Friends of Tuckers Nob protest logging of state forest, call for expanded Great Koala National Park

A group of protesters have symbolically “closed” a forest in the north of the state as they warn logging operations could pave the way for a “koala killing field”. Here’s what we know.

Friends of Tuckers Nob symbolically "closed" Tuckers Nob State Forest.

A group of protesters are warning the resumption of logging in a forest in the north of the state could create a “permanent koala killing field”.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s (FCNSW) halted logging operations in Tuckers Nob State Forest late last year in response to concerns about koalas – but the brief pause was lifted Monday.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty was not involved in the decision to halt operations.

It comes after the federal government declared in February 2022 that koalas were officially endangered. Some groups like the Australian Koala Foundation believe the iconic marsupial should even be considered critically endangered in areas like southeast Queensland.

Friends of Tuckers Nob protesting the decision to resume logging in the state forest.

Gleniffer residents and members of the Friends of Tuckers Nob community actions group responded to the lifting of the ban by plastering the state forest with “notice of closure” signs.

Signage also states sections of the forest slated for clear-fell logging are prime koala habitat.

“If Forestry can close the forest to us, the people, we can close it to them,” local resident Brett Harrison said.

“We don’t want this precious area logged. We want to save our beloved koalas.”

Part of the state forest. Picture: Jason Brown.

Tuckers Nob was initially slated to sit in the proposed Great Koala National Park.

It’s planned to stretch from Grafton to Kempsey, encompassing more than 300,000 hectares of state forest and existing national parks.

But large sections of Tuckers Nob are classified as “plantation”, meaning the trees within it are planted specifically for logging and timber production.

Dr Tim Cadman, a forestry and governance expert at Griffith University, said the decision to exclude “plantation” areas from the Great Koala National Park should be rethought.

A koala spotted in one of the plantation sections of Tuckers Nob. Picture: Jason Brown.

“The government has a very difficult task and I sympathise but their decision … does not make ecological sense,” he said.

He describes the map of the proposed park as looking like “Swiss cheese” with large gaps he likened to “permanent mortality zones”.

The central problem with excluding plantations, according to Dr Cadman, is that many are key koala habitats and logging could deprive the animals of food and otherwise kill them.

“The koala doesn’t know the difference between a plantation and a native forest,” he said.

“(We’re calling) for a ‘greater’ koala park because the Great Koala National Park at the moment isn’t that great.”

A section of Tuckers Nob logged in 2023.

His comments were echoed by Karlee Brown, spokeswoman for Friends of Tuckers Nob, who also warned about the dangers the resumption of logging posed to koala.

“Over 1000ha of forest inside Tuckers Nob is schedule for logging in perpetuity,” she said.

“This will create a permanent koala killing field”.

A Forestry Corporation spokeswoman said the organisation was working within plantations established specifically for timber production, which are managed to be continually harvested and replanted.

“Trees in hardwood timber plantations were specifically planted for future timber production and are not native forests, but protection measures are put in place over and above the plantation regulation requirements to protect wildlife that may traverse timber plantations,” she said.

“Operators are trained in koala search and identification and inspect every tree before felling.”