These forests are important for the habitat they provide, their aesthetic and cultural values, carbon storage and for providing high-quality eucalypt sawlogs and special species timber to the state's construction, craft and timber industries.

Tasmania has 1.2 million hectares of forest classified as old growth, including over one million hectares that is protected in the Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative reserve system.

Less than nine per cent of Tasmania's old growth forest is located on Permanent Timber Production Zone land managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania.

In 2020/21, 5020 hectares of native forest was harvested on Permanent Timber Production Zone land, with 3700 hectares harvested by partial harvesting methods.

The total included 32 hectares of old growth harvested by clearfelling. This old growth forest predominantly constituted small patches of old growth forest in regrowth forest coupes.

In context, the 32 hectares was approximately 2.4 per cent of the total forest area harvested by clearfelling in 2020/21, and less than 0.003 per cent of total old growth forest area (1.2 million hectares) in Tasmania.

Harvesting of old growth forest occurs on Permanent Timber Production Zone land to supply both high-quality eucalypt sawlog and special species timber products.

These timber products are supplied to local sawmills and produce wood used for commercial and domestic purposes including high quality furniture, flooring and decking.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania has developed comprehensive systems that manage and monitor elements of older forest in the landscape.

This includes where appropriate, variable retention harvesting and other forms of partial harvesting to retain old growth elements within and adjacent to harvested areas.

From July 2016, Sustainable Timber Tasmania voluntarily implemented the decision to end clearfelling in all Coupes Containing Old Growth, defined as coupes with greater than 25 per cent by area of mapped old growth forest.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania remains committed to managing Tasmania's public production forests respectfully, innovatively and sustainably and will continue to manage the forest for a vast array of environmental, social and economic values.

It holds Responsible Wood certification, continues to work towards FSC certification and has comprehensive workplans in place to address FSC non-conformances, including those relevant to the management of old growth forest on Permanent Timber Production Zone land.