Forestry groups seek impact assessment before any expansion

Forestry and regional stakeholders are urging the NSW Government to pause any new national parks in southern New South Wales until it completes a full assessment of economic, environmental and community impacts.

The push follows concerns that more park expansion in southern NSW could cut access to sustainably managed timber, add pressure to regional jobs and limit active land management used to reduce bushfire risk.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service already manages more than 7.6 million hectares across more than 890 parks and reserves.

According to Timber NSW, parks stretching from the South Coast through the Snowy Mountains already form one of Australia’s largest contiguous protected landscapes.

7.6 million hectares already protected

State Forests cover about 2 million hectares in NSW, while foresters affect only about 0.2% of that State Forest area.

Timber NSW says that figure equals 0.042% of the combined National Park and State Forest estate.

Using a rugby field comparison, Timber NSW says forestry affects the same space as one single player when all NSW parks are shown as one field.

The forestry sector supports thousands of jobs across southern NSW in harvesting, transport, processing and manufacturing.

Timber NSW argues that active land management helps reduce catastrophic bushfire risk and maintain healthy forest ecosystems.

Timber NSW chief executive Maree McCaskill said: “Southern NSW already contains extensive areas of national park and future conservation efforts should focus on improving management outcomes rather than simply increasing the size of the national park network.”

McCaskill wants the NSW Government to show how it manages existing protected areas before adding more land to the national park network.

She also wants regional communities to have a genuine voice in decisions that affect local livelihoods and the environment.

McCaskill said: “The combination of parks stretching from the South Coast through the Snowy Mountains already forms one of Australia’s largest contiguous protected landscapes.”

She argues that the debate should focus on balancing land conservation, timber production, recreation, fire management and regional economic activity.

Timber NSW says communities across southern NSW fear productive forests could be locked away without a clear understanding of the economic, environmental and community effects.

As a result, forestry and regional groups want a comprehensive review before any further national parks are declared in southern NSW.