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Fern Watch

Help expose the trade in wild-harvested tree ferns from Tasmania’s native forests.

Report a fern

THE PROBLEM

Tree ferns are being ripped from Tasmania's forests and sold as garden products

  • Up to 500+ years old
  • Taken from Tasmania's native forests
  • Sold across Australia & overseas
  • Including stores like Bunnings Warehouse and Mitre 10
0

tree ferns ripped out of Tasmania's native forests since 2002

  • These aren’t plantation-grown plants. They are pulled from intact ecosystems — often just before logging and burning.

THE SYSTEM

From forest to retail

Tree ferns are marketed as “sustainable” or “salvaged” — but the trade is tied to logging and forest destruction.

  • 01
  • Forest

Tree ferns grow in cool, wet native forests as part of complex living ecosystems.

  • 02
  • Extraction
Ferns are removed from the forest floor and taken out of native forest coupes.
  • 03
  • Logging
The surrounding forest is logged, degraded, and often prepared for burning.
  • 04
  • Retail
The ferns reappear as landscaping products in nurseries, hardware stores, and export markets.

WHY FERNS MATTER

Tree ferns are living ecosystems

Habitat

Tree ferns host mosses, lichens, fungi and insects. Entire micro-ecosystems living on a single plant.

Moisture

They regulate humidity and water retention, helping stabilise rainforest environments.

Time

Tree ferns can take centuries to grow. Once removed, they cannot be replaced

CASE STUDIES

Following the evidence back to the Tasmania's native forests

Five case studies tracing tree ferns back to native forest coupes in Tasmania linked to logging and forest destruction.

33,000*
tree ferns taken from the wild
This is only a snapshot. More than 530,000 ferns have been removed from Tasmania’s forests since 2002 for domestic and international trade.
* Total number of ferns cut from public forests is not reported transparently. Forest Practices Plans list only estimated availability. Plans state that the actual number harvested must be reported after operations.
Florentine River FO027C

Florentine River FO027C

Derwent 26 ha
7,000 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Russell River RU001J

Russell River RU001J

Southern Forests 33 ha
2,000 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Florentine River FO019D

Florentine River FO019D

Derwent 18 ha
2,500 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Pruana PU043E

Pruana PU043E

North-West 25 ha
1,500 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Wentworth Hills WW028A

Wentworth Hills WW028A

Derwent 25 ha
7,000 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Florentine River FO033F

Florentine River FO033F

Derwent 17.4 ha
8,000 *
ferns harvested
View case study
Florentine River FO024D

Florentine River FO024D

Derwent 40 ha
5,000 *
ferns harvested
View case study

HELP EXPOSE THE TRADE

We’re mapping where these ferns are being sold, and we need your help.

Supporters across Australia and beyond can help trace the trade in wild-harvested tree ferns by documenting where they appear for sale.

1

Visit a store

  • Check local hardware stores, nurseries, garden centres and landscape suppliers.
2

Look for tree ferns

  • Look for Dicksonia antarctica or products containing tree fern material.
3

Verify its origin

  • Verify it has a Government tag and registered as a Tasmanian product.
4

Take a photo

  • Photograph the product, label and submit a sighting using our form.
5

Optional: place a sticker

  • Help expose the truth at the point of sale by placing a campaign sticker near the product
Submit a sighting
Get a sticker

REPORT A FERN

Submit a sightning

See three ferns for sale? Send us the location and a photo so we can map the destructive trade.

What to look out for

  • Search for Dicksonia antarctica products: whole plants, trunks, mulch or steppers.
  • You may see them labelled as:
    • Tree fern
    • Tasmanian tree fern
    • Dicksonia antarctica
  • If you don’t see them, you can also ask staff if they are out of stock or sold elsewhere.
  • Make sure the tree ferns are wild harvested and have the Tasmanian government tag.
  • Some brands to look out for mulch are Fernmania and Ferns of Tasmania

Report a fern

Drop files here or
Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 4.

    EXPOSE IT

    Get a Fern Watch sticker

    These stickers reveal the truth, and help consumers know this product comes from the destruction of Tasmania’s native forests