PRESS RELEASE: Forestry Australia responds to listing of Alpine Ash forests of mainland Australia as Endangered

Forestry Australia acknowledges the Australian Government’s decision to list the Alpine Ash forests of mainland Australia as an endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), effective from 20 March 2026.
Forestry Australia supports the protection and recovery of Alpine Ash forests and recognises the seriousness of the pressures facing these ecosystems, particularly from repeated high-severity bushfire, climate change and other interacting threats.
At the same time, Forestry Australia remains concerned that the listing process has not adequately reflected the full breadth of operational and traditional knowledge and on-ground management experience relevant to these forests.
Forestry Australia provided a detailed submission to the committee last year, with extensive input from leading forest scientists. Yet, there is little evidence of direct, transparent consideration of Forestry Australia’s submission, and its central concerns with the listing. Forestry Australia considers that forest scientists and Traditional Owners should have been more meaningfully involved in the process.
The intent of the EPBC Act listing process is to safeguard ecosystems that are genuinely at risk of extinction. Listing such an extensive and predominantly intact ecosystem, most of it located on public land already managed for conservation, represents an unprecedented step in Australia.
The listing will have significant implications for the management of Alpine Ash forests and surrounding landscapes, with the potential for unintended consequences if it constrains active forest management approaches to reduce risk and support forest recovery. Alpine Ash forests are dynamic, disturbance-shaped systems that require thoughtful, evidence-based and practical management if they are to persist into the future.
Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman said the organisation’s concern is not with the need to conserve Alpine Ash forests, but with ensuring the policy response supports the right kinds of action.
“Forestry Australia strongly supports the conservation of Alpine Ash forests. Our concern has been that any listing and associated policy settings must help, rather than hinder, the active and adaptive management these forests need.”
“These forests face real risks, particularly from repeated fire and climate change. Responding effectively requires the best available science, genuine engagement with those who manage these landscapes, and a practical pathway for restoration and resilience-building at scale.”