A state-owned "serial offender" of environmental law has been hit with dozens of new accusations as calls grow to end the loss-making logging of hardwood trees.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority is taking the state's Forestry Corporation to court again in October for alleged breaches of forestry and biodiversity laws in the Tallaganda State Forest in southern NSW.
The 29 offences are alleged to have occurred in 2023.
Stop work orders were issued in the forest in August of that year after an endangered greater glider was found dead about 50 metres from logging operations in the forest.
A "very significant investigation" since then has led to the fresh charges, Environment Minister Penny Sharpe told a NSW budget estimates hearing on Friday.
Greens MP Sue Higginson said charges for the alleged failure to conduct habitat surveys, destruction of threatened species' habitats and logging of protected giant trees are well overdue, and are not an isolated case.
"The Forestry Corporation is a serial offender," she said in a statement.
She repeated calls for native forest logging to end in NSW, as it has in WA and Victoria.
"Until then, the Forestry Corporation will keep breaking the law, forests will keep being destroyed, and the public will keep paying the price."
The Nature Conservation Council called Forestry a "rogue agency".
"They have repeatedly shown they do not respect the law and have no problem sending the bill to taxpayers when they get caught," its chief executive Jacqui Mumford said.
The calls come as the promised Great Koala National Park, aimed at protecting the marsupials' northern NSW contingent from extinction, appears closer than ever.
Covering up to twice the size of Canberra, it will link existing national parks with state forests near Coffs Harbour.
But industry has raised concern for the many hundreds of workers impacted by the change.
"We're very close to finalising and announcing that (park footprint)," Ms Sharpe said.
"Koalas like the same large trees that our mills have relied on - there is going to be an impact ... whatever size the government finalises."
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey was asked about cumulative losses from native forest hardwood logging totalling $60 million in recent years at a budget estimates hearing earlier in August.
"On most corporate metrics, it wouldn't be described as huge but it would be described as warranting attention," Mr Mookhey said.
NSW estimates its forestry sector is worth an estimated $3.3 billion and supports about 14,900 jobs, including 600 in the Forestry Corporation.
A court in 2024 found the state forest manager had a pattern of environmental offending.
It did not have a low likelihood of reoffending or good prospects for rehabilitation, the NSW Land and Environment Court found in relation to a prosecution.
Forestry was fined $360,000 after pleading guilty to cutting down 53 eucalypt trees, saying it was "due to human error applying a one-off condition".
Its chief executive is due to address budget estimates on Monday.
Forestry Corporation said it was inappropriate to comment on the fresh charges before the courts.
