Consensus is clear: NSW native forests must be protected from logging

An Independent Forestry Panel today handed down a report that reveals widespread agreement from a variety of stakeholders that the future of forestry should not lie in the destruction of public native forests.

70% of submissions to the Panel expressed support for ending industrial native forest logging in NSW.

The NSW government is currently considering options for the future of forestry in NSW, and this report is supposed to help inform their decision making. The Panel consulted a cross-section of NSW stakeholders on the future of forestry, including industry, environmental groups, scientists, and regional communities.

The report identifies a common thread among the views of stakeholders: that plantation supply must be prioritised.

Stakeholders consulted for this report agreed that a clear path forward is needed; one that outlines a sustainable future for forestry in NSW. While the NSW government is determining this future, it makes no sense to renew wood supply agreements. These are legally binding agreements that commit to providing certain volumes of timber, yet without a plan for the future of forestry it’s unclear whether there will be sufficient timber supply to meet those commitments. 

A renewal of wood supply agreements could expose NSW taxpayers to huge compensation risks, as was the case in Victoria after the end of industrial native logging in the state in 2024.

The Wilderness Society says that the Minns government must not extend wood supply agreements, but instead listen to consensus and invest in sustainable alternatives, such as plantations, to meet the projected growth of demand for timber into the future.

Sascha Hawkins, NSW Forest Campaigner for the Wilderness Society, said, “The report findings tell us what we already know: the community wants to see an end to industrial native forest logging. Even industry agrees that we need to prioritise plantation support. 

“Extending wood supply agreements, and continuing industrial logging in these precious forests, would be downright nonsensical. This will only destroy more wildlife habitat, deepen financial losses, and leave NSW taxpayers exposed to huge compensation risk.

“The writing is on the wall: the Minns government must rapidly end industrial logging, and invest in a sustainable future for forestry that doesn’t rely on the destruction of precious native forests”.