Large swathes of land next to a popular hiking track in the western district have been approved for clear-felling, sparking fresh concerns about protecting native forests ahead of the ban on logging.

The Victorian government's timber agency, VicForests, has been given approval to intensively log native trees from huge sections within the Beeripmo Walk, a bushwalking destination lauded for its cool fern gullies and tall forests.

The Beeripmo walking track at Richards Campground in Mount Cole State Forest. Credit:David Tatnall

The track borders the Mt Buangor National Park and is within the Mt Cole State Park, which the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council has called for some sections to be reclassified as a national park. The state government is due to make a decision on that recommendation by early February.

VicForests' four-year timber harvesting plan, which it released late on Christmas Eve, comes just weeks after the Andrews government announced native forest logging, part of the state's economy since European settlement, would end by 2030, sending shockwaves through the timber industry.