AUSTRALIA — Native forest logging in Victoria could end sooner than scheduled if a Japanese paper company decides to close down its Latrobe Valley white paper plant, the last of its kind in Australia and one of a few remaining major buyers of the state’s native timber. State government and union sources expect Nippon Paper Group to permanently discontinue production of office paper at its subsidiary, Opal Australian Paper Maryvale Mill, this week, citing a lack of native timber supply from state-owned logging agency VicForests. VicForests’ access to the native hardwood timber, which is needed to manufacture white copy paper, has been severely limited over the past few years after court orders and bushfires disrupted logging projects. The Maryvale Mill, which employs about 1000 people, suspended production this month, and the company said it was “seriously considering the potential future closure of white side operations”.