net available areas for all states it comprises around 6% of the nation's public forests which equates to about 4.5% of the country's total forest area. Contrary to your claim that 70% of forest "is not in public hands" you will find that about 75% of Australia's forests are publicly-owned, although a substantial portion of this is categorised as "leasehold forest" which is primarily leased to grazing and is regarded as being privately managed. You will find that state government forestry agencies determine sustainable annual harvest levels based on available harvestable areas and growth rates. This is frequently reassessed on the basis of harvest yields and events like severe bushfires which can destroy timber values. You would have to examine state government forest management plans to see what there sustainable harvest levels are. Your efforts at analysising the facts should emphasise the complexity of what you are dealing with and why it helps know something about forestry. Pandanus67 : 05 Dec 2008 1:33:33pm Mark, It is clear that whilst Ziberthicus may care about forest management in Australia enough to indulge himself/herself in a post modernist rant, he/she appears not to have taken the time to learn the basics of forest ecology. Zibethicus : Examining logical claims on their merits is a "post modernist rant" now, is it? I'd more call it classical philosophy, which after all my trusty Macquarie defines as "the study and science of the truths or principles underlying all knowledge and being (or reality)". Somebody says their