The curious case of a felled tree at the proposed Westbury prison site remains unsolved after the government denied any involvement in the hubbub.
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Tasmania Police attended the scene after reports by prison opponents on Sunday morning. Inquiries are continuing into what actually happened.
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A police spokesperson said officers arrived after a group of people who were collecting wood from the site had fled.
At least one tree was chopped down before the group was confronted by locals.
Development is currently halted at the site amid environmental concerns.
A government spokesperson said it was "a suspected case of illegal firewood harvesting" and it was not aware of any authorised tree felling on the Westbury prison site.
Similarly, the government department that issues authorisation remained adamant they were not involved.
A Sustainable Timber Tasmania spokesperson, which formerly operated as Forestry Tasmania, confirmed the group had not received any authorisation from the department.
Prison opponents remained perplexed as to why the group had ventured so deep into the land - including taking vehicles across difficult terrain - when there was supposedly more accessible firewood elsewhere in the reserve.
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