Learn how selective harvesting supports sustainable timber use while maintaining forest health.
Queensland's selective harvesting approach
Unlike many other parts of Australia that practice clear felling (where most or all of the trees are cut down in an area), Queensland practices selective harvesting.
Selective harvesting involves:
- selecting individual trees to harvest
- leaving at least 50% of the original forest, including large trees that provide animal habitat
- leaving other areas completely unharvested.
A minimum of 50% of the forest stand must be retained, but a significantly greater percentage is usually kept. The forest stand is a group of trees in a forest that is managed as a single unit.
The 50% limit is measured by 'basal area'—a forestry term for the cross-section of all tree trunks at 1.3m above ground, including both large and small trees.
Regeneration following selective harvesting
Selective harvesting encourages natural regeneration. In Queensland’s native hardwood forests, there are usually tree seedlings and saplings under the canopy of large trees. These develop slowly until the competition from the mature trees is removed. After selective harvesting, these saplings and seedlings grow faster to reach canopy height.
Planning for selective harvesting
For each selective native timber harvest, we undertake a comprehensive due diligence and planning process to make sure that any values or interests associated with a planned timber harvesting area are identified before harvesting starts, and controls are put in place to make sure these values are protected.
Interests could include leased areas, apiary sites and recreational areas such as those used for horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, etc.
These are detailed in a site-specific operational harvesting plan that sets out:
- where harvesting can and can’t occur
- additional actions to ensure selective harvesting has a low impact by creating minimal disturbance in the overall management of the native forest area.
Identifying values for protection
The planning process starts with an extensive search of databases to identify values that are present, or are likely to be present, on the site that may need to be considered and protected, for example:
- flora and fauna
- cultural heritage
- watercourses
- recreation areas
- other forest users.
Environmental protections
Actions to protect threatened flora and fauna and ecological communities are detailed in the operational harvest plan and in species management profiles.
These must be followed to meet legal obligations under the:
Exclusion areas
Harvesting is excluded from areas such as:
- threatened ecological communities
- known cultural heritage sites
- watercourse protection zones
- steep slopes
- areas of forest without timber resources.
Other actions are also identified during the planning process to protect those values that may be present on the site, such as:
- exclusion areas around individual threatened plants
- a requirement to identify and protect trees used regularly by koalas.
Learn more about selective harvesting
Watch this video to learn more about how Queensland’s native forests are selectively harvested.
Show transcript
0:03 Selective harvesting is practised in Queensland, which means trees are individually identified for harvesting.
0:10 This low-intensity method is different to land clearing, which can change ecosystems forever.
0:17 With selective harvesting, at least 50% of the forest stand remains intact.
0:23 Selective harvesting encourages forest regeneration.
0:27 When trees are harvested, it allows space and sunlight for young saplings to grow faster.
0:34 This regrowth means harvesting can continue from the same forests for years to come.
0:41 The difference in Queensland is that our forests are made-up of many tree species of different ages and sizes.
0:48 When selective harvesting occurs, growing young saplings are provided with an opportunity to fill the canopy gap.
More information
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Last updated: 15 Oct 2025