Up to 400,000 hectares of Victorian forests have now been destroyed by two mega\u2011fires still burning at Mt Lawson\u2013Walwa and Longwood, marking Victoria\u2019s most destructive fire event since the Black Summer fires of 2019\u201320.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the scale of the disaster becomes clearer, the state\u2019s pine plantation estate is now facing its greatest threat in years. Wood Central understands that the Mt Lawson\u2013Walwa fire has torn through a vast softwood estate, with The Age reporting that a 10,000\u2011hectare pine plantation\u2014a key source of structural timber, pulpwood and biomass\u2014has already been destroyed.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Statewide, more than 350 structures have been lost, and at least 395,000 hectares of forest and vegetation have burned. Communities are confronting the destruction of homes, livestock, and essential infrastructure, while the forestry sector braces for long\u2011term impacts that will reverberate across regional supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crisis continues to deepen, with more than 20 bushfires still active, including 12 classified as major. Emergency\u2011level warnings remain in place at Walwa in the north and across parts of the Otway Ranges, with Premier Jacinta Allan today describing the disaster as \u201ca devastating reminder of the tragedy that fire can bring to any community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n