NSW parliament is debating a motion to end native forest logging brought about by a petition which gathered over 20,000 signatures.
Takesa Frank, from the small town of Brooman in the Shoalhaven region, launched the petition which is being debated on Thursday calling for transition to 100 per cent plantation-based industry by 2024.
Ms Frank grew up surrounded by state forest, in an area badly affected by the Black Summer bushfire crisis in 2019-20.
Less than three months after fires ravaged her community, native logging had returned to the area.
"That's when the community really decided to stand up and say we've had enough," she told AAP in a rally outside of parliament.
"No matter the result (in the parliament) ... there's positive outcomes. We've raised so much awareness about logging.
"We got 20,000 people to sign a petition, which tells the government and the opposition that we want to see change and hopefully they'll take that to the next election."
Greens MP Tamara Smith described logging native forests "a travesty that must be phased out".
"Public native forest logging is pushing iconic species towards extinction," she told parliament.
"Even if we don't talk about climate change or the appalling business case that has failed in forestry and extraordinary impact over vulnerable species...we would still be arguing that these native forest estates are the property of citizens to enjoy".
"They're not a business model to cut down trees".
But Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis defended the timber industry saying the opposition should "stop villainising" it.
"The forestry sector is worth around $2.8 billion and directly supports almost 20,000 jobs of which 40 per cent are in regional NSW."
"It is an incredible resource. It's been used as a building material since Jesus was a boy. We know why because it is sustainable. So why do we villanise it?" he told parliament.
Responding to the petition, Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders on Thursday said "we're talking about one per cent of the state forests that's being harvested... it's a tiny amount, it's a managed amount and it's not done in way with disregard for the environment".
"To suggest timber, forests and state forests don't work hand in hand and don't support communities is just incorrect".
But Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the petition was a message to the government of growing discontent about the continued degradation of the environment following the Black Summer fires.
"It just is disgraceful that our state government continues to log off the last remaining habitat for threatened species," Ms Faehrmann told AAP.
In an urgent plea to politicians, Ms Frank said young people are committed to making climate action a political priority for lawmakers.
"I think young people understand that we're at a crucial point: that if we don't act now on our environment, then there's not going to be an environment in the future," she said.
