Whites Timber Products Pty Ltd and Whites Haulage Pty Ltd have been fined a total of $870,000, plus costs, in the Land and Environment Court, for three private native forestry offences (each) on private property in Kybeyan, Southern NSW.
The offences are estimated to have occurred between 20 September and 22 November 2021 after Whites Timber was engaged by a landholder to undertake forestry operations. Whites Timber then subcontracted the work to Whites Haulage.
EPA Executive Director Operations Jason Gordon said more than 40 hectares of land was overharvested resulting in long-term environmental destruction and habitat damage.
“The overharvesting of critical trees caused significant loss of canopy cover that has harmed the environmental structure and function of the forest and has reduced the ecosystem’s capacity for long-term recovery,” Mr Gordon said.
“Hollow dependent and ground-dwelling animals, such as frogs, birds and some mammals, have been seriously impacted by the widespread loss of nesting, breeding and foraging habitat.
“This is unlawful forestry destruction on a large scale that could take more than 100 years to regrow.”
Mr Gordon said private native forestry regulations are in place to ensure the lawful and responsible removal of wood supplies and where these are not followed the EPA will take action.
“In this situation, a number of practical measures could have been taken to reduce environmental harm and it’s simply not good enough when the rules that safeguard habit and native flora and fauna in the Private Native Forestry Code are not followed.”
The penalties follow $112,500 in fines handed down in August 2024 to the landholder as part of the same set of EPA prosecutions.
The two Whites companies and the landholder plead guilty to breaching requirements to retain a sufficient number of trees, including habitat trees (such as hollow-bearing and recruitment trees), under the Private Native Forestry Code.
In addition to the fines, Whites Timber has also been ordered to publicise the offences in the Bega District News, the Monaro Post and Australasian Timber Magazine. The landholder was ordered by the court in August to restore the damaged area and promote regeneration.
