The Australian Forest Products Association NSW (AFPA NSW) CEO Sue Grau has labelled claims by an activist group that it will challenge NSW’s North East Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) as time wasting and inappropriate.

“During the current COVID crisis and building boom across NSW, many families are struggling to get enough timber to meet market demand for construction. If we don’t use sustainably sourced hardwood from northern NSW – loved for flooring, staircases, doors and fine furniture – inevitably this shortfall will have to come from places with often far less sustainable forestry practices,” said Sue Grau.

Sue Grau also labelled the mooted legal action as time wasting. In recent months the High Court and the Federal Court respectively have rejected similar claims attempting to undermine the RFAs in Tasmania and Victoria.

“Australia’s rigorous RFA framework has withstood these claims, with the courts holding that RFA forestry operations operate with strong environmental controls and in parallel with the Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation (EPBC) Act,” Sue said.

NSW residents can be confident that our native hardwood industry operates to world’s best practice. We use the equivalent of just six trees out of every 10,000 and those trees are then replaced through regeneration, by law.

The original media release is here: 210804 AFPA NSW Media Release_Activists_attempting_to_close_NSW_native_forestry_will_further_reduce_Sydneys_building_timber_supplies_