The trope that ending native forest logging in Australia would be ‘a very bad day for orangutans’ does not stack up.

The Nationals Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, claimed in the Australian Parliament last year that an end to native forest logging in Australia would be ‘a very bad day for orangutans, because we just import more timber from developing nations’. This is a trope.

And the lobby group, Australian Forest Products Association, claimed the closure of native forest logging on public land in Victoria and Western Australia will: ‘only increase our reliance on imported hardwood products, sourced from Indonesia and Brazil that don’t operate under Australia’s world-class forest management systems’.

We hear a lot of these claims by the logging industry to justify the continued logging of Australia’s native forests and to wedge critics of Australian forestry practices as ‘hypocrites’ who appear to be willing to allow for the decline of orangutans just to save their own forested backyards.

Is this true? Where do timber imports come from and what is the timber used for?

The best way to answer these questions is to examine the data on timber imports and exports gathered by the Australian Government’s Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. ABARES data do not support the claim that the decline of native forest logging in Australia has led to a decline in orangutans or more rainforest timbers being imported into Australia.

Sawn hardwood production has declined over the past 25 years across Australia. In 2001–02, sawn hardwood production was around 1.3 million cubic metres, dropping now to 389,000 cubic metres: a 70 per cent decline. There are many drivers behind this decline. Increased environmental protection of significant biodiversity and cultural values have removed some forest areas from being logged. But this is only one part of the cause. Historical over-logging of the forest has played a major role. For example, the Victorian Government recommended 25 years ago that historical over logging required substantial reductions in sustainable sawlog by up to 83 per cent in some regions. Bushfire is another major factor, with areas allocated for logging being burnt by larger and more frequent fires over the past 25 years and forestry agencies not accounting for this in their sawlog yield estimates.

Advocates for native forest logging claim that the decline in Australian hardwood sawn timber production has increased the volume of hardwood timber imports from other countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, where orangutans are found, as well as Papua New Guinea. The opposite is the case.

According to ABARES, imports of hardwood sawn timber from these countries into Australia has also declined. For example, hardwood sawn timber imports from Malaysia peaked at 55,007 cubic metres in 2005–06 but declined by 80 per cent to 11,163 cubic metres by 2024–25. Sawn timber imports from Indonesia dropped even more dramatically (94 per cent), from 50,892 cubic metres in 2004–05 to 2,851 by 2024–25. Hardwood sawn timber imports from Papua New Guinea have decreased by 91 per cent in that same period. These declines have occurred despite Australian hardwood sawn timber production also falling. So, what is happening?

The Australian market consumed 77 per cent less sawn hardwood timber in 2024–2025 than it did in 2001–2002. Softwood timber and engineered wood products now dominate the structural market in housing. Engineered wood products include laminated veneer lumber (LVL), plywood, cross-laminated timber (CLT) and I-joists. Australian production of these products is based predominantly on softwood plantation timber, particularly radiata pine. These products have displaced hardwood in house construction because they provide improved performance (i.e. span greater lengths), efficient manufacturing and, in many applications, lower costs.

It is in the engineered wood products sector where Australia imports more than  it exports. In 2002–03 it was 378,000 cubic metres; by 2024–25, that volume increased to 1.14m cubic metres. Most of these imports come from European countries. In contrast, Australia exported 319,000 cubic metres of engineered wood products in that year.

For sawn softwood timber, Australia imported 618,000 cubic metres in 2024–25. Historically, New Zealand has been Australia’s largest source of these imports. However, in recent years, European suppliers, particularly Germany, Lithuania and Sweden, have accounted for an increasing share of Australia’s imported sawn softwood.

Australian hardwood is still used in housing but is increasingly concentrated in appearance-grade and specialised applications. These include veneer finishes for cabinetry, benchtops, stair treads, panels, furniture and joinery. It is for these purposes that the industry justifies the need to log native forests. Historically, architects and designers have expressed a preference for select-grade timbers and quarter-cut veneers, where the grain in the timber is consistent and natural variation is minimal. This is just an aesthetic choice. Large old trees are required to be logged to achieve this grade of timber and large amounts of waste can be generated in the process. We liken this to a preference for ivory combs. Large old trees are now extremely rare in the landscape; no aesthetic preference justifies the loss of these trees. Timber with natural features can be sourced from younger trees.

In the case of imported tropical timbers in buildings, these are used specifically for outdoor applications. For example, kwila or merbau has been classified as a durable timber and used for decking and exterior joinery around Australian homes for decades. Australian hardwood species, such as mountain ash or alpine ash, are not suitable for outdoor applications due to their low durability classification. So, a reduction in mountain or alpine ash sawn timber is not going to result in increased demand for kwila or merbau. It is like saying a reduction in the supply of apples will result in an increase in the demand for meat pies.

We do not advocate for the use of merbau in buildings and have worked actively to find alternative local sources for high durability timbers for outdoor use. For example, sugar gum sourced from windbreaks across western Victorian farmlands is an excellent replacement. It is a highly durable timber with a very high density making it very suitable for decking.

So, the trope of Australia ending native forest logging being ‘a very bad day for orangutans’ simply does not stack up. The problem with much of the Australian hardwood sector is that it has been focused on low-value but high-volume commodities (like woodchips), resulting in a trade deficit by value. In contrast, Australia is a net importer of high-value but low-volume commodities, such as engineered wood products. These products are mostly sourced from highly industrialised countries across Europe. They are not sourced from orangutang habitat or tropical forests in Brazil or Papua New Guinea. If Australia is to become more self-sufficient in the engineered wood products sector, it must improve its manufacturing capacity and source its wood from well managed plantations that are credibly certified.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.