Forest Rescue spokesperson Simon Peterffy said Forestry Minister Terry Redman’s recent decision to delay logging for nine months was a welcome move but not good enough.

“If they are going to be in there in the next year, then there’s not much point in us packing up our camp,” Mr Peterffy said.

“We will meet this week to discuss our next move, but we are likely to spend the time strengthening our position in the forest and developing a plan to put pressure on Terry Redman.”

He said moves were afoot to begin a door knocking campaign in Mr Redman’s Blackwood-Stirling electorate to raise awareness about the losses the Forest Product Commission has incurred through logging unsustainable blocks such as Chester.

“The FPC is down $90 million, it’s a huge cover up – that money should be going into the electorate, rather than keeping an unsustainable industry going,” Mr Peterffy said.

Mr Redman, along with Environment Minister Donna Faragher, responded to the activists’ request for a two-year moratorium on logging Chester, by way of letter to South West MLC Barry House last week.

Mr House had met with representatives from the Forest Rescue group earlier in the month in an effort to broker a deal between them and the ministers.

Mr Peterffy said the moratorium would enable time to gather proof of the environmental significance of Chester, which is a world ranked biodiversity hotspot.

He initially believed such an agreement had been reached, thanked Mr House for his assistance, and began plans to pull down the camp the protesters have occupied in the forest for over a year.

However, his demand for the agreement to be put in writing has not been forthcoming.

Mr House said the decision on whether to log the block will not be made until the results of a rare flora survey are known.

“In response to my enquiries, I have received a letter from the Minister for Forestry, Terry Redman which indicates there is an outstanding survey requirement attached to the proposal to log this piece of land,” Mr House said.