Following the end of native logging in Victoria on January 1 2024, the state’s majestic forests might be expected to regenerate and recover naturally. But our research shows that’s not always the case. We quantified the extent of regeneration following logging in the eucalypt forests of southeastern Australia between 1980 and 2019. This included nearly 42,000 hectares of logged mountain ash forest in Victoria’s Central Highlands. We analysed data … and discovered that nearly 20% (8,000 hectares) of logged areas failed to regenerate. …All that remains in these areas are grassy clearings, dense shrublands or bare soils. …Our research shows more needs to be done to restore Victoria’s forest after logging. …Our research shows the regeneration of forests after logging is not guaranteed. Nature often needs a helping hand. But we need to find ways to fund these projects. …leaving nature to its own devices would mean losing a fifth of the forests logged over the past 40 years.