About the Pine Creek timber plantations

The hardwood timber plantations in Pine Creek State Forest were formerly dairy farms that were planted with timber by a private plantation company APM between the 1960s and 1980s and then purchased by the then Forestry Commission.

Identifying plantations and planning operations

Timber plantations are not natural forest. They are native trees that were planted up to 40-50 years ago for timber. We have a detailed planning process that involves consulting a range of historic aerial imagery supported by on ground inspection including walking boundaries and transects, flying drones, using GPS technology in the field and benchmarking against known features to verify the boundaries of the original plantation.

Plantations are authorised by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and managed under the Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999.

About plantation harvesting

There's a detailed planning process before any plantation operation to produce a harvest plan. Harvest plans are available on our Plan Portal.

Operations in the Pine Creek plantations include final harvest of mature original plantations (known as first rotation) as well as thinning in young plantations established in 2010 and 2012 (second rotation).

When mature plantations are harvested, all of the trees are removed and the entire area is replanted. Plantation operations can produce a full range of timber products, from high quality sawn timber to residue products.

In 2010, we harvested parts of the first rotation plantation and planted 1,100 new seedlings in every hectare. These second rotation trees are now ready for thinning, which is a plantation management practice that removes smaller and weaker trees to give the remaining trees more space and light to encourage growth.

Timber plantations are an increasingly important source of essential hardwood products that the community values.

Protecting wildlife and other values

Prior to any hardwood timber plantation operations, we spend many months planning. Our planners and the regulators assess any unique and special wildlife values to ensure conditions are in place to protect these values.

Koalas and other wildlife are known to traverse plantations, so operators are required to inspect every tree before felling, and  follow protocols to temporarily cease operations when koalas are identified.

Multiple-use forest management

Operations to harvest and regrow parts of Pine Creek State Forest have been taking place for many decades alongside many other forest uses. Pine Creek State Forest is a multiple-use forest that is popular with visitors for a range of activities including horse riding, four wheel driving, trail biking and bush walking. The forest contains around 14 kilometres of mountain bike trails that have been developed and managed under permit since 2010. Operations to produce renewable timber are managed alongside these community facilities.

Unwell and injured koala

Forestry Corporation was notified by its timber harvesting contractor on Tuesday 21 July that an unwell and injured koala had been found within an active plantation harvesting area in Pine Creek State Forest.

Operations in the immediate area are paused, and trained ecologists attended the site to safely capture the animal and transport it to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for veterinary assessment and care.

Initial advice indicated the koala was suffering from chlamydia, causing significant damage to one eye. Forestry Corporation has since been informed that the koala later began exhibiting additional signs of injury. Following a veterinary assessment on Wednesday 22 July, we understand the decision was made to humanely euthanise the animal on welfare grounds.

This is an upsetting outcome. The protection of koalas and other native wildlife is a priority for Forestry Corporation, and plantation harvesting operations are undertaken in accordance with detailed environmental requirements and operational procedures, including pre-harvest inspections.

The incident has been reported to the plantation regulator, and Forestry Corporation will review the circumstances surrounding the event.