Forest Products Industry

The NSW Government is progressing its alignment with the new Commonwealth Government environment laws that affect the regulation of forestry operations by tasking the NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to develop a Strategic Assessment for forestry operations in NSW. Source: Timberbiz The assessment will be undertaken under Part 10 of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Commission will lead the assessment in collaboration with relevant NSW agencies and in conjunction with the Australian Government. The assessment by the NRC will cover public native forestry, plantation and private native forestry operations across forests sitting within NSW’s defined Regional Forest Agreement boundaries. The long-standing exemption for forestry operations between the Commonwealth and NSW across large areas of NSW forests, known as the Regional Forest Agreements (RFA), will cease on 1 July 2027 following the introduction of new environment legislation by the Commonwealth in November last year. Reforms to the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act last year introduced a new era for environmental protection and improved productivity in Australia. “The Albanese Government congratulates the Minns Government on reaching this important milestone, which will deliver better protections for the environment and more certainty for industry,” Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said. “As part of our landmark national environmental law reforms passed by the Australian Parliament at the end of last year, RFA forestry will need to meet the same Federal environmental requirements as other industries. “We’re providing up to $8.5 million to NSW to ensure it’s meeting national benchmarks, through the development of landscape-scale approval pathways like the strategic assessment. “We believe in a strong and environmentally sustainable future for the New South Wales forestry industry, and we look forward to continuing work with the Minns Government on this.” The RFAs in NSW cover forests in Eden, the North-East and Southern NSW and set obligations and commitments for forest management. The assessment will consider the impacts from forestry operations on nationally significant animals, plants, habitats and places to ensure they are appropriately identified and managed. From 1 July 2027, forestry operations taking place in RFAs will need to comply with the same rules and standards as other industries covered under the EPBC Act. The NSW Government is now releasing for public consultation the draft terms of reference for the strategic assessment. Once the strategic assessment is complete, the NSW Government will work on a long-term bilateral agreement with the Australian Government to accredit NSW forestry operations. The Minns Labor Government is continuing to develop a Forestry Industry Action Plan to ensure a sustainable forestry industry that is aligned with environmental and economic priorities. Consultation commenced on 18 September 2026 and finishes on 16 October 2026. The assessment will be informed by scientific evidence, spatial and environmental data, and stakeholder input. The Australian and NSW governments have released a draft Terms of Reference outlining the proposed scope, process, information requirements and expected outputs for the assessment. Have your say at https://www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/strategic-assessment-of-forestry-rfas

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