{
  "id": 3133063,
  "title": "Government accused of 'logging by another name' in WA forests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/government-accused-of-logging-by-another-name-in-wa-forests",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T22:55:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-25/ecological-thinning-experiment-wa-native-logging/107071374"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Western Australian government is accused of conducting \"logging by another name\" through a process called ecological thinning. This involves removing smaller trees in native forests to allow the remaining larger trees to thrive. However, environmentalists and some scientists argue that this practice is essentially logging disguised as preservation efforts.\n\nEcological thinning aims to address drought-related stress on forests, which has increased due to a drying climate and historical logging practices. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) scientist Katinka Ruthrof reported that thinned forests show less water stress compared to unthinned areas. However, retired teacher and volunteer firefighter Jeff Thornton claims that the thinning process is similar to the past native logging, stating, \"They don't care about the environment; they are just ripping up trees for money.\"\n\nThe DBCA emphasizes that they conduct independent inspections and assessments of thinned sites, managed by the Forest Products Commission. They also conduct ongoing research to evaluate the effectiveness of the thinning process. However, Professor David Lindenmayer from the Australian National University argues that there is limited scientific evidence to support the benefits of ecological thinning, stating, \"I think there's a psyche that humans need to intervene in forests to somehow make them better.\"",
  "summary": "South West locals say the WA government's support for ecological thinning is deeply concerning, and a number of scientists agree.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}