Australians are being reminded that “penalties do apply” when it comes to taking trees from national parks — after wildlife monitoring cameras caught a ute driver filling up their tray with timber.
In Australia, it’s illegal to remove trees, whether dead or alive, Queensland’s National Parks department warned this week after the vehicle was spotted brimming with logs.
“We speak for the trees when we say everything within a national park and state forest is protected in Queensland,” the department said online.
“Whether it was a live tree like this one, or a dead one, they all play an important part in the protected ecosystem and should never be firewood sources—and penalties do apply.” Thieves aren’t just stealing wood — they’re disrupting entire ecosystems, it said.
In the state, fines can range from over a thousand, to $130,000. Source: Queensland National Parks
Why is it illegal to remove trees from national parks?
Deadfall logs, branches and leaf litter aren’t waste; they serve as critical habitats and nutrients. They feed myriad insects, fungi, mosses, and lichens, which in turn support birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Removing them clears away vital shelter and breeding grounds, damages soil health, and impedes natural decomposition, undermining ecosystem function.
For live trees, the impact is even worse: removing living vegetation destroys habitat, disturbs native species, and fractures the interconnected web of forest life. Barriers that help prevent erosion can be lost, while tree roots that stabilise waterways are severed, raising the risk of sediment runoff and water pollution.
Legally, the consequences are severe. In Queensland, offenders face on‑the‑spot fines of about $1,378. Worse still, court action can result in penalties of up to $137,850 for a first offence, and up to $413,550 for subsequent breaches.
In one case, a man at Pinnacles Reserve near Townsville was slapped with a $1,437 Penalty Infringement Notice after being caught cutting timber from a protected area.
National park laws across Australia are similarly strict: in New South Wales, someone was fined $30,000 for clearing firewood in the Murrumbidgee Valley.
National parks are carefully managed to preserve complex ecosystems. Every fallen branch, rotting log, and standing tree plays a role in nutrient cycling, habitat provision, erosion control, and carbon storage. Removing items for firewood or decoration may seem harmless, but it erodes the foundation of these fragile ecosystems, undermining decades of conservation efforts.
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