Claims that logging in public native forests costs NSW taxpayers tens of millions of dollars need closer scrutiny. That is according to Steve Dobbyns, a third‑generation forester who grew up and works in the state’s native forests.
Dobbyns, who has 40 years’ experience in the field, spoke to Wood Central following claims by Greens MP Sue Higginson, who is leading a campaign to end native forestry in the state. “Native forest logging costs a staggering $32 million this year,” Higginson said yesterday. “That’s over $87,000 per day. Forestry Corporation wastes tens of millions each year to destroy our precious native forests — and they use your money.”
But Dobbyns, Chair of Forest and Wood Communities Australia, says the headline figure is a misrepresentation of the Forestry Corporation’s role. He explained that the agency receives Community Service Obligation (CSO) funding “to provide a range of community services including roading, recreational facilities, education, regulatory and fire protection services.”
According to Dobbyns, the annual CSO cost is generally around $20 million — or $10 per hectare across two million hectares of state forest — and does not cover the full cost of managing the 50–60% of state forest reserved solely for conservation.
“Activists often refer to this public good funding as taxpayer subsidies or losses,” he said. “But when you compare it to the $850 million the NSW Government spends managing National Parks — around $121 per hectare — it’s clear that actively managed state forests, which also sustainably produce timber products, are actually a better spend of taxpayers’ dollars.”
That’s before factoring in the environmental benefits of timber production itself. “Half the weight of timber is converted CO₂ stored as carbon,” Dobbyns said, adding that ending native forestry would come at a high cost. “Taxpayers need to be aware of the extra spending they’re being asked to make. The cost so far in Victoria to close their native timber industry is between $875 million and $1.5 billion, plus $72 million per year to re‑engage the very same forestry contractors they put out of work to fight bushfires.”
With more than four decades in forestry and roles on the boards of Timber NSW and Forest and Wood Communities Australia, Dobbyns argues that native forestry is not a drain but a system that delivers value across conservation, recreation, fire protection, carbon storage and jobs. He also points out that the Forestry Corporation of NSW has faced repeated budget shortfalls in recent years — not only from the escalating costs of bushfire recovery and flood damage, but also from the burden of ongoing protest activity and costly litigation.
“The reality is that managed forests are delivering more for less,” Dobbyns said. “They’re protecting communities, storing carbon, and sustaining livelihoods — all while costing taxpayers far less per hectare than National Parks. But when you factor in the extraordinary costs of natural disasters and the constant disruption from environmental lawfare, it’s clear the Corporation is being asked to do more with less, while still providing essential public services.”
Please note: Wood Central will have a follow-up article from Dobbyns in the coming days.
