We begin by recognising that the landuse of forestry is and has been the most important land-based environmental issue of recent times. The debate over this environmental issue is pursued across all states, with many groups contributing. The spectrum of the debate is wide and the following key words indicate that spread: wildlife, recreation, wilderness, woodchips, plantations, jobs, resource security and sustainability.

All the above concerns can be related to a very simple framework. This conceptual framework is that forestry uses forests and there is disquiet over the nature of that use and over the failure of the owners of the forests (governments) to recognise forest values other than for the supply of wood.
Thus the first topic becomes the management of the landuse of forestry. The second point is whether forestry should be the only user of forest landcover; whether it should be one of many uses; or whether it should be excluded entirely. Let's examine each of these in greater detail.

These are three faces of Australian forests. As individuals, we all appreciate and use differing resources offered by these forests. Among these resources are recreation, wildlife conservation and wilderness experience. But above all our society relies on these same forests for the resources of wood and water. Forests have many values to society. How to reconcile these many demands which are often conflicting? My suggestion is that we avoid using the human-scaled view of these images and concentrate on the overview uniquely provided by satellites: the big picture!