Forest Economics Congress

What is the forest congress?

The Forest Congress is a gathering of people from divergent backgrounds coming together in service of something larger than their differences: a shared love of Tasmania’s forests.

It began three years ago, when 130 leaders, innovators and thinkers from industry, environmentalism, First Nations, economics, science, art and community gathered at Mona to consider the true value of forests—and what a better future might look like.

That first gathering was only a beginning.

Since then, the Congress has continued through countless working sessions, dinners, field trips, artistic interventions and heated negotiations. It has brought together people with profoundly disparate histories, interests and perspectives, asking them to hold their own values while coming to the table to listen, learn and work through their differences.

The process has not always been easy. But it has been sustained by a deep and enduring commitment to Tasmania’s forests: to their beauty, complexity and life, and to the responsibility we share for the land that sustains us. We are also sustained by a shared belief that Tasmania’s forests and people are asking more of us—more imagination, more courage, and a deeper responsibility.

After three years of conversation and debate, delegates have found common ground. There is a shared desire to stop old-growth logging, to protect forests of exceptional ecological and cultural value, while supporting regional livelihoods, a healthy forest industry and landscape restoration—to be led by Palawa culture and to find new forms of investment capable of sustaining this work into the future.

The statement below reflects where the Forest Congress has brought us. It does not resolve every complexity, nor is it a final destination. It is a shared vision and foundation for guiding the next phase of our work.

Three years.

Countless conversations.

One shared commitment to Tasmania’s forests and their future.