Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. When forests are cleared or burnt, this stored carbon is released into the atmosphere.
Whilst being a net sink overall, the land sector is also a source of greenhouse gases because of practices like logging and land clearing.
Each year in Australia, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest and woody vegetation are cleared – producing climate pollution and leading to loss of biodiversity. Halting native forest logging could avoid adding more climate pollution, while increasing the sector’s potential as a natural carbon sink.
Native forest logging was recently banned in Western Australia and Victoria, but it is still permitted in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. Our national environment law was strengthened in 2025, including better protections for our native forests.
