Aboriginal people practised forest management with skill using fire for hunting and to stimulate new growth.
A log in time
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Pre 1788
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1788
Half of NSW is forested when the First Fleet arrives. New settlers need timber for homes and clear forests for farming. -
1820
Timber cutting licences are issued by the government 'to persons of good character' -
1869
83 sawmills in NSW -
1870s
Areas of forest are set aside by the government for future timber production. -
1879
Australia’s first national park, the Royal National Park in Sydney, is established -
1880
The first Forestry Commission nursery opens near Gosford. Seeding production begins and plantations are established. -
1881
Poet Henry Kendell is appointed Inspector of Forests -
1882
1.4 million hectares of forest in reserve for future timber production. -
1888
Wages for sawyers and mill workers for an eight hour day, 5.5 days a week is one pound, 16 shillings and eight pence. Today this would be equal to less than $4 an hour -
1889
A sawmill near Bombala is powered by a water wheel -
1909
The Department of Forestry is established -
1913
Longworth’s tramway near Laurieton opened for horse traction in 1913 and steam engines in 1916 -
1916
The Forestry Act is passed and the Forestry Commission is established. Under the Act, the Commission is responsible for the management of State forests, Timber reserves and some Crown land. -
1939
World War II places heavy demands on the State’s forests. Timber is needed for planes, ships, rifles and building projects -
1950s
A building boom begins and World War II ends in 1945 and soldiers return -
1960s
Scientific research is used to draw up management plans for koalas -
1970s – 1980s
Public perception of forests begins to change. More than just a source of timber, State forests are also seen to contain a rich variety of plants and animals, clean water and air, and recreation sites -
1999
NSW’s first Regional Forest Agreement or 20-year plan for the conservation and sustainable management of native forests is completed -
2004
Forests NSW is established as a public trading enterprise within NSW Department of Primary industries; 311 sawmills in NSW -
2006
Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management plans published. These describe how Forests NSW will provide for uses such as timber supply and recreation while maintaining ecological processes and environmental values. -
2012
The Forestry Act 2012 was enacted and Forestry Corporation of NSW was established 1 January to manage NSW State forests -
2016
2016 marks a centenary of operations for Forestry Corporation of NSW -
Today
Keeping forests healthy and productive for now and the future remains a complex and challenging task