A senior forester has urged Kyogle Council to consider the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental consequences) before agreeing to reclassify state forests, warning that proposed changes could affect local jobs, timber supply and long‑term forest health.
Speaking to a motion before Kyogle Council to reject the transfer of 176,000 hectares of state forest into National Park, on behalf of Hurfords, one of NSW’s largest hardwood companies and Timber NSW members, qualified forester and Southern Cross University PhD candidate Mia Cassidy told councillors that state forest timber allocations are not confined to local boundaries.
Mills in Kyogle, she said, often rely on logs sourced from regions such as Coffs Harbour and Glen Innes, meaning decisions made outside the shire have direct consequences for local businesses.
Kyogle’s three timber mills remain among the region’s largest employers, and Cassidy said any reduction in state forest supply would ripple through the community.
“Beyond direct employment, there is the flow‑on effect of service jobs that support workers and businesses such as accountants, banks, post offices, schools and doctors,” she said.
Cassidy outlined the current management of New South Wales’ 9.95 million hectares of publicly owned forests, noting that 8.2 million hectares are already managed as national parks or nature reserves. Of the remaining 1.75 million hectares of state forest, she said, around one million hectares are protected and unavailable for harvest, leaving roughly 750,000 hectares of productive forest.
As it stands, just 2 per cent of that productive area is harvested each year under strict guidelines and EPA oversight. Cassidy emphasised that land clearing, old‑growth harvesting, and rainforest logging are illegal in NSW, and that forestry operations are tightly regulated.
She warned that private land forestry cannot sustain the region’s mills without continued access to state forest timber. “Our mills will not be able to run on the available volumes of privately sourced timber alone,” she said.
Cassidy also challenged the assumption that converting state forests to national parks would automatically improve environmental outcomes. “Reclassification does not come with increased budget or manpower,” she said, arguing that a change in tenure often results in “no management,” increasing risks from weeds, pest animals and bushfire.
She cited a WWF‑commissioned study into koala losses following the 2019 bushfires, which found national parks recorded the highest proportion of population decline among forest tenures. Cassidy said well‑managed production forests often perform better in terms of resilience and ecological outcomes. “The forests being flagged for tenure change are recognised as being well maintained and of value to the reserve estate,” she said.
Cassidy thanked councillors and community members who attended Hurfords’ open forest day earlier in the year and said the company plans to host another event next year. She invited councillors to visit the forest with her directly. “If you have questions or you’d like to see what we do, please contact me,” she said. “I’d love to have a chat or take you to the forest.”
The Council chambers were filled with forest industry employees, contractors and foresters who then watched as Kyogle Council debated and then voted to support the motion:
That Council:
- Formally oppose the transition of the 176,000 ha of State Forest assessment area on the North Coast to National Parks and Wildlife.
- Write to The Hon Chris Minns, Premier, The Hon Tara Moriarty, Minister for Forestry and local member The Hon Janelle Saffin, MP.
