For months protesters have been fighting for logging to be halted in Doubleduke State Forest in Bungawalbin.

NSW Environmental Authority announced the decision to stop logging on April 16.

Protester Anastasia Guise was pleased the EPA responded to the group’s complaints.

“We did it. We never gave up,” Ms Guise said.

Our documenting of breaches in Doubleduke State Forest has forced a stopwork across the entire state forest, she said.

Ms Guise alleged the protesters had documented the felling of two giant trees.

“We documented giant trees that had not been mapped.”

She alleged there was also a serious and bizarre cover-up of a felled giant stag.

It was the lack of mapping old growth trees that prompted the EPA to act.

EPA regulatory operations director Steve Orr said EPA officers conducted a site inspection in the forest on April 13.

“The inspection identified that Forestry Corporation of NSW had not mapped two giant trees in accordance with the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval and Protocols,” Mr Orr said.

“A giant tree is defined as one whose diameter is greater than 140cm when measured at 30cm above ground height.

“Under the forestry laws all giant trees must be retained.

“While these two giant trees have not been harvested, they were not mapped.”

Mr Orr said the EPA was “extremely concerned that there is a risk that other giant trees may not have been mapped”.

After the April inspection the EPA asked the Forestry Corporation to immediately suspend operations in Doubleduke State Forest and remap the active harvest areas.

“We saved the giants of Doubleduke,” Ms Guise said.

On March 17, IndyNR.com reported on protests near Doubleduke.

This article appeared on indyNR.com on 16 April 2023.