Volunteers are being asked to pull on a pair of gloves to help clean up Taree’s Kiwarrak State Forest and Wauchope’s Cowarra State Forest.

Clean Up Australia Day events will be held in both forests on Sunday, March 2 from 8am.

Forestry Corporation Senior Field Ecologist Mark Drury said the events would target garbage that has been illegally dumped along forest fire trails and roads.

“The illegal dumping of rubbish remains a huge problem particularly in state forests that are close to towns,” Mr Drury said.

“Unfortunately, not all visitors leave the forest how they found it and, disappointingly, a small number of people seem to see State forests as dumping grounds.

“Across NSW hundreds of tonnes of household and construction rubbish, scrap metal and dumped vehicles are removed from state forests each year at considerable cost to the community.

“Fortunately, state forests that attract high visitation from the community don’t tend to experience as much dumping, so we thank the custodians of the forests the regular forest users, the bushwalkers, the local mountain bike clubs, the horse riders etc for their assistance.

“State forests are places for the whole community to enjoy nature and the great outdoors, but we come across everything from mattresses, couches and scrap metal to burnt-out cars in local forests.

“So this Clean Up Australia Day we’d like to get as many hands on deck as we can to help us clean up both Kiwarrak and Cowarra State forests. Whether you can spare an hour or a full day, we’d love to have your help,” he said.

When: Sunday, March 2 from 8am

Where: Cowarra State Forest – meet in the car park outside Guulabaa – Place of Koala off Burrawan Forest Drive, Lake Innes.  
Kiwarrak State Forest – meet in the car park of the Kiwarrak Mountain Bike Club, The Bucketts Way, Tinonee.  Briefings will be held and volunteers will receive equipment and maps. 

Bring: Hat, sunscreen and lace-up boots. All other equipment will be provided on the day. 

More information: Register online www.cleanup.org.au/cleanupaustraliaday

For more information about Forestry Corporation, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au