Native forest logging to continue as NSW North Coast Wood Supply Agreements extended

The NSW Agriculture Minister has signalled the government has no plans to phase out logging of native hardwood in state forests. Key points: All North Coast Wood Supply Agreements have been extended until 2028 The Agriculture Minister says selective harvesting of native forests is a renewable industry and does not plan to phase out the practice Critics say the contracts are 'reckless' and unsustainable post-bushfires and further threaten the habitats of endangered animals The state government announced a five-year extension of North Coast Wood Supply Agreements last week. "Things are done in a very friendly way as far as the environment is concerned, there's no wholesale logging going on in state forests, there's selective harvesting of suitable trees in suitable areas," he said. "If there's still a chance, we need to cancel these agreements because in the long run NSW simply cannot afford to continue to log its state forests in this way," Mr Gambian said. "There’s no other reason timber would not be able to be supplied and that’s already been assessed by Forestry Corporation.” Dailan Pugh from the North East Forest Alliance said those assessments were not adequate and did not consider the Natural Resources Commission's findings that native forests were at risk of "serious and irreversible harm … from the cumulative impacts of fire and harvesting".