Hon Jess Beckerling questions the Minister for the Environment regarding the government's response to forest collapse due to extreme weather, specifically concerning funding and staffing for monitoring and management. The Minister outlines existing monitoring programs and staffing levels dedicated to forest management.

AnsweredQoN 543Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 August 2025
Portfolio
the Environment

QuestionView source ↗

Climate change—Forest health
543. Hon Jess Beckerling to the Minister for the Environment:
I refer to reports
of the 2023–24 collapse of forests and other native vegetation
resulting from WA's eight-month period of the hottest, driest conditions on
record.
(1) Has the government allocated additional
funding to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for the
purpose of monitoring the scale and impact of this collapse, and:
(a) if yes, what was the additional funding and
when was this funding allocated; and
(b) if not why not?
(2) How many FTEs at DBCA are allocated to
implementing the forest management plan, and:
(a) has this increased since the event;
(b) if yes to (a), by how much;
(c) if no to (a), why not; and
(d) if no to (a), has there been a decrease?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) (a)–(b) The health of the South West
native forests and the responses to the 2023–24 hot, dry summer and
autumn are being monitored through the Forest Health Monitoring Program
Implementation Plan, implemented under the Forest
Management Plan 2024–2033 .
(2) The Department of
Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has 50 FTE in 2024–25,
increasing to 55 FTE in 2025–26, 61 FTE in 2026–27, and 65
FTE from 2026–27 onwards for the implementation of the FMP, and:
(a) no;
(b) not applicable;
(c) the FMP is a strategic 10-year management plan
designed to monitor and manage forest health and resilience on a landscape
scale. Monitoring under the FMP will provide mechanisms for detecting and
tracking any forest disturbance events; and
(d) no.

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