With native forestry banned across WA, why are logging trucks still on the road?
- Ecological thinning is being implemented in Western Australia’s South West forests to remove smaller trees and allow remaining ones to thrive, with the long-term goal of restoring old-growth characteristics.
- The strategy aims to combat water stress caused by a drying climate, as dense regrowth from historical logging competes for limited resources more aggressively than original forest structures.
- The practice has drawn criticism from local residents and independent scientists who question whether the program is a rebranded form of native forest logging following the state’s 2024 ban.
Deep within the state forests of Western Australia’s South West, a massive ecological experiment is unfolding across the landscape. Known as “ecological thinning,” the process involves selectively removing smaller trees to provide the remaining ones with the space and resources they need to thrive. The ultimate ambition is to restore these areas to the majestic old-growth forests of the past.
However, the sight of logging trucks continuing to traverse the region’s highways has sparked intense scrutiny. Local residents and independent scientists are raising difficult questions, concerned that “eco-thinning” might simply be a new name for the native forest logging that was supposed to have ended.
The scientific rationale for the project is rooted in the region’s increasingly arid climate. In these globally recognized biodiversity hotspots, karri, jarrah, and marri forests are struggling to survive. After nearly two centuries of intensive clear-felling—a practice only officially banned in 2024—the resulting dense regrowth is now locked in a desperate competition for dwindling water supplies, leading to forest stress and localized collapse.
Katinka Ruthrof, a scientist with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), explains that the shift toward a warmer, drier environment has placed immense pressure on these ecosystems. She notes that the current forest structure, heavily altered by historical harvesting and wildfires, consumes significantly more water than the original old-growth systems once did.
On-site, the physical reality of the experiment is stark. Dr. Ruthrof walks through a landscape of sparse, retained trees, each spared from the saw by a white spray-paint marker. To ensure the thinning is permanent, the remaining stumps have been treated with glyphosate to prevent new shoots from emerging. The contrast is immediate: just across the road stands a dense, untouched patch of regrowth, serving as a silent reminder of the crowded conditions the experiment seeks to change.
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Original article and photo by "ABC News"
