State-owned logging agency VicForests has recorded an unprecedented $52.4 million financial loss this year, blaming it on the cost of court cases brought against it by community environment groups. The figure is significantly higher than last financial year’s loss of $4.7 million and the previous year’s loss of $7.5 million. In its 2021-22 annual report, tabled in parliament on Wednesday, VicForests’ chief executive, Monique Dawson, said the year had been “incredibly challenging” and the agency did not meet its wood supply targets. Dawson blamed the agency’s shortfall on legal injunctions that halted logging while court proceedings were underway, which made planned harvesting “unviable” or prohibited it altogether. More than half of the agency’s operations were disrupted due to the court cases, she said.