The Piney Rehabilitation Project
The Piney Rehabilitation Project - Update 28 August
A quick update on the Armidale State Forest Rehabilitation Project. Removal of dead and dangerous trees is ongoing with a large amount of work already completed as shown. Follow-up woody weed control is being undertaken across the site within treated areas.
The Piney remains closed as per the attached map which includes all mountain bike trails between Tilbuster Ponds and Donald Creek. Most of the trails in this area will require extensive work to get them back to a rideable condition and NEMTB is working with FCNSW on planning this next phase.
Please continue to stay away from the closed section of The Piney and heed all warning signs and directions given by FCNSW staff. So far there have been few problems reported with people entering the closed area which has been great.
Club members are strongly encouraged to avoid The Piney while this work is underway. Please use alternate trail networks (e.g. SportUNE, Fat Tyre Farm, Walcha MTB Trails) for your mountain biking fix.
For updated information on the rehabilitation project and current status, please refer to https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/operations/about-our-harvesting-operations/armidale-state-forest-rehabilitation-project.
We will continue to update members as updates come to hand.
The Piney Rehabilitation Project - Update 26 July
Forest Corp NSW have advised NEMTB that the planned Armidale State Forest Rehabilitation Project will commence from Thursday 28 July. Machinery will arrive onsite tomorrow (Wednesday 27) and preparations for the first phase will begin.
Partial closure of The Piney will take effect from tomorrow 27 July as per the map below. The closure will see all mountain bike trails between Tilbuster Ponds and Donald Creek closed to all users. Signage will be in place to inform forest users of the closures.
This work is critical to the future use of The Piney for mountain biking and other activities. All club members, visiting riders and other forest users are asked to avoid using the closed section of The Piney and heed all warning signs and directions given by FCNSW staff and contractors.
Club members are strongly encouraged to avoid The Piney while this work is underway. Please use alternate trail networks (e.g. SportUNE, Fat Tyre Farm, Walcha MTB Trails) for your mountain biking fix.
For updated information on the rehabilitation project and current status, please refer to https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/operations/about-our-harvesting-operations/armidale-state-forest-rehabilitation-project.
At this stage the works are expected to occur over the next four weeks. We will continue to update members as updates come to hand.
The Piney Rehabilitation Project
As many club members and riders would be aware, The Piney suffered during the last drought with a large degree of tree death across the forest and many other trees left in a poor state of health. The ongoing wet conditions have added to these impacts across the forest, making the riding a lot less enjoyable.
While an enormous effort has been made by club members to clear and maintain the tracks for riding, the current state of the forest means that the job of maintaining the tracks, particularly after each storm event, has become overwhelming. Hence, NEMTB has been in ongoing discussion with Forest Corp NSW about the issues faced within the forest. This includes the management issues which are beyond the club's abilities to resolve and the associated safety concerns.
These discussions with FCNSW have been very positive. As many people will have seen, planning for the Armidale State Forest Rehabilitation Project (https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/operations/about-our-harvesting-operations/armidale-state-forest-rehabilitation-project) is underway with QR codes being placed at all entrances to The Piney, advising forest visitors of the planned works.
The rehab project will result in the The Piney being closed to the public during rehab work. In addition, trails and trail features are likely to be impacted to ensure the safety of forest users into the future. The club will continue to work with FCNSW to minimise these issues where-ever we can but have accepted this is necessary to improve riding conditions at The Piney. As works are undertaken we will work to review what trails need work and undertake an ongoing renewal of the trails following rehab works.
Works are likely to commence in the near future depending on staff and equipment availability and the weather but no dates have yet been set. Once something is confirmed we will let all members know.
Over the next few weeks, if you head out to The Piney for a ride or a walk, please heed any new signage advice that is in place. In particular, if signage advises The Piney is closed please use an alternate venue for your activities until the forest is reopened.
We will keep you updated as we get more information on dates and areas impacted.
