Hidden report pushed for post-bushfire logging on the NSW south coast to stop, residents angered

25 November 2021

Published by https://www.abc.net.au/

AUSTRALIA – Parts of the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) report, tabled in June 2021, has only recently become public, after the government refused to release it in full.

The report states logging should have been suspended for three years in the “extreme-risk” areas of Nowra, Narooma, and Taree from February 2020, when bushfires tore through those regions.

It also revealed forests in the Batemans Management Area, including Mogo and Shallow Crossing, are “high-risk” for ecological damage with current logging rules and 75 per cent of the landscape should remain protected.

Forestry Corporation NSW continues to log in these regions despite the damage from bushfires.

Government secrecy ‘despicable’

Nick Hopkins lived in Malua Bay near Batemans Bay when the Currowan fire destroyed his home in November 2020.

He is also the Community Liaison for Friends of the Forest Mogo.

“The community was very disheartened and angered that Forestry Corporation could go about business as usual as though there never had been this major wildfire,” he said.

Mr Hopkins said the residents of these regions have been right all along about the need to put a stop to deforestation on the South Coast.

Independent MLC, Justin Field said it is time for the government to acknowledge the dire warnings from the report.

“The government has been sitting on expert, independent advice that says business as usual for the forestry industry is not possible, so the community is furious the government has sat on this report which warns of irreversible damage,” he said.

‘Lacked political will’

The report projects a 30 per cent reduction in the South Coast’s wood supply over the next 20 years compared to pre-fire projections.

For this reason, Mr Field said the government needs to consider an exit from native forest logging.

“We need an industry restructure package to enable that to happen and transition our timber into sustainable plantations and away from out native forests.”

A statement from the Spokesperson for the Deputy Premier, Paul Toole, said the NSW government “commissioned the NRC review to assist in determining the longer-term approach to managing the impacts of bushfires on the State forest estate.”

“While the review remains Cabinet in Confidence, it was not intended to replace the existing robust legal framework under the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations approval (IFOA).”

Mr Field said the state government has “lacked the political will to take on what is a very difficult policy challenge.”

A Forestry Corporation New South Wales spokesperson said in a statement that following the bushfires of 2019-20, they have “taken a range of steps to ensure hardwood timber harvesting continues to be appropriately managed.”

“Operations on the south coast, where there are no hardwood timber plantations, reduced to around a third of the normal rate and operations in fire-affected forests have only taken place with additional environmental safeguards.”

The Friends of the Forest Mogo are also calling for suspension of all logging operations on the South Coast until logging can proceed in accordance with the Natural Resource Commission’s recommendations.