The NSW Government says animals including the squirrel gliders rely on fallen timber to survive. Photo: Toohey Forest Wildlife/Facebook.
The NSW Government has defended its decision to ban firewood collection in the Murray Valley and Murrumbidgee Valley national parks, arguing threatened species such as squirrel gliders rely on fallen timber to survive.
Riverina residents have been allowed to collect fallen firewood in the two parks under the Riverina Domestic Firewood Collection Program.
However, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water says the 2026 season will be the final one, with collection to cease on 30 October and no permits to be issued for 2027.
The decision has been criticised by Riverina-based politicians and Deniliquin resident Judy Theobold, who has launched a petition to have it reversed.
“I wonder if the people in Sydney who have made this decision could even be able to find the Murray Valley and Murrumbidgee Valley National Parks on a map,” NSW state MP Helen Dalton said.
“Anyone who lives here knows that there is no shortage of fallen trees in these parks, and if a significant amount of this wood isn’t removed before summer, the risk of bushfires will be dangerously high.
“There is still an oversupply of fallen wood and it needs to be thinned out before summer.”
Federal MP David Farley expressed similar views.
“Having access to firewood to burn for warmth, cooking and domestic duties is a basic need and freedom, especially for families in the bush and those who don’t have access to natural gas,” he said.
But the department says its recent review found the amount of fallen timber available for collection has been declining for years and is now “very limited”.
It said continuing to remove fallen timber was placing pressure on the health of the forests and the animals that depend on them.
“Fallen timber is a critical part of healthy forest ecosystems,” a department spokesperson said.
“It provides shelter, nesting sites, food sources and protection for a wide range of native Australian wildlife.”
The department said threatened species including squirrel gliders, barking owls and superb parrots relied on the forests and the ecological processes supported by fallen timber.
It also said the shortage of suitable fallen timber was contributing to illegal tree felling in the parks.
“The review found collection cannot be sustained beyond the 2026 season,” the spokesperson said.
The department rejected the suggestion that removing fallen firewood was necessary to reduce bushfire risk.
As part of the final season, the annual household collection limit has been increased from six tonnes to eight tonnes and the season extended until 30 October.
Residents will still be able to source firewood from commercial operators and state forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW.
The Riverina Domestic Firewood Collection Program was introduced in 2010 when state forests were transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and was intended to be a temporary measure.
