Top scientists challenge native forest bans [AU]Thursday 9 Jul 2026
The lead author is Dr John Raison, a former Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO who has spent nearly five decades studying native forests. He is joined by former CSIRO scientists Dr Sadanandan Nambiar AO, Dr Glen Kile, and University of Melbourne hydrologist A/Prof Leon Bren. Between them, the authors bring more than 200 years of experience in sustainable forest management. The paper examines the scientific literature on six common claims made against native forest harvesting, spanning forest loss, water, fire and wildlife. They find a far more complex and nuanced picture than what is commonly portrayed to the public and in political discourse. Much of the science drawn upon to justify native forest harvesting closures comes from a singular narrow viewpoint that does not encompass or recognise the breadth of local and landscape-scale research that provides a counter-perspective. Blanket bans on harvesting, the authors warn, are only deepening the challenges Australia already confronts in regards to maintaining the skills, capacity and resourcing needed to manage forests for their ongoing health and resilience and to meet domestic demand for wood products through locally-sourced wood products. Australian Forestry managing editor Dr Mohammad Ghaffariyan said the paper brought together more than two centuries of combined research experience to ask a straightforward question about what the published evidence shows. “Australian Forestry exists to put work of this calibre in front of the people making decisions about our forests. Readers will weigh the findings for themselves, but the debate is better for having the evidence on the table,” he said. More >> Source: Forestry Australia | ||
Copyright 2004-2026 © Innovatek Ltd. All rights reserved. |
