19/12/2025
🪵🌲🌳 A New Year. 🪵🍃🌳
2025 has been a whirlwind of a year for anyone involved in the NSW Timber Industry and unfortunately, the mainstream media attention it has received has been negative, skewed towards an extremist green narrative and continues to pose as a relentless threat to our existence. Christmas will be a difficult time for many, especially those who have faced redundancy and job instability as a result of the logging moratorium on the Mid North Coast. The shadow cast on native forestry by the proposed national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation laws adds another layer of uncertainty for timber families. However, Christmas is also a time for reflection, gratitude and togetherness. With this in mind, we thought it timely to highlight some positive outcomes for the industry we love.
👉 The Minns Government recently released the findings of the NSW koala baseline survey. The findings are remarkable! The survey estimates that there are 274,000 koalas in NSW 🐨 This survey used advanced technologies such as drones and acoustic recordings. It gave a far more reliable baseline for koala conservation estimates then previous surveys. It was formerly estimated that there were between 15,000 to 30,000 koalas in NSW. Clearly, our existing approach to conservation has something to offer! please feel free to spread the good news!!
You can read more here: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/programs-legislation-and-framework/nsw-koala-strategy/building-our-knowledge-about-koalas/baseline-survey
👉 The forestry industry has been listed as one of the federal government’s seven essential industries. As part of the Labour Government’s Future Made in Australia campaign, the federal government is promising to add value to the sector through increased support of timber processing and manufacturing. As a consequence, we HOPE to see increased job security and investment within the sector while promoting the sale of **DOMESTIC** product. We also HOPE to see the security that is currently provided to the industry through the Regional Forestry Agreements mirrored in the new Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation legislation. Those within the industry know that the current RFA’s effectively balance the environmental, commercial and social use of forestry resources. The success of the RFAs is a result of outcome focused, transparent, traceable, five-yearly reviews that align with RFA-associated reporting from other states to fulfil national reporting obligations. Additionally and most importantly, the RFAs stipulate a reserve system that conserves over 1 million hectares of state forest and governs the sustainable management of the remainder. We are hopeful that the government will use this gold standard, world-class framework to inform the new EPBC act and the construction of the national Environmental Protection Agency while also consulting the Timber Fibre Strategy that they commissioned earlier in the year. This strategy offers the government science-led industry-backed advice that could further foster the investment and security we hope to see produced by the Future Made in Australia initiative.
You can read more here: https://www.nrf.gov.au/what-we-do/our-priority-areas/agriculture-forestry-and-fisheries
and here: https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/timayres/media-releases/secure-and-sustainable-future-forestry-industry #:~:text=Joint%20media%20release%20with%20Minister,environmental%20outcomes%20for%20Australia's%20environment.
and here: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/forestry/industries/strategic-forest-and-renewable-materials-partnership/timber-fibre-strategy
🫵 You can have your say on the draft National Environmental Standards! It is open for public consultation until the 28th of January 2026.
Interesting timing, but we will roll with it.
Read more here: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/epbc-act-reform/next-steps-on-environmental-law-reform
If you have more timber good news, let us know in the comments.
🍃 Keep on growing, falling, hauling, sawing and building! 🍃
