Call to end outdated logging of NSW native forests

Logging in native-growth forests across NSW releases millions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere and costs the taxpayer millions to support, prompting calls to shift entirely to plantations.

In NSW alone, native forest logging releases around 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year - equivalent to 890,000 additional cars on the road or 390,000 return flights to London, according to a new report authored by Dr Jennifer Sanger from The Tree Projects.

The report was in response to what experts say are misleading reporting practices that count native forest not being cut down as emissions saved.

On Monday, Dr Sanger and others including Greens MP Sue Higginson called for an end to native forest logging in NSW to avoid placing a major handbrake on emission reduction efforts.

Victoria, which logs more native forest than NSW, has a plan in place to end the practice by 2030, while WA will invest $80 million transitioning businesses and communities to stop from January 2024.

"I think many Australians would be shocked to find out that native forest logging is such a high emitting industry," said Dr Sanger.

"We need to act now on climate change and for Australia, this means ending native forest logging."

According to Ms Higginson less than 10 per cent of the wood from native forests is used for timber and the rest becomes pulp for paper, woodchip, is burnt or left in the forest.

According to the Greens, the NSW government paid close to $30 million in subsidies for public native forest logging over the two previous financial years, while plantation logging made $47 million.

Professor Brendan Mackey from Griffith University told AAP Australia already got around 85 per cent of its timber from purpose-grown plantations, which are far more sustainable and profitable.

"The native forest logging is really a legacy of how we used to do things," Prof Mackey said.

"We don't need to log native forests anymore because we have a very good plantation estate."

He said aside from native forest logging being outdated, ecologically destructive and unprofitable, the forests play an important role in mitigating greenhouse gases.

"People talk about carbon capture and storage technology - it already exists - it's called a forest ecosystem," Prof Mackey said.

"When you log native forests you're causing a lot of that carbon to be released back into the atmosphere in a short period of time."

Last week, the NSW Greens announced a plan to transition NSW's native forest logging industry to 100 per cent sustainable plantation timber. 

"Even the NSW government's weak commitment to net zero by 2050 cannot be reached if we continue to log native forests," the Greens' Ms Higginson said.

NSW agriculture minister Dugald Saunders, who oversees the state's forestry sector, was contacted for comment.