Make an online submission

The Independent Forestry Panel has been appointed to lead consultation on the sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW, ahead of the NSW Government developing its Forestry Industry Action Plan. The Panel is tasked with consulting and reporting to Government on the best options to achieve the balance between sustainable supplies of timber and NSW’s environmental commitments.


The Panel is seeking your views on the sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW. This includes forest conservation, public and private native forestry, softwood and hardwood plantations, different land tenure and management regimes, timber supply, and non-timber forest uses such as recreation, apiculture and others.  

About you

1. Your personal information and privacy

After you make a submission, we will publish it on the website along with your full name, state/territory and the name of your organisation. You may choose not to have us publish your full name and/or state/territory; however, your organisation and any personal information you choose to include within the text of your written submission will be published and will not be redacted.










Your submission

The Panel invites written submissions from individuals and organisations on the sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW. The Panel would like to hear from a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from the timber industry, forest growers, environment groups, unions, Aboriginal communities, local government, business, related industries, tourism and scientific experts. 


Please structure your submission to address any or all of the topic areas below, including if and how you think current practices can improve. Please indicate the timeframe for any suggested changes, and the implications for both industry and the environment over the next 30 years. 


Topic areas to address:  

  1. Sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW 
  2. Environmental and cultural values of forests, including threatened species and Aboriginal cultural heritage values 
  3. Demand for timber products, particularly as relates to NSW housing, construction, mining, transport and retail
  4. The future of softwood and hardwood plantations and the continuation of Private Native Forestry in helping meet timber supply needs
  5. The role of State Forests in maximising the delivery of a range of environmental, economic and social outcomes and options for diverse management, including Aboriginal forest management models
  6. Opportunities to realise carbon and biodiversity benefits and support carbon and biodiversity markets, and mitigate and adapt to climate change risks, including the greenhouse gas emission impacts of different uses of forests and assessment of climate change risks to forests. 

Following this structure will help the Panel respond to some of the issues the Government has identified for inclusion in its Forestry Industry Action Plan. However, a submission that doesn’t follow this structure can be uploaded at the bottom of this page and will also be accepted and considered by the Panel. 


If your submission includes citations of evidence from published reports, please include full references for those materials. 

In filling out this submission form online please be aware that there is a 32,000 character limit for each section (approximately 5,000-6,000 words). Alternatively,  you can download a Word version of the form here: Independent Forestry Panel_submission template.DOCX file (54.6kb), fill it out, then upload it at the bottom of this page.  Submissions that do not follow this template will also be accepted. 


If you can't write a submission, you can convert your spoken words to written text using dictation features on your mobile phone, device or computer [iPhone | Android | MacOS | Microsoft] and upload that text document at the bottom of this page. 




 






(Optional) Choose your files for upload

Files that you may upload include:

Please note that any uploaded files must be in either PDF, DOCX, JPG or XLS format, with a maximum of three files with total file size of 35MB.


If you wish to submit multiple images, please combine them into a single PDF or DOCX file.



Terms and Conditions

Before lodging your submission, please read the Independent Forestry Panel’s (Panel’s) Public Submission Procedures.


The Panel does not claim authorship of any submissions on this website nor guarantees the content's accuracy or appropriateness.


By making a submission, you authorise the Panel to collect your personal information for identification purposes. For more details on how personal information is used and how to submit anonymously can be found in the Panel’s Public Submission Procedures.


All submissions received may be made publicly available. Confidential submissions may be accepted in exceptional cases at the Panel’s discretion. Information provided to the Panel, whether published or not, may be legally required to be disclosed to third parties without further notice to you.


Submitters grant the Panel and the NSW Government a royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and publish their submissions on the website, including converting them into accessible formats as needed.


If a submission contains third-party material, including personal information of a person who is not making the submission, the submitter must ensure they have obtained the necessary licenses and consents for its use and arrange for any applicable royalties or fees.


By making a submission, the submitter agrees to take responsibility for the entire content, including statements and opinions.