A local council has launched an eleventh-hour bid to save a swathe of forest in WA's South West that is slated for logging next week.

More than 1,500 have signed a petition to stop logging of 1,600 hectares of Mowen Forest near Margaret River.

The state-owned Forest Products Commission has confirmed harvesting in Mowen Forest is due to commence on Monday.

Mowen is an 8,000 hectare state native forest containing jarrah and marri trees.

On Wednesday night, the Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council endorsed the Save Mowen Forest community petition to cancel all logging operations in the forest.

The Shire said it would also write to the Premier and the Minister for Forestry to express its opposition to the impending logging.

Deputy Shire President Lyn Serventy said the forest was an asset for the region.

"Mowen Forest has biodiversity value to the shire," she said.

"It locks up carbon and we are increasingly spending money to try and decrease our carbon emissions but our efforts will become nothing compared to what carbon will be released if that forest is logged and burnt."

She said the forest was also a tourism drawcard for mountain biking, while logging natives also worked against the local plantation timber industry.

However, the council was not unanimous in its decision, with Shire president Michael Smart voicing concerns it would impact areas like Nannup and Manjimup, where the timber industry was reliant on native forest.

"I'm confident the Forest Product Commission complies with all the requirements for leaving the wildlife habitat and avoiding areas of concern," Mr Smart said.

Greens MP Lynn MacLaren said the forest would be logged for minimal financial gain, and said the native logging industry was unviable.

"Far from contributing economic benefits, the native forest logging industry is heavily subsidised by the State Government," she said.

"Without government support the Forest Product Commission's losses since its formation in 2000 would be considerable.

"For the 2013-2014 financial year, the FPC reported an after-tax loss for south-west native forest logging of $10.4 million."

"Based on what the State Government has revealed so far through my questioning, there is next to no financial profit to come from hacking down the equivalent of 750 Subiaco Ovals of native forest."

The Forest Products Commission said it has identified 17 potential buyers for the Mowen logs, including Nannup Timbering Processing and Denmark Spot Mills.

Two South West contractors have already been awarded the contract for logging and transporting the wood.

Forestry Minister Mia Davies has been contacted for comment.