Logging Eden: NSW south coast forestry dominated by potentially illegal wood-chipping

In the 12 months following the catastrophic “black summer” bushfires, almost every tree logged in the region of Eden, in coastal NSW, was turned into woodchips or chopped up for firewood. This is potentially illegal.

The legal framework that regulates logging in coastal NSW states that:

“an operation must not be conducted for the primary purpose of producing low quality logs (including salvage and firewood) and pulp logs”.

In other words, woodchipping cannot be the primary purpose of logging operations.

However, in figures provided in answer to a Question on Notice by Greens MP David Shoebridge, it was revealed that during 2020, 96% of trees felled were turned into woodchips, with 1.5% for firewood.

The figures are…