Harvesting of native forests is opposed by Australians, including in rural and regional communities, with support on a par with extractive industries such as coal seam gas, according to a report commissioned by a timber industry group.

The study, compiled by three University of Canberra academics for Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA), surveyed perceptions of the forest, wood and paper sector, according to a draft copy leaked to the Herald.

Native forest logging turns out to be opposed by most Australians, including those in regional and rural areas.

"[T]he findings suggest that native forest logging is equated by many Australians with depletion or ‘mining’ of resources, as it is clustered with coal-seam gas extraction and open-cut mining in terms of acceptability," authors led by Dr Jacki Shirmer said, summarising that there is a "very low" social licence for such logging.

The research was based on data collected in 2016 for a Regional Wellbeing Survey, including more than 11,500 rural and regional respondents.