Tallaganda Forest Charges: EPA Takes Forestry Corp to Court as Pressure Mounts to End Native Logging
The battle over Tallaganda State Forest has erupted into the courtroom. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has filed 29 charges against the state-owned Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) for alleged illegal logging activities in one of the last strongholds of the endangered Greater Glider.
Conservationists say the move is welcome — but also long overdue, and only scratches the surface of systemic wrongdoing.
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The Charges Against Forestry Corp
On 28 August 2025, the EPA lodged proceedings in the Land and Environment Court, alleging FCNSW breached conditions of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (CIFOA), the Forestry Act 2012, and the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
The charges stem from logging in seven compartments of Tallaganda in 2023, where investigators allege the corporation failed to conduct proper habitat surveys, felled protected giant trees, and destroyed den sites vital to Greater Gliders.
The case will first be mentioned on 10 October. If proven, the charges could carry penalties in the tens of millions of dollars.
For locals, the case recalls the moment in August 2023 when South East Forest Rescue staged a blockade at Tallaganda. That protest triggered EPA stop-work orders after a dead Southern Greater Glider was found just 50 metres from an active logging site. An EPA review later revealed Forestry Corp had identified only one den tree — while inspectors found at least 20 more.
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Protesters Say It’s Only the Beginning
Environmental groups have seized on the prosecution as vindication of years of grassroots monitoring.
Justin Field, former independent MP and now spokesperson for Forest Alliance NSW, called the case “a necessary step” but said it represents only “the tip of the iceberg.”
“Forestry Corporation’s actions showed no regard for environmental rules in place to protect some of the last remaining unburned, high-conservation value glider habitat on the South Coast,” Field said. “This latest prosecution should be a prompt to the Minns Government to accelerate timber industry reforms and chart a course away from native forest logging and towards plantations.”
That sentiment was echoed by the Nature Conservation Council’s Jacqui Mumford, who described Forestry Corp as a “rogue actor” with no respect for the law. She placed responsibility firmly on the Minns government:
“Premier Chris Minns cannot wash his hands of it. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty is directly responsible under the Forestry Act. Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Finance Minister Courtney Houssos are its shareholder ministers.”
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A History of Forestry Corp Breaches
Forestry Corporation’s track record reads like a repeat offender’s rap sheet. Just last year the Land and Environment Court fined FCNSW $360,000 for illegal logging on the South Coast. In handing down that penalty, the judge noted the company “has a significant history of unlawfully carrying out forestry operations.”
According to conservationists, this history is not an aberration but business as usual. Since the 2019–2020 bushfires, more than 50 investigations have been launched into FCNSW, resulting in over $2.7 million in fines and enforceable undertakings.
Yet the hardwood division — the arm responsible for native forest logging — continues to lose money, almost $90 million in the past four and a half years alone.
Greens MP Sue Higginson summed up the frustration: “The Forestry Corporation is a serial offender. This latest prosecution is well overdue, but it will not bring back the forest or Greater Glider habitat already destroyed.”
A Broader Reckoning
The Tallaganda case is not happening in isolation. Community surveys in Styx State Forest revealed logging had gone ahead without valid habitat searches. Illegal felling in Wild Cattle Creek dragged on for years before finally reaching court. For every case prosecuted, say campaigners, dozens slip through unnoticed.
Scott Daines of South East Forest Rescue was blunt: “People get investigated and convicted of murder faster than the EPA takes Forestry Corp to court. Australia is the only wealthy nation still cutting down native forests at scale. Victoria and Western Australia have already shut down their native forest logging. NSW is lagging behind.”
A 2024 poll suggests public opinion is firmly on the side of reform, with 7 in 10 residents supporting an end to native forest logging.
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The Call for Change
Conservationists argue the prosecutions highlight a larger truth: the era of native forest logging is ending. Groups like WWF Australia and Wilderness Australia say Tallaganda should be the final straw. “Healthy forests cool our towns, clean the air, and protect drinking water for millions,” said WWF’s Dr Kita Ashman. “They are life support for threatened species. Native forest logging must stop.”
Wilderness Australia’s Andrew Wong went further: “This agency is built on a business model of pushing boundaries to survive, and yet it still racks up millions in losses. Shutting down native forest logging and transitioning to plantations will be hugely beneficial.”
What Comes Next
For the Greater Glider, once abundant but now officially listed as endangered, every delay is critical. For the communities surrounding Tallaganda, the court case is a test not only of Forestry Corp’s accountability but of government resolve.
The EPA’s charges may yet deliver a financial blow to FCNSW, but activists warn fines alone won’t protect forests. The real question facing the Minns government is whether it will finally end native forest logging in NSW, or whether Tallaganda will be remembered as just one more scar in a long line of forestry controversies.
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📊 Forestry Corp by the Numbers
Illegal Logging & Prosecutions
- 29 charges filed by EPA in Tallaganda case (2025)
- $360,000 fine for South Coast breaches (2024)
- 50+ investigations since the 2019–2020 bushfires
Financial Performance
- $90 million lost by the hardwood division over the last 4.5 years
- $2.7 million+ in fines, court costs & undertakings since 2019
Taxpayer Impact
- Forestry Corp is a state-owned enterprise — its losses and fines are ultimately covered by the public purse
- Shareholder Ministers (Treasurer, Finance, Agriculture) remain politically accountable
Bigger Picture
- Native forest logging continues in NSW despite being shut down in Victoria (2024) and WA (2023)
- A 2024 poll showed 70% of NSW residents want an end to native forest logging
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Forestry Corporation NSW has a compliance problem
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