Right now, logging operations in NSW are legally allowed to collapse wombat burrows.

That means wombats are being crushed or buried alive in their homes, often with their joeys.

This is cruel, unnecessary and completely avoidable.

Wombats are some of Australia’s most loved native animals. They dig complex burrow systems that provide shelter, safety and breeding places. But currently, there are no rules that require loggers to protect wombat burrows.

There is a simple fix.

The NSW Government can introduce mandatory 20 metre exclusion zones around wombat burrows during logging operations. This would mean machinery, vehicles and logging activity are kept away from burrows, so wombats are not crushed, trapped or buried underground.

No animal should be killed in its own home because basic protections are missing from the rules.

By signing this petition, you can help show the NSW Government that the community wants urgent action to protect wombats from logging operations.

Author: Clancy Barnard, Forests Campaigner

In state forests across NSW, citizen scientists are heading out into the scrub at night in search of den trees for the elusive Greater Glider before the logging trucks roll in. Every den tree found, secures a 50 metre buffer zone protected from logging.  

Greater Gliders were once a common sight in the forests of south-east NSW, but their populations have been devastated by logging, bushfires, fragmentation and climate change and they have been uplisted to endangered as a result. 

One of the most exciting things that has happened to me, since joining the NCC team as the forests campaigner, is seeing my first Greater Glider in the forest.  

Let me set the scene: It was dark, rainy, cold and I’d just slipped over. I looked up and I saw two bright lights I thought were stars peeking through the forest canopy... but then they moved.  

I could just make out the shape of an upside down glider looking at me. I shouted, “that’s a glider!” The veteran conservationist next to me replied, “that’s it!”  

The glider ran into its hollow and my colleague charged off through the scrub to get to the base of the tree and log the GPS. I followed slowly, pushing through the lantana and tripping again, before reaching a giant 200 plus year old tree that would have taken eight people to fully encircle it. 

Once my colleague confirmed it was recorded, I realised that this tree and 50 metres around it was now protected from logging. 

Over the past year citizen science has recorded 1338 glider dens in the same forests that Forestry Corporation only recorded 50. These are some of the most important forests for endangered greater gliders, as well as gang gang cockatoos and other hollow dependent species. 

And shockingly, our taxpayer funds are being used to cut them down and turn these invaluable forest ecosystems into woodchips, pallets and tomato stakes.  

Citizen science has saved tens of thousands of hectares across the state. 

In both Tallaganda and Badja state forests, citizen scientists created a mosaic of exclusion zones that ultimately led to the protection of over 30,000 hectares of forest. 

The same thing is playing out in Glenbog and Enfield state forests. 

I’m both excited by the potential citizen science has to protect critical habitat and I know it’s not enough. We need greater glider strongholds protected from logging altogether. 

That’s why we are identifying important forests to take off the logging schedule and put into the network of reserves. And we're working hard to end native forest logging throughout the state.

For 2026 International Day of Forests and World Poetry Day, which happen to both coincide on the 21st of March every year, Yuin poet, Kaitlen Wellington, visited 'Big Spotty' and wrote a poem inspired by the experience.

We'd like to thank Kaitlen for her incredible poem that highlights Big Spotty's immense life-giving force and ecosystem, and the relationship with Traditional Custodians' storytelling, resistance, and strength. 

Read the poem below.

Photo credit: Andrew Kaineder

Return to yourself

by Kaitlen Wellington

Published March 2026

Follow the tug on your spirit

travel down the coast like the Old People

Through Dharawal, Wodi-Wodi,

Jerrinja, Wandi-wandandian

to Walbunja, Murramurrang

Stand at the base on dewy, slick dirt and leaves – all shades of autumn

Eyes trail Mothers trunk that twists to her limbs

that bend and curve outward, until they uphold her crown of eucalyptus

Straining your neck to get a full view

buna buna falls like a stary haze of droplets that cleanses your aura

willy-wag tail flutters, singing out to the others hidden in the thick bush – that is their village

Mother Tree beckons to place your palm upon her shield

Seeing clear resemblance and contrast

spotted gum, like your spotted arms

hyper-pigmentation, varying shades and wrinkles

Your skin, just like hers

a manifesto of spirit born into flesh

you are one and the same

flawed, beautiful and worthy of love

Vibrations of songs seep from her heart, thrumming through your veins

Visions cross your mind of the many people who’ve travelled near and far

For whale ceremony further south, corroborree under Gulaga

Kaitlen’s great-great grandmother and grandfather picking beans at Eurobodalla

Visions of the Old People living in harmony near and far

who resisted the colonisers invasion and the spilling of innocent blood

their greed claiming the land as if they own it – as if anyone does

Visions of despair as colonisers marginalised the Traditional Custodians near and far

attempting assimilation, disrupting the foundations of Ancient cultures and communities

that tipped the scales of balance and how every being sits on the land

The weight is heavy, dread fills your bones

sinking to your knees, dampness of forest floors fills your nose

turning your body, placing your back against Mother’s trunk

You face her village of lush green native trees

vines that snake and wind

the slopes of a hilly landscape

shredded bark caught on wooden limbs

cabbage-palm trees in clusters

and the family of gums that are spread out, circling Mother Tree

Buna buna is a soft murmur, echoing across the canopy

the world has stopped, as you sit in stillness

You can see now her resistance provides a safe haven

for the precious lives of goannas, lyrebirds, us black cockatoos

and the flora and fauna that remain

A safe haven for those she calls to seek solace in her crevices

so they can surrender to her divine embrace

Taking their pain and tears

grounding them in light and truth

sharing wisdom from her sacred roots

that emerged from the many lessons

from her own journey, visions she’s witnessed

and the stories shared by those who visit

Mother Tree holds all those stories in the lines

that lead to her heart that has sung for over five hundred years

Now you see why the bushfires just missed her

those tall light beings left her unharmed

so she can remind us who we are

that we come from the land

and one day we will return

Mother Tree and yourself

are a reflection, mirrors

her a spotted gum

like your spotted arms

About the poet

The world's tallest Spotted Gum needs protection. That's why we’re calling on the NSW Government to permanently protect Big Spotty by immediately declaring the North Brooman State Forest as the Big Spotty Flora Reserve.

Photo Credit: Hayden Griffith / Stitch Films

Logging is starting in Big Spotty’s state forest in the next three months

This places the future of Big Spotty at serious risk. View interactive map: Logging in NSW.

Protecting Big Spotty means protecting North Brooman state forest now, before logging begins. That means we have less than three months to secure permanent protection.

Why Big Spotty’s forest must be protected

Big Spotty is the world’s tallest known Spotted Gum.

Towering above the forest canopy in North Brooman State Forest, on Yuin Country, it is a whopping 71m and over 500 years old. This tree was alive during the time of Leonardo Da Vinci! 

But Big Spotty’s survival depends on the surrounding trees to protect its roots, stabilise soils, moderate wind and storm exposure, and maintain the microclimate large old trees need to survive. This tree needs its forest! 

Photo Credit: Andy Kaineder

A first step toward the Great Southern Forest

Protecting Big Spotty’s forest is an immediate step in a broader vision for large-scale forest protection on the South Coast.

This proposal forms part of our longer term ambition to protect connected forest landscapes across the region, including all remaining native forests within the Clyde River catchment. This will contribute towards the proposed Great Southern Forest protected area extending from the Shoalhaven to the Victorian border.

Add your name to show your support for permanent protection and visitor infrastructure for Big Spotty in North Brooman State Forest. 

You can sign on as a community member, business owner or community organisation.  

2026 is a critical year for nature. 

Both major parties are finalising their election platforms, deciding whether to support or end native forest logging, strengthen nature laws, expand protections for rivers and wetlands, and back or oppose new coal and gas projects.  

This is the moment when public pressure matters most. 

That is where the Nature Action Network comes in. 

Every two weeks you will get a strategic action through our WhatsApp* group, like texting in when the Premier is on radio or emailing an MP at the exact moment a decision is being shaped. 

Each action takes less than thirty minutes and is timed for maximum effect. 

Make 2026 the year you join a powerful team and see just how much your voice can accomplish. 

*If you haven't already, you will need to download WhatsApp on your phone and create an account to participate.

MEDIA RELEASE 
7th September 2025 

Jacqui Mumford, CEO of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, has today applauded the Minns Labor government's announcement that the full 176 000 Ha of the Great Koala National Park will be protected from logging.  

“Today’s announcement of the Great Koala National Park is one of the most significant conservation victories in NSW in decades.  

“We are thrilled that from tomorrow, 176,000 hectares of precious native forest, accounting for 20% of NSW’s koala population, will be protected from logging.  

“This is a win for nature and the local community. It is the result of more than a decade of work by communities, scientists and environmental groups. 

“This park will be a defining legacy of the Minns Government, helping to secure a future for the iconic koala and building on the proud history of Labor governments creating world-class National Parks. 

“This park will connect World Heritage-listed areas, creating wildlife corridors across the mid north coast.  

“While it is disappointing that unsustainable logging was allowed to continue since the election, today marks a turning point. The government should be applauded for delivering on their promise in full. 
 
“With over 90% of timber products already sourced from plantations, there is no justification for logging our public native forests. 

“The transition package announced today provides the opportunity to build a sustainable, long-term future for regional NSW, with secure jobs in bushfire preparedness, ecological management and restoration, ecotourism and plantation forestry. Together, we can protect koalas and support communities with sustainable, long-term employment”   

ENDS 

Media contact: Anna Greer  
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482   

Note: Spokespeople are available for comment on request 

29th August, 2025

The Forest Alliance NSW has welcomed the NSW Environment Protection Authority's (EPA’s) decision today to prosecute Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) for 29 charges. The charges related to illegally logging of critical Greater Glider habitat in Tallaganda State Forest on the NSW South Coast.  

The EPA alleges these actions contravened conditions of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (CIFOA), the Forestry Act 2012, and the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Further information available here

The EPA will be appearing before a Budget Estimates hearing tomorrow.

Former independent member of NSW Parliament and spokesperson for the Forest Alliance Justin Field said: “the Alliance and the community welcomes the decision to prosecute.” 

“Forestry Corporation’s actions showed no regard for environmental rules in place to protect some of the last remaining unburned, high-conservation value glider habitat on the South Coast, further impacting this already endangered and iconic species.

“This continues a record of egregious breaches of the law by the state-owned logging company. Last year the Land and Environment Court fined Forestry Corporation $360,000 for illegally logging other protected areas on the South Coast with the judge concluding that FCNSW "has a significant history of unlawfully carrying out forestry operations".

“Ultimately NSW taxpayers are left to foot the bill for Forestry Corporation's ongoing breaches of environmental laws and the ongoing financial losses of their native forest logging operations. This latest prosecution should be a prompt to the Minns Government to accelerate timber industry reforms and chart a course away from native forest logging in NSW and towards a sustainable plantation-based industry. 

Nature Conservation Council of NSW CEO Jacqui Mumford highlighted:

“Logging without proper habitat surveys is illegal, yet Forestry Corporation continues to do so as a matter of course. They have repeatedly shown they do not respect the law and have no problem sending the bill to taxpayers when they get caught.

“The only way to stop this rogue actor from such wilful destruction is to end native forest logging.

“This is a government-owned agency and taxpayers pay the price when they are found to be breaking the law. 

“Premier Chris Minns cannot wash his hands of it. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty is directly responsible under the Forestry Act. Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Finance Minister Courtney Houssos are its shareholder ministers.

“Environment Minister Penny Sharpe also has the power to direct the EPA to conduct a full audit of current logging operations and identify where endangered glider habitat is being illegally destroyed.

“These Ministers must step up and bring Forestry Corporation into line. Until they do, this rogue agency will continue to break the law."

Community action and legal avenues
Dailan Pugh from the North East Forest Alliance pointed to similar cases.  

“Recent community surveys in Styx State Forest in northern NSW found the area had already been logged despite the absence of a valid Broad Area Habitat Search within the required six months prior to operations. 

“Justice delayed is justice denied. Back in 2020 the Forestry Corporation illegally logged giant and hollow-bearing trees in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest, as in this case it took two years for the EPA to commence their prosecution, and we are still waiting for the court’s judgement. This is five years too long. The EPA need to hold the Forestry Corporation to account in a timely manner to stop their serial offending."

Scott Daines, spokesperson for South East Forest Rescue said:

“The forest blockade by South East Forest Rescue of one of the logging operations in Tallaganda in August 2023 sparked a massive chain of events. 

“This included multiple Stop Work Orders for Tallaganda and Flat Rock forestry operations, as well as Forestry Corporation admitting they have been looking for nocturnal animals during the day. 

“This prosecution by the EPA is the latest ripple to crash upon Forestry Corporation following our blockade. While we are pleased the EPA is prosecuting, we are sure there are many other breaches that Forestry Corporation will get away with. Endangered Greater Gliders are still being killed by logging across the state."

Further information:

Forest Alliance NSW is a coalition of Environmental NGOs, forest advocates and local campaign groups working to end native forest logging in NSW and to shift to a sustainable plantation based timber industry in NSW. 

The Forest Alliance reaffirmed its commitment to holding Forestry Corporation accountable for illegal activity, and pushing for NSW to follow Victoria and Western Australia in ending native forest logging.

“The High Court recently affirmed the right of community and environmental groups to take legal action to enforce logging laws in NSW. We will continue to work with concerned citizens and groups across NSW to showcase this reckless, illegal behaviour.

For decades, Forestry Corporation NSW has been spending taxpayer money to log our native forests — destroying critical habitat for endangered wildlife like the koala and greater glider. Critical ecosystems are being destroyed for woodchips, firewood and tomato stakes. 

In 2025, we had a huge breakthrough as the government stopped logging within the proposed boundaries of the Great Koala National Park, saving 176,000 hectares of forest. This shows that people power works. But we cannot stop here.  

We need to turn this momentum into an end to native forest logging across the state. In the lead up to the state election, we are calling on the NSW Government to commit to ending native forest logging and transitioning to a 100% plantation-based industry that creates sustainable jobs and protects the wildlife and forests we love.  

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC), and the South East Forest Rescue (SEFR) and North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) have today exposed the Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) for again cutting corners and apparently breaching species protection laws by failing to conduct legally required habitat surveys before logging operations. 
 
Recent on-ground community checks in the Styx State Forest in Northern NSW reveal that the area has already been logged, despite the absence of a valid Broad Area Habitat Search (BAHS) within the required six-month window prior to operations.  
 
Under Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (CIFOA), FCNSW is obligated to conduct BAHS to identify and protect critical habitat features, including those of threatened species such as the Greater Glider. 
 
Maps from 2024 and 2025 show a significant reduction in survey effort in 2025 compared to the previous year. This decline raises serious concerns about the adequacy of habitat assessments and the potential destruction of unrecorded habitat trees. The available 2025 BAHS data indicates incomplete or insufficient coverage, directly contravening CIFOA’s precautionary requirements. 
 
“Logging without proper habitat surveys is not just irresponsible - it’s illegal,” said Jacqui Mumford, CEO of Nature Conservation Council NSW. “Forestry Corporation is entrusted with managing our public forests sustainably. Instead, they are putting vulnerable species and ecosystems at risk by cutting corners.” 
 
Community members also flagged two nearby areas as areas of concern, where 2025 BAHS efforts appear similarly inadequate. While these areas are yet to be logged, the lack of updated survey data suggests a pattern of non-compliance that could extend across multiple compartments. 
 
This incident comes on the heels of a landmark High Court ruling in Forestry Corporation of NSW v South East Forest Rescue, which affirmed the right of community and environmental groups to take legal action to enforce logging laws in NSW. 
 
The case arose after SEFR exposed Forestry Corporation NSW’s (FCNSW) practice of conducting pre-logging surveys for nocturnal species like the Greater Glider during daylight hours, rendering them ineffective. The High Court upheld that groups with a “special interest” in environmental protection can bring proceedings to ensure compliance with the Forestry Act and CIFOA conditions. 
 
“This ruling is a game-changer,” said Scott Daines from South East Forest Rescue. “It confirms that communities have the legal standing to hold Forestry Corporation accountable when the government fails to act. The situation in the Styx State Forest is exactly the kind of breach this ruling was meant to highlight.” 
 
The NCC, SEFR and NEFA call upon the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to launch an immediate investigation and enforce compliance with CIFOA conditions, including the requirement under Condition 57 to conduct timely and comprehensive habitat searches. 

ENDS 

Media contact: Madeline Hayman-Reber 
E: [email protected] M: 0404 935 157 

Note: Spokespeople are available for comment on request 
 
Background: 
 
Letter outlining breaches 

Landmark court case between SEFR and Forestry Corporation on NSW 

Greater Glider protections under the CFIOA

MEDIA RELEASE 
15th MAY 2025 

Forestry Corporation squandered $14.9m of taxpayer funds in just six months logging the state’s natural forests, according to its half-year report tabled in parliament last week.  

"It's not environmentally sustainable and it's not economically sustainable,” Nature Conservation Council NSW (NCC) Policy and Advocacy Director, Dr Brad Smith said.

"With this money, Premier Minns could hire 100 nurses and teachers who actually deliver for regional NSW. Instead, it's used to trash our precious forests and wildlife.” 

NCC is calling on Premier Minns to end native forest logging in NSW and move to a plantation-based timber industry.  

"Plantations already supply 90% of the state's timber production, including close to 100% of timber used in construction, which is plantation pine, not native hardwoods,” Dr Smith said. 

“Forests are the lungs of the earth. They are essential to clean air, a sustainable climate and the survival of critically endangered species like the powerful owl, gang-gang cockatoo, greater glider and koala. 

“We’ve already destroyed far too much of the NSW bush. The remaining habitats should be protected, not pulped.” 

According to previous annual reports and Blueprint Institute analysis, NSW Forestry Corporation's losses peaked at $29m last financial year, by far the biggest loss since it was established as a state-owned corporation in 2013.

This year, FCNSW has already reached $14.9m in losses in just the first six months of the year. If this level of losses is repeated in the second half, it would record its largest loss in history of $29.8m. 

The half-year report suggests no improvement is expected in the second half, citing "rising roading and land management costs, and ongoing harvesting disruptions and increased monitoring and compliance costs in hardwood forests.

References: 

FCNSW half year results 2024-2025 
Blueprint Institute, Exploring alternate land use options for the native forests of NSW, 2023, p5 

ENDS 

Media contact: Madeline Hayman-Reber  
E: [email protected] M: 0404 935 157 

Note: Spokespeople are available for comment on request