Almost two-thirds of NSW’s state forest set aside for logging was damaged during last season’s huge bushfires, adding pressure on remaining unburnt regions.  Data complied by the Department of Regional NSW shows that almost 430,000 hectares of so-called harvestable native forest were damaged by fire, or about 62 per cent of the total. By contrast, the damage to public hardwood plantations was only about 16 per cent, or more than 5500 hectares.  A document dated May 2020 states that without government support, the gross value added by the forestry and timber processing industry in NSW would shrink by $75 million over the coming three years.  “As salvage operations wind down, [gross value add] is forecast to be about $915 million lower over 15 years,” the report said, adding the loss of supply “significantly” threatened the viability of a “world-scale industry”.