Australia is home to some of the world’s most ancient forests. These native forests are some of the most biodiverse environments on the planet, and are a valuable tool in the fight against climate change through their ability to capture and store carbon and regulate the water cycle.

This paper offers policy-makers a blueprint for assessing the true value of our native forests. Recognising the inherent preferencing of the quantitative (particularly when it comes to Expenditure Review Committee processes), we conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of conserving Tasmania’s native forests, in particular those which are currently subject to logging by the state-run firm, Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT). This paper builds upon Blueprint’s previously published studies on the economic potential of alternate land uses of native forests in Victoria’s Central Highlands, and New South Wales’ North Coast.