Forestry

Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Associate-Professor Philip Zylstra. Dr Tony Bartlett's recent article contains serious flaws in logic and misrepresents scientific evidence. Understanding the empirical data is critical for safeguarding communities and preserving native species.

Dr Lachlan McCaw AFSM. Federal environmental approval recently granted for expansion of the South 32 Worsley bauxite mine has given the green light to clearing of a further 3855 hectares of native forest around Boddington south-east of Perth ... the community should question how much bauxite mining is enough, and whether closure of the native forest timber industry is simply a convenient smokescreen for increased mining in the jarrah forest.

Andrew Morgan. For more than two decades, SFM has worked at the intersection of forestry, agriculture and investment ... In recent years, we’ve witnessed a structural shift in what drives value in plantation development — and it’s been driven by something invisible, yet incredibly powerful: a real, regulated and recognised price on carbon.

The 2025 Forest Carbon Summit commences today, April 10, and continues tomorrow, April 11, at the National Press Club in Canberra, spotlighting the pivotal role of forests and carbon management in Australia’s net-zero future.

Victoria is strengthening its position as a global leader in sustainable timber, engineered wood, and next-generational biomaterials, capitalising on the demand for low-carbon alternatives to create regional jobs and secure a local supply of construction materials while tackling a changing climate.

The Snowy Valleys community will today celebrate the grand opening of new tourism facilities in Bago State Forest, near the towns of Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba. The ‘Enhancing Nature Based Tourism’ project … has delivered new and upgraded visitor facilities serving as a drawcard for the regional tourism industry.

According to Forestry Australia’s Dr Freeman, National Parks don’t guarantee biodiversity ... The Endangered listing of koalas north of the Victorian border and the idea of a Great Koala National Park are farcical. The koala is an irruptive species. High numbers indicate an irruption, not a stable population.

Peter Rutherford, SETA. It is difficult to know how to respond to Professor Lindenmayer’s most recent comments, when he continues to focus on areas subject to timber harvesting and appears to ignore the fact that 855,310 hectares of the iconic Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area was burnt by bushfires in 2019-20. This is over 16 per cent of the total area burnt in NSW in 2019-20.

Rather than engaging with the complexities of fire dynamics, Professor Lindenmayer relies on statistical modelling that confuses correlation with causation, ignores field-based studies that contradict his claims, and overgeneralises the impact of logging without considering key variables such as fuel management and fire suppression efforts.

Today’s publication of the Wood Volumes Analysis indicates Australia has reliable access to structural forest and wood products to meet future demand. The report provides an analysis of the long-run supply of and domestic demand for wood products in Australia, particularly those used in construction.

A major study after the devastating 2019/20 wildfires in Victoria and New South Wales found that prescribed burning dramatically reduced the intensity of the fires, according to a bushfire expert. Dr Tony Bartlett, a winner of the Australian Fire Service Medal (ATSM), said after 2019/20, a major study was undertaken to test the effectiveness of prescribed (fuel reduction) burning at a landscape scale in terms of reducing the severity of the wildfire in a wide range of forest ecosystems.

Robert Onfray completely confuses fire intensity (the amount of heat generated) with fire severity (damage to vegetation and soil). He also misunderstands the difference between empirical studies (based on evidence and real-world data) and modelling (theoretical simulations). Additionally, he fails to understand the difference between a literature review and an empirical study.

SETA suggests that my research on the relationship between logging and fire is merely “opinion”. It is anything but ... SETA makes an absurd comparison between the flammability of national parks and state forests. The proper scientific comparison is between logged and unlogged state forests ...

The Australian Government is providing development funding for technical assistance and capacity building support which will further strengthen Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) sustainable forest management. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy, Matt Lowe, said the PNG Forestry Twinning Program aims to collaborate in support of the forestry and forest industries of both countries.

One of the key drivers of fire behaviour that Professor Lindenmayer seems to pay little attention to is the ground fine fuel load across the forest landscape. The key driver of fire intensity, with a given fuel moisture content, wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity, on the day, is fine fuels.

The value of agriculture in 2025-26 is expected to be the third highest on record at $91 billion. Including fisheries and forestry, ABARES expects the sector to reach $98 billion, according to Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville.

More than 150 ancient tingle trees in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park have fallen after a prescribed burn on December 18 last year. This is the finding of a local researcher, ANU environmental science student Uralla Luscombe-Pedro, who surveyed the area burned next to the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk.

David Lindenmayer's response to my rebuttal still fails to address the core points I raised in my original blog and overlooks the straightforward questions I posed in my response to his critique ... If Professor Lindenmayer believes his theories reflect reality, he should test them in the field.

Agriculture, fisheries and forestry is well placed to take on future challenges and opportunities, according to the latest ABARES Snapshot of Australian agriculture. Sector value and production have continued to grow over the past 20 years with another strong performance expected in 2024-25.

In a recent article in Australian Rural & Regional News, I highlighted the overwhelming body of scientific evidence showing that logging does indeed increase the risk of high-severity wildfire. Mr Onfray wants evidence of this effect of logging on wildfire – and there is plenty of it.

In response to the South East Timber Association’s (SETA) critique, I want to clarify the scientific evidence and address the inaccuracies in their claims. SETA disputes the well-documented link between logging and increased fire severity, but the scientific consensus is clear: logging fundamentally alters forests in ways that make them more flammable.

Professor David Lindenmayer’s response fails to engage with the key points I raised. The core argument in my piece is that the peer-reviewed studies claiming logging increases fire severity often rely on unknown or poorly defined methodologies, selective data, weak correlations, or literature reviews rather than empirical fire behaviour analysis.