Tasmania’s Ancient Forests Under Threat Amid Controversial Logging Practices.

In Tasmania’s Huon Valley, the towering stump of a centuries-old eucalyptus tree stands as a haunting symbol of ongoing native forest logging. As wide as two dining tables and taller than an average person, the remnant marks the site where a 500-year-old tree was recently cut down—only to be left behind because it was too large to transport.

"This tree was ancient, and its destruction is a tragedy," said Jenny Weber, campaign manager at the environmental group Bob Brown Foundation. “It’s shocking that such an old tree could be felled and then simply abandoned.”

Despite growing environmental concerns, logging of native forests remains legal in Tasmania, an island state covered in forests across nearly half of its 68,000 square kilometers. Tasmania leads all Australian states in the rate of native forest logging, felling 18.5% of its native forests in the year ending June 30, 2023—well above the national average of 10%, according to government statistics.

While other states like South Australia have protected native forests since the 1800s, and Victoria and Western Australia have recently banned native tree logging as of 2024, Tasmania has yet to follow suit. Environmental activists and ecologists argue that the ongoing deforestation is driving local species closer to extinction.

Public frustration is growing. In March, more than 4,000 demonstrators marched through Hobart, many dressed as threatened wildlife such as the Tasmanian devil and the critically endangered swift parrot. The swift parrot, which relies on the hollows of mature eucalyptus trees for nesting, faces a bleak future if its habitat continues to be destroyed.

“If these old trees are gone, the parrots have nowhere to breed, no chicks are born, and eventually, the species vanishes,” explained Charley Gros, a French ecologist advising the Bob Brown Foundation.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania, the government-owned body managing 812,000 hectares of production forest, maintains it is striking a balance between timber harvesting and conservation. According to its annual report, just under 6,000 hectares—less than 1% of managed land—were logged in the past year. The organization also claims to monitor endangered species and employ adaptive management strategies.

In its efforts to regenerate forests, the agency reported sowing 149 million seeds across 5,000 hectares in the same period. However, critics like Weber argue that only eucalyptus trees are replanted, neglecting other native flora such as myrtles and sassafras, thereby weakening ecosystem diversity.

The logging process itself is controversial. After trees are harvested, the land is cleared using aerial incendiaries, which emit toxic fumes. Newly sprouting trees attract marsupials like wallabies and possums, which are then shot to protect the seedlings intended for future logging.

Adding to concerns, over 70% of the felled wood ends up as wood chips, largely exported to China and Japan for use in paper products. Meanwhile, the native hardwood industry generated around Aus$80 million (US$51 million) in 2022–2023, employing fewer than 1,000 Tasmanians according to census data.

For conservationists like Weber, the stakes are clear: “Eucalyptus alone can’t sustain a forest. These trees need a community to thrive, and we’re losing that with every tree that falls.

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-loggers-fell-native-forests-australian.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.