The Western Australian Government has placed a 12-month freeze on the logging of "two-tier" karri forests in the state's wooded South West region.

Key points: Conservationists say the 12-month ban on logging karri timber is a "major breakthrough" for the forests

Conservationists say the 12-month ban on logging karri timber is a "major breakthrough" for the forests Forest industry groups say the freeze is unwelcome and unnecessary

Forest industry groups say the freeze is unwelcome and unnecessary WA's Forestry Minister David Kelly said the decision was focused on "customer demand"

Two-tier karri forests are defined as mixed-age forests comprised of mature trees and younger regrowth trees.

The Forest Products Commission (FPC) manages the logging of WA's native forests and has excluded two-tier karri forests from its native-timber harvest plan for 2020.

The decision has been met with celebration from conservationists and a backlash from the local timber industry.

WA Forestry Minister David Kelly (R) recently welcomed the purchase of several native-timber mills in WA's South West. ( ABC Rural: Jon Daly )

A 'temporary' stop

WA's Forestry Minister David Kelly said the decision was focused on "customer demand".

"Given there is some community sensitivity around some of these two-tier karri coupes, if there's no customer demand then there's no need to harvest from those areas," he said.

Mr Kelly said many native timber processors and manufacturers supplied by FPC were moving away from the use of older native-timber resources.

"Many in the industry are moving towards accessing smaller timbers and making use of logs that would otherwise be considered waste," he said.

"We think the industry has a good future in WA, but in order to have that you need to be responding to community concerns about very old trees being taken out of the forest."

Mr Kelly said the decision only applied to harvest plans for 2020, and a decision on future access to two-tier karri resources was yet to be made.

Forest Industries Federation of WA's acting CEO Matt Granger. ( ABC Rural: Jon Daly )

An unwelcome move

The 12-month freeze on the logging of tier two karri has drawn criticism from the local industry.

Matt Granger, acting CEO of the Forest Industries Federation WA (FIFWA), said the move was "unnecessary and unwelcome".

"We're going to be keeping a very close eye on the actual impact of the decision," he said.

"We'll be back in vigorous contact with the Minister if it turns out the industry is suffering material consequences."

Mr Granger said the Forestry Minister has assured the industry the stoppage would only last 12 months.

"What that means is that come 2021 and future years the two-tier karri will be available for sustainable harvesting," he said.

Jess Beckerling from the WA Forest Alliance hopes the temporary freeze will become permanent. ( ABC Rural: Jon Daly )

Make it 'permanent'

Conservation activist group, WA Forest Alliance, has been campaigning for the end to all native logging in WA for decades.

The Alliance's convener Jess Beckerling said it was a "major breakthrough" for the forests.

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"This freeze on logging applies to about 9,000 hectares of magnificent ancient karri forests from Bridgetown to Northcliffe and it's the best news we've had for the forests in nearly 20 years," she said.

"It's very welcome that industry is finally moving away from old growth in the karri forest, but let's be very clear that this win is the result of decades of intensive campaigning by a community of largely volunteers from around the South West."

Ms Beckerling said the temporary protection was the first step towards permanent protection for "ancient" karri forests.

The native timber industry adds $220 million to WA's economy each year, according to FIFWA. ( ABC Rural: Jon Daly )

"[Two-tier karri forests] have been subject to logging ever since 2001 when the very narrow definition of old growth left them out of national parks," she said.

In a letter sent by the Forestry Minister to WAFA, Mr Kelly said successive Labor Governments' performance in protecting WA's South West forest was well established.

"In 2001, under the Gallop Labor Government, WA became the first state in Australia to cease logging in old-growth forest," Mr Kelly wrote.

"The Forest Products Commission (FPC) has advised me that the required native timber volumes under the current Forest Management Plan (FMP) can be sourced without harvesting two-tier karri areas during the period of the 2020 harvest plan."



Mr Kelly said the FPC held the final say on whether the freeze to logging of two-tier karri forests would continue past 2020.