National Parks and Wildlife Service

Forester’s unique legacy in Queensland

4 April 2025 / 2 Comments

Queensland’s national parks are a testament to the foresight and dedication of its early foresters. What set forest management apart in Queensland from the other states was the role of foresters in managing national parks. While their counterparts in other states focused primarily on timber and the sustainable utilisation of the timber resource, Queensland’s foresters were pioneers in balancing conservation with economic interests.

The great carbon credit con: A shonky system exposed

7 February 2025 / 5 Comments

Carbon offsetting is an honesty system coupled with a financial incentive for dishonesty.

– Ketan Joshi

Carbon credits, once hailed as a cornerstone of Australia’s climate change strategy, have been unmasked as a financial sleight of hand. They are marketed as a tool to curb emissions, yet in practice, they have become a glorified accounting trick, enriching a select few while diverting funds from genuine climate action.

The truth behind the rainforest battles in NSW (part 2) – a growing awareness of rainforests

7 July 2023 / Leave a Comment

Introduction

Earlier this month, I outlined a historical account of the utilisation of rainforest timbers in New South Wales (NSW) and the challenges foresters faced to ensure the cut was sustainable. Rainforest timbers were in high demand for various purposes, such as fine furniture and cabinet work crafted from red cedar and rosewood or boats planked and decked with white beech, decorative veneer, furniture, sports gear, craft use and specialist military purposes. … Read more

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Stealing a mountain – a warning for all of us

2 June 2023 / 20 Comments

“By limiting access to a public space based on religious beliefs and a narrow definition of identity, the rights of those who do not fit these criteria are unequivocally violated. The park, funded by taxpayers and intended for the enjoyment of all, is being co-opted by a specific group, imposing their beliefs onto the general population”.

Proof that species are declining in our reserves set up to protect them

2 May 2023 / 4 Comments

The average voter has been fooled. Locking up trees in national parks is a con. Blaming their demise on “climate change” is a lie. Excluding people who love and care for the environment is a travesty.
Tom Marland

Introduction

As we celebrate World Endangered Species Day on 19 May, I thought it timely this month to look closely at how species are faring in Australia, particularly in reserves authorities have established to protect them.… Read more

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A case study in folly #3 – the 2013 Wambelong fire

3 February 2023 / 3 Comments

“If you do not graze and/or burn the country, it will turn into scrub. It will turn into a time bomb and one day it will explode”. Vic Jurskis.

“Burning small patches higgledy‐piggledy every 10 years or so doesn’t have much effect on wildfires”. Submission to the Wambelong fire

Introduction

My June 2022 forestry blog provided a case study into the current mismanagement of forest fuels in the Western Australian karri forests and last month’s blog was a case study of the disastrous 2003 Canberra firestorm.… Read more

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A case study in folly #2 – the 2003 Canberra firestorm

6 January 2023 / 11 Comments

“But there is a sad symbolism in the tragedy of the burning bush capital, for Canberra was not merely sited in the political middle ground between Sydney and Melbourne but in an environmental middle ground between two Australia’s: that of the bush and that of the metropolis. When slammed together, the matter and anti-matter of Australian ecology are likely to explode.… Read more

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