Feral horses will be culled from a north Queensland forest to prevent the animals from straying onto the road and causing accidents

A 15-year-old boy died on Wednesday after the car he was travelling in hit what was believed to be a horse carcass on the Bruce Highway at Bluewater.

Two other people were injured.

National Parks Minister Steven Miles said horses were too big a threat to drivers on the Bruce Highway.

He said he had directed Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) to remove them from the Clemant State Forest and Paluma National Parks.

"This will likely involve a cull," he said.

"We have experimented with a whole range of different relation options, but they have tended to result in poor animal welfare outcomes.

"As always, QPWS takes the treatment of animals very seriously and they will work within strict guidelines that ensure the cull is conducted humanely.

"For our part, we will reduce the population of feral horses on state-controlled lands, but because feral horses are a problem right across the region we also need the cooperation of Townsville City Council and landholders."

Townsville city councillors previously called for a cull to make the road safer.

Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said he was making a submission to the council requesting that it include feral horses in its Pest Management Plan and work with landholders to tackle the problem outside of the state forest.

Fencing will also continue to be a priority.

QPWS recently completed fence line extensions from the southern Clemant State Forest boundary fence across Leichardt Creek to the neighbouring property.