Forestry Corporation remove compartment with Big Spotty from logging planning portal

Compartment 50A in North Brooman State Forest containing 'Big Spotty' - the tallest spotted gumtree in the world - has been removed from Forestry Corporation's logging planning portal.

The Plan Portal indicates the compartments where operations are expected to be scheduled within the next 12 months. Compartment 50A's removal from the list means the logging of the area that was scheduled to occur in mid 2023 has been delayed.

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A spokesperson for Forestry Corporation did not specify why the decision to delay logging in compartment 50A was made, but said proposed commencement dates for operations depended on a range of factors including weather, markets and logistics.

They said the 12-month schedule was routinely reviewed and revised.

"The proposed commencement date for compartment 50A has been moved back to mid-2024. The compartment will be listed on the Plan Portal 12 months from the proposed date and the planning process will commence at a later date," they said.

The decision comes after Shoalhaven councillors voted to lobby the State Government to review logging in compartment 50A in April.

At the time, Forestry responded saying the tree would be safe, with an exclusion zone of a circle with 60 metre radius established around Big Spotty.

Environmentalists claimed the exclusion zone was insufficient to protect Big Spotty.

Self-professed ambassador for Big Spotty Nick Hopkins said the announcement was something to be proud of, but that the fight to protect the record-breaking tree was not over.

"[Forestry Corporation] can add the compartment back [to the portal] when they think the heat is off," he said.

"We will only relax when Forestry have declared the compartment a Preserved Forest Area."

Timber cannot be harvested from a compartment classified as Preserved Forest Area.

"Other parts of North Brooman State Forest have already been accorded the status of Preserved Forest Area, so it is a no-brainer to extend the same protection to Big Spotty's compartment," Mr Hopkins said.

Big Spotty has become an emblem in the fight to end native forest logging in NSW.

The announcement comes just days after Victoria announced it would end native forest logging operations by 2024.