throughout the year. We understand the value of Mystic Park to residents, businesses and visitors, so we are working closely with Alpine Community Plantations (ACP, Mystic Park’s recreational manager), the Alpine Cycling Club (ACC) and the North East Victoria Hang Gliding Club (NEVHGC) to plan this operation.

Working together well in advance of the harvest helps us achieve the best results possible. It makes sure of the following:

• Riders can enjoy a number of well-loved trails before farewelling them at the end of February 2022. These include: Mystic Downhill; Eiger (and Eiger alt); Caros (and Caros alt); Fly by Night; Deer Stalker; TreeHugger; and Rhys’ Pieces.
• Disruptions to trail connectivity between different sides of the Park can be minimised.
• ACP and ACC have time to hatch plans for new ride experiences to emerge in the heart of the Mystic basin.

Permission to access plantations

HVP’s plantations are private property, and you need to gain permission to enter to go riding, running and walking. N.B. This permission is referring to general recreation access – it is never safe to enter forest operations worksites.

• General plantation recreation: Before entering any plantations, please undertake a visitor induction and apply for a Human Powered Pass.
• Mystic Park:
  Refer to Mystic Park’s rider code of conduct and accept terms and conditions to ride.

For more information

• Notifications: If you would like to register to receive email notifications of other HVP operations as they occur around Bright, Porepunkah, Freeburgh and Wandiligong, please register here.
• Visit HVP’s operations page for general information about the plantation lifecycle and the range of HVP operations.
• Contact HVP’s office: For further information, to provide feedback, or to become a stakeholder, please contact our Myrtleford office: phone (03) 5731 2000; or email HVP via our contact page.
• Mystic Park: For the latest information on Mystic trails, please follow Mystic Park, Bright on Facebook, or download the free Trailforks app to check for closures.
• If you are a member of the North East Victoria Hang Gliding Club, as we get closer to the operation commencing please refer to NEVHGC for further information about launch access during this period.