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2026 marks a critical juncture for Lutruwita / Tasmania’s native forests - our best chance yet to protect what remains. Join us at The Royal Oak Hotel at 6pm on 11th February to hear about the state of play, learn about our growing campaign, and get involved in this historic opportunity. For decades the Tasmanian native forest logging industry has been in decline, driven by changing global timber markets, competition from plantations, mounting ecological constraints, and dismal social license. Despite this, public policy continues to support native forest logging through subsidies, legislated supply quotas, compensation payments, and rent-free access to public forests. The native forest logging industry now persists largely through government intervention and handouts, rather than market viability.
The environmental consequences of 50 years of native forest logging are difficult to fully grasp. Since clearfelling commenced in the 1970s, nearly a million hectares of native forest has been lost. This has had a drastic impact on biodiversity and carbon, wiping out vast tracts of old forest and replacing it with young monoculture forests. As a result, our waterways are in crisis and our bush is far more vulnerable to bushfire. Tasmanians know how bad the situation is - a recent poll found that only 12% of the population support native forest logging.
New Federal Environmental Laws are likely to place additional pressure on an already struggling native forest logging industry. While the full implications of the new legislation remain uncertain (and may not be clear for some time), the Tasmanian Government is nonetheless pushing to lock in new long-term contracts with sawmills, which are set to expire in 2027. This reckless approach risks exposing Tasmanian taxpayers to significant future costs, including expensive contract surrender payments that have already occurred in the past.
As we enter 2026, we have our best chance yet to finally protect Lutruwita / Tasmania's remaining native forests. Over the next months, The Wilderness Society Tasmania will be launching a sequence of targeted campaigns, reports, and events in a push to finally end the destruction.
Join us in Launceston (11/2) or Hobart (12/2) to hear about the state of play, learn about our growing campaign, and get involved in this historic opportunity.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Royal Oak Hotel, 14 Brisbane St, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia, Launceston
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
