Great News! The State Government is surveying the public about logging our SW forests.

04 July 2021

Hooray! The newly appointed WA Environment Minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson, has announced a survey to consult the public about the future management of WA’s forests.

As we know from recent polling, the overwhelming majority of West Australians want to see the full protection of all remaining forests in the South West. For the first time ever, the State Government has now formally opened that conversation.

This survey is a testament to all of our supporters’ tireless work in spreading the word about this issue – the State Government is aware that the tide is shifting and has opened this survey to gauge the real numbers, so let’s show them!

The survey is the first stage of public consultation as the State Government starts work towards the development of the next 10-year Forest Management Plan (FMP) (2024-2033).

The current FMP was written under the Barnett Government and the emphasis was heavily placed on handing the forests over to industrial logging: largely for woodchip, firewood and charcoal. Since then, 10 football fields of precious, publicly owned Jarrah and Karri forests have been logged or cleared every single day.

Now, with the upcoming expiry of the current FMP and overwhelming calls for forests to be protected, this is the best opportunity we have ever had to protect the South West forests once and for all.

The calls for forest protection were coming in loud and clear from climate and biodiversity scientists; First Nations people and groups; the community in general; and South West businesses such as ecotourism operators and beekeepers who rely on protected native forests.

We urge everybody to fill in this survey and clearly indicate that there should be no further logging whatsoever of our South West forests.

Ninety per cent of the forest and woodland habitat in this Global Biodiversity Hotspot has already been logged or cleared – we can’t afford to lose any more. The forests and their wildlife, the streams and rivers, the rainfall, and the climate itself depend on their urgent protection.

The folks at WAFA commend Minister Sanderson and the McGowan Government for this open, thorough, and genuinely consultative first step in the development of the next Forest Management Plan which must be a plan that fully and securely protects all of our remaining South West forests.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a voice for the forests, this is your moment – the government is listening.

Fill in the survey https://bit.ly/WAForestSurvey

We have also put together a handy guide for those who’d like some suggestions for the curlier questions.

You can find it here: https://bit.ly/GuideforForestSurvey

Protect the tingles from prescribed burning, for good

Tingles are a large, ancient tree species that are only found in a small area in WA’s Southwest, close to Walpole. They can live for more than 400 years, reach heights over 55 metres and have the largest base of any eucalypt, and provide critical habitat to many threatened plants and animals. They are vulnerable to frequent fire.

In December 2024, Giants East, a tingle forest block in the famed Valley of the Giants, was torched as part of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)’s prescribed burning program.

More than 100 giant trees collapsed in the intense burn, with flames reaching the tops of many trees in one of the worst outcomes seen by WA’s prescribed burning program.

After persistent community action, three tingle-karri blocks, Nornalup, Coalmine and Mount Clare received a reprieve at the end of 2025 and were removed from the burn plan until July 2026.

But these blocks, and other tingle forests, aren’t safe forever. They could be on the burn plan for 2026-27. There must be a commitment from the WA Government to permanently protect tingles from prescribed burning and revise how fire is managed in these areas.

Over time, tingle forests self-thin and become naturally less flammable. Left unburnt, they are less of a fire risk than forests burnt in the last 30 years.

In a drying climate that is increasingly prone to bushfires, it’s important to be bushfire ready, but prescribed burning shouldn’t be the only tool in our bushfire prevention kit. It is vital that the Southwest’s prescribed burning practices reflect current science and a changed climate, and funding is directed towards rapid detection and suppression of bushfires.

Smoking collapsed Tingle after the giants east burn

It is of the highest priority that the tingles are protected from fire not just in this burn plan, but for good.

Please contact the Premier and relevant Ministers using our template to urge them to permanently protect tingle forests from prescribed burning. Enter your details to start writing your email.

Read more about the Giants East burn or about rapid suppression technology.