The North East Forest Alliance is calling for an immediate 10% reduction in wood supply commitments to north-coast sawmillers from public forests because of the widespread death of trees due to the Black Summer bushfires, and a freeze on any new commitments until sufficient plots are sampled to accurately quantify remaining timber volumes.

The Forestry Corporation report ‘2019–20 Wildfires, NSW Coastal Hardwood Forests Sustainable Yield Review’ undertakes a preliminary desktop review of the likely impacts of the Black Summer wildfires on timber resources.

Media Alert: NE NSW Joins Statewide Save Our Koalas Day of Action

In the face of inclement weather the people of Northern NSW are rallying in their thousands from  Murwillumbah to Sydney this weekend to #SaveOurKoalas.

In Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Lismore, Clarence Valley, Bellingen, Nambucca Heads, Armidale, the Hunter Valley, Central Coast and Sydney members of the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) are gathering to voice their outrage at the latest "Koala killer" SEPP from the Berejiklian Government.

MEDIA RELEASE 9 March 2021

The North East Forest Alliance has described the announcement by Barilaro, Stokes and Kean that they are going to resurrect the Koala killing bill under a different guise as a death blow for Koalas and a major wind-back of democratic rights in NSW.

The Government’s intent is to allow core koala habitat to be indiscriminately logged and cleared, and to take away Council’s ability to require consent for logging, as well as their ability to create environmental zones, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

MEDIA RELEASE 8 March 2021

The North East Forest Alliance has described the Forestry Corporation’s widening of a track through rainforest around a Hoop Pine plantation west of Urbenville (in the upper Clarence River valley) that resulted in the clearing and damage to 5-6 hectares of world heritage quality rainforest, mostly in the Tooloom National Park, as a callous and indiscriminate act of vandalism.

The Forestry Corporation’s bulldozing of whole trees out of the ground into the rainforest was reckless and indiscriminate vandalism, it caused immense damage to rainforest assessed as being of world heritage value in a national park, those responsible must be held to account and the rainforest rehabilitated, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

MEDIA RELEASE – 17 January 2021

North coast conservationists have described NSW’s renewable energy plan as an environmental tragedy due to its intent to fast track the replacement of coal with native forests as fuel for power stations under the pretence that it is renewable energy. 

“This will increase CO2 emissions and contribute to the rapidly worsening climate and biodiversity emergencies and take money from genuine renewable projects”, said North Coast Environment Council Vice-President, Susie Russell.

“When Matt Kean launched his $32 billion renewable energy plan in early November it was claimed that the aim was to replace the state’s ageing and polluting coal-fired power plants with renewable solar, wind and hydro power, what he didn’t say was that the plan apparently includes rebooting some of those coal plants with even more-polluting wood from native forests”, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

In the next six months Hunter Energy intends to restart the mothballed 151 MW Redbank Power Station, near Singleton in the NSW Hunter Valley, fed by native forests to make it one of world’s ten biggest biomass power plants.

MEDIA RELEASE – 24 November 2020

The imminent rebooting of the mothballed Redbank Power Station (near Singleton) with north-east NSW’s forests will make it Australia’s most polluting power station and an existential threat to the future of our children and wildlife, according to the North East Forest Alliance.

Hunter Energy is currently seeking expressions of interest for timber from across north-east NSW to fuel their Redbank Power Station, with plans to restart the facility in mid 2021 fed by native forests to make it one of world’s ten biggest biomass power plants.

The claims are that it will power 200,000 homes, which was identified in 2017 North Coast Residues Report as requiring one million tonnes of biomass to be taken from north-east NSW’s forests and plantations each year, with 60% of this coming from private forests, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

“This is shear madness as burning this volume will release some 1.8 million tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year to fuel climate heating, increased droughts, heatwaves and more intense bushfires, while increasing forest degradation and hastening species extinctions.

“The community needs to urgently speak up to stop the NSW and Commonwealth Governments from allowing this environmental disaster” Mr. Pugh said.

MEDIA RELEASE - 18 November 2020

The North East Forest Alliance sincerely thanks Liberal Catherine Cusack for coming to the rescue of Koalas by refusing to support the National Party's Koala killing bill when it went to the Upper House for ratification last Thursday.

In his recent opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald Peter FitzSimons described Catherine Cusack as a hero of the Liberal Party, citing her as stating “I sent a message to Premier last week saying I couldn’t support it if goes ahead.”

The Greens, Labor Party, Animal Justice Party and Justin Field are opposing the National Party's Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020, so the Government needs every vote to get it passed.

As a result of Catherine Cusack's refusal to support this draconian legislation it was deferred last Thursday and is now due to be voted on by the Upper House this Thursday said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

"We trust that Catherine Cusack will maintain her principled stance and vote the bill down,

"Catherine Cusack was a member of the bipartisan inquiry 'Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales' that exposed the grossly inadequate protection for Koalas on private land and their likely extinction by 2050 unless we take real and meaningful action to save them.

"In a perverse reaction to the inquiry the National Party threatened to resign from the coalition unless existing Koala protections were substantially reduced.

"While Premier Gladys Berejiklian claimed to stand strong, she effectively capitulated to their demands by narrowing the definition of core Koala habitat in the Koala State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) to make it harder to identify core Koala habitat, and gave the Nationals free reign to make dramatic changes to the Local Land Services Act.

"Not only are the Nationals seeking to remove the prohibitions on logging and broadscale clearing of core Koala habitat, they are also trying to stop Councils from being able to include core Koala habitat in environment protection zones, and trying to prohibit Councils from being able to regulate logging and clearing in environmental zones.

"Catherine Cusack has shown that she has enough integrity to stand up against National Party bullying for the survival of Koalas. She is the saviour for the 67% of Koalas that live on private lands" Mr. Pugh said.

MEDIA RELEASE - 8 October 2020

The North East Forest Alliance has welcomed the Environment Protection Authority's (EPA's) belated prosecution of the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging rainforest, rainforest buffers and Koala High Use Areas in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest.

This is the first time since the North East Regional Forest Agreement was signed 20 years ago that the EPA have prosecuted the Forestry Corporation for breaches of their Threatened Species Licence in north-east NSW, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

"This follows the EPA issuing their first Stop Work Order in 20 years, after catching the Forestry Corporation illegally logging 2 giant trees in Wild Cattle Creek in July this year. In the same area NEFA subsequently found another 2 giant trees cut down and numerous others damaged.

"After 20 years of getting away with murder the Forestry Corporation is finally being held to account. Their illegal activities have flourished under lax regulation for far too long, we can only hope that by finally holding them to account that they will start obeying the law.

"Unfortunately this has come too late for the Koala as the requirement to protect Koala High Use Areas was abandoned in 2018 because the Forestry Corporation refused to do the thorough surveys required to identify them and the EPA refused to make them.

"Taking legal action now over one of the few Koala High Use Areas identified is like shutting the door after the horse has bolted.

"Both the logging now being prosecuted and the area where the giant trees were illegally felled this year, are part of the priority areas the Department of Planning Industry and Environment identified in 2019 for protection as the Great Koala National Park to "provide a feasible and strategic balance between increasing protections for koalas, while minimising impact to forestry operations".

"It is past time to stop logging these know Koala hotspots if we want Koalas to survive" Mr. Pugh said.

Photo: Giant tree found illegally felled by NEFA in July in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest.

MEDIA RELEASE - 7 October 2020

The Berejiklian Government's back-flip over identifying and protecting core Koala habitat from development, clearing and logging is another nail in the coffin of Koalas, according to the North East Forest Alliance.

"The Government's spin that their gutting of 25 years of Koala protection is somehow a good outcome for Koalas is utter nonsense", said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

"With 61% of Koala habitat on private land, making mapped core Koala habitat available for logging and allowing its broadscale clearing without approval, is a major loss of protection and will hasten the looming extinction of Koalas.

"Koala populations had declined by 50% over 20 years on the north coast before the fires, then they lost 30% of their remaining populations in one fire season, and now the Berejiklian Government is reducing Koala protections on private lands, while logging their surviving populations on public lands.

"Despite the warning of the bipartisan Koala Inquiry that Koalas could become extinct by 2050 the Berejiklian Government's perverse response has been to dramatically weaken protection for Koalas.

"The Liberals caved in to National Party bullying, this is not how you double a species population, this is how you make a species extinct." Mr. Pugh said.  

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The Koala State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP) was introduced by the coalition in 1995, with the principal intent of getting Councils to map core Koala habitat across their Shires. 

"Once core Koala habitat was mapped developers were required to avoid, minimise and manage impactson it. In 2007 the Private Native Forestry logging code forbade logging of core Koala habitat. And in 2013 the Local Land Services Act designated core Koala habitat as Category 2 - Sensitive Regulated Land, meaning that broadscale clearing of it required approval.

"Due to problems with restrictive mapping criteria and a political lack of will, since 1995 only 6 councils have mapped a total of 5,000 hectares of core Koala habitat.

"The revamp of the Koala SEPP in 2019 attempted to fix the mapping criteria and make it easier to identify core Koala habitat. Finally there was hope that Council's would start to fulfil their obligations to map core Koala habitat and that Koalas would get the legal protection promised since 1995.

"It was fear of Council's now mapping core Koala habitat that upset the timber industry and land developers, and thereby precipitated the National Party's dummy spit.

"The outcome is that the mapping criteria are being tightened to limit the ability of Councils to map and identify core Koala habitat, and that when identified it will no longer be excluded from broadscale clearing and logging.

"The measely 5,000 ha of core Koala habitat mapped over the past 25 years will be opened up for clearing and logging.

"Contrary to the Government's pretence, outside mapped core Koala habitat there is no meaningful protection for Koalas on private land.

"The bipartisan Koala Inquiry found that the regulatory framework for private native forestry does not protect koala habitat with the theoretical protections for koalas 'weakened substantially, or indeed non-existent, when practically applied' ¹.

"Land clearing is again rampant with 61,800 ha of woody vegetation being cleared each year, and the Government doesn't even know or care why much of this is being done, let alone how much of it is Koala habitat.

1. 1. Legislative Council inquiry into Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales (CKPOM = Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management , mapping core Koala habitat, as required by SEPP (note SEPP 44 was actually 1995))

7.49 Upon its introduction, the 1994 SEPP was a key piece in the government's suite of actions to protect koalas. However, the overwhelming evidence presented to the Committee is that whilst the intentions and principles of the 1994 SEPP were admirable, its implementation has fallen well short. Nowhere is more apparent than in the low approval rate of CKPOMs by the department.

7.50 To hear that in the 25 years of the 1994 SEPP's operation, only 6 CKPOMs were approved by the department shocked and angered the committee. The committee empathises with the frustration felt by both local councils who prepared these plans, and residents of these local council areas who sought better protection for koalas. The committee was displeased by the department's failure to provide a clear reason for its low approval rate and inexplicable delays of CKPOMs.

Committee comment

7.91 Based on the evidence received, the committee believes that the regulatory framework for private native forestry does not protect koala habitat on private land. In fact, the 'number of quite stringent protections for koalas' that government witnesses asserted the PNF Code contains are weakened substantially, or indeed non-existent, when practically applied. The committee finds it unacceptable that land identified as core koala habitat can be cleared because of departmental delays.

7.92 The committee concludes that many of the issues with the Private Native Forestry Codes of Practice stem from their reliance on protections under SEPP 44. Once again, the committee reiterates its disappointment at the systemic failure to approve koala plans of management under SEPP 44. Because of this failure, it is clear that protection of 'core koala habitat' under the Private Native Forestry Codes of Practice is not occurring as the NSW Government claims it is in its submission.

MEDIA RELEASE - 24 September 2020

NEFA is calling for urgent surveys to identify and protect areas where Koalas and other vulnerable species have survived the fires given the EPA's advice that logging of fire refugia could cause catastrophic population declines in species such as the Koala, Greater Glider and Yellow-bellied Glider.

The expert advice obtained by the EPA from Dr. Andrew Smith warns that the combined impacts of logging and burning will be devastating on wildlife and contravene State and Commonwealth legal obligations unless there is immediate protection of fire refugia and a reduction in logging intensity, according to NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

"While the National Party are demanding that the impacts of the fires on wildlife and timber resources be ignored to continue logging public forests as usual, it is a welcome change to see the EPA standing up for wildlife against their bully-boy tactics" Mr. Pugh said.

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Dr. Andrew Smith identifies that the 'primary effect of fire and past logging was to restrict fauna populations to a series of small, fragmented and isolated patches of unburnt or lightly burnt forest, referred to as fire refuges, scattered throughout the severely burnt forest'.

Further warning 'Fauna populations surviving in fire refuges in state forests are at risk of elimination by timber harvesting under the normal Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (CIFOA) which could prevent recovery, and cause catastrophic population decline in species such as the Koala, Greater Glider and Yellow-bellied Glider'.

"As scientists have been saying since the unprecedented extent and intensity of the fires became evident, the highest priority is to identify and protect these fire refuges" Mr. Pugh said.

"NEFA have had to undertake manual searches to identify Koala refugia in Braemar, Myrtle and Bungawalbin State Forests because the Forestry Corporation refuse to and the EPA are not allowed to.

"While the Forestry Corporation are happy to use Koala scat-detection dogs to look for Koalas in Kiwarrak State Forest, they have again refused NEFA's request to use them elsewhere in this region. This is sheer bloody-mindedness.

"It is going to take a long time for some species to recover from the fires, with Dr. Smith identifying recovery times around 10 years for the Hastings River Mouse, up to 45 years for the Koala and 20-120 years for the Greater Glider and Yellow-bellied Glider.

"It is reprehensible that the Forestry Corporation are pretending that this crisis is all over and demanding a return to business as usual as if the fires never happened.

"It is clear that, even with the temporary additional measures agreed between the EPA and Forestry Corporation to manage logging impacts in burnt landscapes, that the rules do not meet legal requirements", Mr. Pugh said.

Dr. Andrew Smith considers that the standard logging rules 'will not deliver ecologically sustainable management as required under the objectives of the Forestry Act 2012 and is likely to cause a significant impact under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'.

Dr Smith also considers that extra Site-specific Operating Conditions (SSOCs) developed by the EPA and Forestry Corporation to manage logging impacts in burnt landscapes 'will have little or no benefit' because of their temporary nature.

"We have the extraordinary situation whereby the National Party are demanding that there be no meaningful protection for Koalas on private lands, on the grounds that they should be protected on public land, yet on State Forests they have removed the need to look for Koalas before they log to identify and protect core Koala habitat", Mr. Pugh said.

"Now despite the loss of 44-100% of Koalas from burnt forests the National Party are insisting on maintaining logging volumes irrespective of the devastating impacts on native species.

"It is not just Koalas, there has been a massive loss of timber resources from these fires. Timber commitments need to be immediately reduced to take the pressure off surviving wildlife for the remaining 3 years of the Wood Supply Agreements.

"While the Government uses inflated and vague job claims to justify logging, the industry itself2 identifies that there are just 566 direct jobs in north-east NSW dependent on the unsustainable logging of public native forests"

"To put this into perspective, over the ten years 2006-16 the NSW timber industry shed 7,396 jobs due to over-logging and restructuring3. If we want to save our wildlife, we need to complete the restructure of the industry into plantations as soon as possible," Mr. Pugh said.

Photo:  One of the thousands of Koalas killed in the fires.

1. Smith, Dr. Andrew (2020) Review of CIFOA mitigation conditions for timber harvesting in burnt landscapes. Report to EPA.
2. Ernst and Young (2019) The economic impact of the cancellation of NSW North Coast Wood Supply Agreements due to the creation of the Great Koala National Park. Unpublished report for Australian Forest Products Association.
3. ABARES (2018) Australia’s State of the Forests Report 2018. Montreal Process Implementation Group for Australia and National Forest Inventory Steering Committee, 2018, Canberra, December. CC BY 4.0. www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/forestsaustralia/ sofr/sofr-2018 and www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/ publications