Wide-sweeping views of the majestic Glass House Mountains from the Bruce Highway are about to be revealed, but in the short term, motorists may find the change "shocking".
A 400-hectare exclusion zone in the Beerburrum Plantation, on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, has been closed to the public until late this December as loggers clear-fell enough softwood to build about 15,000 homes.
"People shouldn't be alarmed," said HQPlantations' stakeholder engagement manager Stephanie Hunt.
"We're not harvesting all of the pine plantations in the Glass House Mountains area, it's about 400 hectares in a 30,000-hectare plantation."
Ms Hunt stressed that the cleared land would be replanted with seedlings and warned people not to risk their lives by entering the worksite.
"It can be quite shocking for a period of time when that view changes," Ms Hunt said.
Introduced species
Southern pine hybrid trees are not native to Australia.
The softwood species were purpose-planted as a renewable timber source on Queensland government-owned land, leased by the company for 99 years.
Ms Hunt said the large scale of this harvest was due to devastating forest fires in the 1990s.
The company's standard practice was to plant and harvest in a mosaic pattern to reduce the visual impact.
"The 1994 fires wiped out nearly 5,000 hectares of the pine plantations, which was replanted in 1994, 1995, and 1996," she explained.
"That changed the landscape, and we have larger areas of clear fall resulting from that."
Quick turnaround
The harvested timber would be sorted on site into the length and diameter specified by sawmills, before being stacked and transported.
"If it's processed immediately, including the day or two that is required for drying, then it can be ready to be shipped as a wood product within about a week," Ms Hunt said.
About 200,000 cubic metres of wood was expected to be harvested for use as structural timber, building materials, and in landscaping and gardening products.
"Demand for housing is predicted to grow strongly in line with long-term population growth and local plantations are critical for meeting this demand for timber framing and wood products," Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said.
"This year alone around 38,000 new houses need to be built in Queensland."
The local industry met about 80 per cent of the state's timber needs.
"This is important in terms of supply capability and managing the risks from global trade disruptions such as we saw during the recent COVID crisis," Mr Stephens said.
The HQPlantations timber was certified to international standards under both the Responsible Wood and Forest Stewardship Council.
"Plantations also provide environmental benefits through the carbon emissions captured and stored in harvested and replanted trees," Mr Stephens said.
"Timber has a far lower carbon footprint compared to other building materials such as steel and concrete."
Harvest site closed 24/7
Motorcyclists, 4WD enthusiasts, bike riders, horse riders, photographers and walkers regularly access HQPlantations' managed forestry.
But the entire worksite would remain closed to access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including Rapkins Road, a popular forestry shortcut.
HQPlantations estimated that between 10 to 40 truckloads of timber a day would be hauled along routes including Rapkins Road, Red Road, and Johnston Road.
Harvesting equipment, B double, singles and mini B trucks would be operated in the area.
"Unlawfully entering a worksite is not worth a life and people might think that's an extreme statement," Ms Hunt said.
"But we have had serious injuries and even a fatality when people have entered worksites going past signage that explains that they're not to enter, that they shouldn't proceed."
The closure extends from the Bruce Highway west towards Steve Irwin Way, bordered by Johnston Road and Moffatt Road in the north, to Red Road in the south, with a smaller section north of Johnston Road also to be cut.
