"The government rejects the simplistic argument that the cessation of timber harvesting from our native forests is necessarily the best strategy for carbon emissions mitigation," he said.

RELATED: 2020 vision: Native forest logging moratorium to end for 356,000 hectares

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor told The Examiner on Friday that the forests could be considered a carbon bank, due to the natural ability of trees to absorb carbon dioxide - the cause of climate change - and convert it into oxygen.

She said climate was the biggest issue of 2019, especially with a link between the 3 million-hectare mainland bushfires and climate change.

RELATED: Greens leader Cassy O'Connor says the effects of climate change need urgent attention

But Mr Barnett said a wholesale rejection of new timber production was not the best way to reduce carbon emissions.

"The government recognises the viewpoint of the experts, namely the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and the International Energy Agency (IEA), that the sustainable management of forests, including a mixed strategy of conservation and timber production, is more likely to be optimal for atmospheric carbon reduction," he said.

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He added that before any of the areas of the "wood bank" land are provided for timber production, that proposal must first pass both houses of parliament.

"We will continue to work with industry in determining the most appropriate use of our forest resources," he said.