NSW Forestry Corporation (FC) has succeeded in having its illegal clear felling and intensive logging of public native forests legalised through the newly extended 20yr Regional Forest Agreements (between State and Federal Governments). It has also succeeded in having the already weak logging rules further weakened, to allow logging within 5m of stream sides and reduced threatened species protections. FC and the LNP Coalition state government also intend to un-map previously mapped and protected areas of old growth and rainforest within public native forests to allow them to be logged. These appalling decisions will result in the destruction of thousands of hectares of threatened species habitat across our north coast region.
The North Coast Intensive Logging Zone
FC intends to clear fell and intensively log 140,000 ha of coastal public forest between Grafton and Taree and we are particularly worried about the loss of critical koala habitat especially known koala hubs existing within the proposed Great Koala National Park. And just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, state and federal governments now plan to pelletise and burn public native forests for power generation. Burning wood for electricity generates more carbon emissions that burning coal….durrrrr!
North Coast public native forest worth more standing
We know our public native forests are worth more to us left standing for carbon capture and storage, generating rainfall, delivering water to downstream users, biodiversity, recreation, tourism and amenity. NVCA is working alongside other regional and state forest conservation organisations to do whatever we can to protect old growth, rainforest and threatened species habitat from this short sighted destruction.
Image by Lyn Orrego
