Forestry Corp logs threatened species habitat under 'road maintenance' loophole

“The scale of it is so great, they could probably do as much logging as they would do within about four or five years of all state forest logging in New South Wales,” he said.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority said it is aware of community concerns and is assessing information related to the matter. “As this assessment is ongoing, it is inappropriate to comment further,” a spokesperson said.

James Jooste, CEO of Australian Forestry Products Association, dismissed the criticism as a “supposition from an activist group who will do anything to desperately try and shut down an industry.” He said using trees felled during road maintenance for milling is a practical use of a product.

“This is not a Trojan Horse. This is not a loophole. This is practical use of a product or a tree that is felled, that can be milled for a critical product,” he said.

Justine Emerson, a lawyer at the Environmental Defenders Office, said the operation might not have been lawful even under road maintenance laws. The Biodiversity Conservation Act makes it an offence to harm the habitat of a threatened species, she said.

Forestry Corporation did not answer specific questions about the forest operations. A spokesperson said the work was contained within the previously disturbed footprint of the road corridor and included tree removal to enable machinery access. The purpose, he said, was to improve access and safety for community members who use the roads.

Mr Wong said if the loophole is not closed, management activities such as road maintenance will become profitable and their scale will increase. “There are 50,000km of roads in New South Wales state forest,” he said. “The scale of it so great, they could probably do as much logging as they would do within about four or five years of all state forest logging in New South Wales.”