Forest conversion and timber certification in the public plantation estate of NSW: Implications at the landscape and policy levels

This paper investigates the clearance of native forests and native vegetation for plantation establishment, otherwise known as forest conversion, in the state-owned plantations of New South Wales, Australia. It begins by describing Australia’s forests, plantations, and forest conversion, continues with an outline of the history of public hardwood plantations in New South Wales, and explores the regulatory frameworks that allow this practice to happen, and the responses adopted by non-state environmental governance systems, notably forest certification, to address this problem. The paper presents a case study analysis of conversion in the hardwood plantations of northern NSW, and concludes that the current regulatory environment facilitates deforestation, with cumulative impacts at the landscape level, and that without government intervention, efforts to prevent this by non-state action will only be partially successful, leading to ongoing habitat and species loss. The failure of existing legislative and regulatory frameworks to adequately acknowledge, define, and prohibit conversion will remain an impediment to sustainable forest management, as the entry of such timber into the market contaminates supply chains, resulting in considerable reputation risk. Reform is needed in both public and private governance systems to ensure strong governance, effective planning, and ecosystem integrity at the landscape level. Recommendations are provided for policymakers. •A new methodology to identify original forest inside plantation areas via historical aerial imagery.•A detailed evaluation of a range of spatial datasets demonstrating the increase of plantation cover, potentially at the expense of native forest.•A case study identifying that forest conversion has occurred in public hardwood plantations managed by the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales.•There is an urgent need to undertake reform to ensure New South Wales does not fall foul of the EUDR, or the Glasgow Declaration.•More research is needed to determine how significant these conversion events are, and the impacts on flora and fauna, notably the koala.