Group Calls for End to Old-Growth Logging in Tasmania

By Jano Gibson

Topic: Forestry, Logging, and Timber

Thursday, 16 July 2026, at 2:24 pm

A group wants to stop logging old trees in Tasmania.

In short:

The Forest Congress wants to stop logging old trees in Tasmania.

Almost 30 people and groups signed the statement, including Indigenous leaders and artists.

What's next?

Some environmental groups say this plan is not enough and want all native forests protected.

A group of people from different areas wants to stop logging old trees in Tasmania, but some big environmental groups do not agree with their plan.

The Forest Congress started in 2023 when an artist invited different groups to talk about the future of Tasmania's forests.

Kirsha Kaechele started the Forest Congress in 2023.

The Forest Congress released a statement to stop logging old trees and support a responsible forestry industry.

The statement says forests should be managed for their ecological, cultural, social, and economic values.

Old-growth forests are those that have never been cut down by machines.

Kirsha Kaechele brought together people from the forestry industry, Indigenous community, and environmental movement.

In the past, people cut down trees in Tasmania in a way that was not very harmful, but now they cut down more trees.

Big trees and important habitats are supposed to be saved, but often they are cut down because they are seen as a safety risk.

A sawmilling company says it will not accept old-growth logs.

Almost 30 individuals and groups signed the Forest Congress statement, including Indigenous leaders, sawmillers, and artists.

The statement says we must consider the whole ecosystem, including forests and people.

We must take care of our communities when we heal our landscape.

Regional communities should be places where people can raise families and work.

A sawmilling business is one of the groups that signed the statement.

Andrew Walker's sawmilling business signed the statement.

The CEO of the sawmilling business said they would no longer accept old-growth logs from Tasmania's state-owned forestry company.

The company wrote to the forestry company and stopped receiving old-growth logs.

About 80% of the company's supply comes from private estates, which are mostly plantation hardwood.

The company has changed to using more plantation wood over the past four years.

Mr. Walker said the Forest Congress vision statement is an important initiative.

The company believes this is a positive step towards finding common ground and moving forward with a new vision for forestry.

A report showed that the company had exported whole logs from Tasmania's native forests to Victoria for processing.

Environmental groups want wider protections.

Four national environmental groups say the Forest Congress's focus on old-growth forests is not enough.

The groups want all native forests to be protected.

Bob Brown says the Forest Congress statement does not go far enough to protect native forests.

Limiting action to old-growth forests would only cover a small part of Tasmania's native forest.

This is a serious effort to stop the destruction of native forests and wildlife.

The Wilderness Society withdrew from the Forest Congress because the industry was not taking action.

The industry has been delaying action for three years.

The Wilderness Society says the industry has been 'gaming the system'.

There is no timeline for the Forest Congress's plan.

The government will look at the Forest Congress's vision statement.

A 'peace deal' was signed in 2012 to designate native forest areas for logging and reservation.

Tasmania's native forest logging system operates separately from federal environmental law.

A rare bird started arriving in native forests in 2021, but the forestry sector said it was not sustainable.

New national environmental standards will be applied to the system from next July.

The system is being assessed by the Commonwealth and will be regulated by the Tasmanian government.

The minister said trees from old-growth forests make up only a small part of what is harvested in the state.

The government supports the forestry industry and welcomes the Forest Congress initiative.

The minister said the government will take a closer look at the Forest Congress's plan.

Thursday, 16 July 2026, at 2:24 pm

Thursday, 16 July 2026, at 2:37 pm

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