In 1871, as settlement advanced through the
Colony of New South Wales, with land cleared for cultivation, trees
ringbarked for grazing and timber used for the development, the first forest reserves were proclaimed with the aim of preserving the timber resource of the colony. By 1905, more than three million hectares of land was in timber reserves. The first attempt at a commercial pine plantation was made at
Tuncurry State Forest on the mid-north coast in 1912. Eucalypt plantations followed in 1939–40 at
Wallaroo State Forest and
Whian Whian State Forest (now
Whian Whian State Conservation Area) on the north coast. By 1971, of pine plantation had been established. In 1916 the
Forestry Act 1916 was enacted and the Forestry Commission of NSW, a government department reporting to the
Minister for Forests, was established to manage the state's forests. This legislation was replaced by the
Forestry Act 2012 and the Forestry Commission was corporatised. ==State forests==