environment tasmania – forest policy

8/13/2019 Environment Tasmania Forest Policy

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Forest Policy - Environment Tasmania 1

Environment Tasmania

Forest Policy 2010

Rati ed at General Meeting, EnvironmentTasmania, Hobart, February 2010.

The following policy recommendationsrepresent a joint policy position on forestpolicy from Tasmanian environmentgroups.

Environment Tasmania is an umbrellabody that is made up of more than 25Tasmanian environment & conservationnon-government organisations. Theseorganisations are geographicallyspread right across the island state, withcollective representation of more than6000 Tasmanians.


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Our native forests are of greatimportance. They harbour, and are keyto the survival of, many of our plant andanimal species. They provide ecologicalservices such as clean water and carbonstorage. And they are distinctive to ourisland, our identity and sense of place.

At the same time, the use of nativeforests in Tasmania is an issue of greatcontroversy. Tasmanian communitieshistorically have had a strong culturalconnection to our forests. Yet it isclear that our communities have seenthe need to move away from use ofnative forests for commodity timberproducts and have seen opportunitiesto still have a timber industry basedon the large plantation estate nowdeveloped in Tasmania. Our chanceto maintain employment and productmanufacturing in the timber industry,and pride in our cultural heritage, lieswithin this transition. Our governingpolicies must re ect this historicalmoment and lead the way.

The current policy framework governingthe management of Tasmanias nativeforests has failed to protect either thenatural, cultural, amenity or economicvalues of these forests. In addition, it hasquite possibly sti ed the potential forinnovation and improved managementin the plantation based industry.Tasmanians are capable of muchbetter, and indeed there is a growingrecognition and desire across the State,for opportunities for positive change andsolutions.

Environment Tasmania recognises that asolution to the con ict over Tasmaniasnative forests will require an integrated

suite of measures that enhanceprotection of native forests and naturalvalues while better utilising the plantationestate to support a timber industry andrural communities.

The overall forest policy outcomes are to:

Protect Tasmanias native forests andtheir biodiversity, carbon, culturaland other values.

Create new economic opportunitiesfrom protecting and restoring nativeforests.

Develop a long term, secure timberindustry that is supported by theTasmanian community and is builton our existing plantation estate andsmall areas of native forest.


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Policy proposals1. Immediate protection of old growth,

high conservation value andwilderness forests.

2. Adjust land tenure to provideappropriate protection to publicnative forest.

3. Improve native forest protection onprivate land.

4. Develop carbon storage andcapture potential of native forests.

5. Enhance forest and biodiversityprotection through governance andregulatory improvements.

6. Implement a transition package to

move commodity timber productionfrom native forests to existingplantation resources and betterrealise the economic potential ofprotected native forests.

7. Support improvements to themanagement of plantations andplantation productivity.

8. End government market distortions which inhibit innovation and lead tounfair competition within the timberindustry and with other sectors.

9. Develop an integrated public landmanagement agency for Tasmania.

10. Improve land and re managementpractices in all forests.

11. Support timber industry pride,heritage and innovation.

Policy 1. Immediate protectionof old growth, high conservationvalue and wilderness forests.There are areas of native forests thatshould be protected immediately. Theseare forests that have world heritagevalues, are old growth, have wildernessvalues or other important values.Collectively these are known as highconservation value forests.

These high conservation value nativeforests should be protected immediately.

Protection of these areas will haveimpacts on some current businessoperations / plans. There will be caseswhere other timber sources, support

or incentives are required to assistaffected businesses. Facilitate supportfor businesses affected by resourceloss, particularly as part of the overalltransition package. This support needs tobe made at the individual business level,not government agency level.

The following criteria will be consideredwhen designating high conservationvalue forest:

whole of landscape functionincluding ecosystem connectivityand sound reserve design outcomes

rare, threatened or endangeredspecies and communities, high levelsof endemism and refugia

old-growth, rainforest, undisturbedand low disturbance regrowth

identi ed world or national heritagevalues

wild river catchments and drinkingwater catchments

signi cant carbon stores

high local or community signi cance

Apendix A shows the minimum areasTasmanias conservation groupsconsider meet these criteria and thatrequire immediate protection.

Remaining areas of public native forestwill be better protected over a periodof time compatible with an acceleratedtimber industry transition to plantationfor commodity timber production. It isrecognised that there is value to theTasmanian community in ongoing


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sustainable logging of small quantitiesof specialty native timber where thatis possible for low volumes of craft andhigh-value timber production.

Policy 2. Adjust land tenure to provide appropriate protection to public native forest.Long term protection and care of publicnative forests, and their values, outsideof the current reserve system will in manycases best be achieved through formalprotection as either National Park, StateReserve or Conservation Area. In othercases retaining land as State Forest,managed by a government agencyindependent of the commercial uses,with an appropriate regulatory regime,will be best.

A critical consideration is the roleof traditional owners in the ongoingmanagement of their forests. While someprogress has been made in this area,more dialogue needs to occur withtraditional owners.

National Park and State Reserve

Many landscapes that should beprotected with this level of formalprotection currently exist outside theTasmanian reserve system. Communityconcern for these iconic and culturallyvital landscapes warrants this level ofprotection. At the same time protectingthese areas is a proactive economicstrategy, potentially building new touristmagnets for communities throughoutrural and regional Tasmania.

For landscapes of high conservationvalue, National Parks are the mostappropriate level of management and

protection. The land managementagency must also be appropriatelyresourced.

Conservation Areas

These are areas with great potentialcarbon sequestration value, particularlywhere they incorporate areas ofregrowth forest with opportunitiesto grow-in new carbon. Protectedfrom industrial-scale logging, thesezones will maintain their integrity withcomplementary uses such as honeyproduction and recreational activities,as well as for ecological services such as

clean water catchment, biodiversity andlandscape connectivity.

For landscapes requiring forestprotection but allowing forcomplementary uses, Conservation Area

or Nature Recreation Area are the mostappropriate reservation status.

State Forest

Remaining areas of public native forest,kept for low volume - high value timberharvest, restoration forestry and otheruses such as water, biodiversity andrecreation, would be retained as StateForest. They would need appropriateforest zoning in revised ManagementPlans to protect the native forests fromcommodity timber extraction and areasof high conservation value not capturedin the other reserve categories (egpatches of oldgrowth and threatenedspecies habitats).

Areas of native forests that have beenintensively logged and seeded in recentdecades will need to receive restorationtreatments. This will include weedingand strategic thinning to enhance foreststructural diversity, resilience, and carbonretention. There is potential in this landtenure type for joint projects involvingtimber companies, logging contractors, environmental consultancies andpossibly even community groups. Theaim of these zones will be to restoredegraded forests, increase resilience,and reconnect core reserve areas inthe long term. They will also be usedto provide resource in the transitionprocess, on an ecologically sustainablebasis.

The dedication of State Forests to smallerscale sustainable extraction and torestoration for landscape values andecosystem service purposes requires aninnovative, scienti cally led, landscape-scale conservation and restorationforestry program. The timber allocationsfrom these restoration zones would forma core part of the native forests transitionstrategy, as part of the rapid transitionof industrial sawlog operations out ofTasmanias native forests into existingplantations.

A resource assessment, with identi cationof native forest transition forests, will


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also guide practical arrangements fora number of sawmills, as native forestlogging operations are shifted across toTasmanias existing plantations estate.

Policy 3. Native forest protectionon private land.As a rst principle, native forestprotection on private land willbe achieved through voluntarymechanisms.Collectively, Tasmanias privatelyowned forests are large, geographicallydispersed, and crucial to climate andwater security, landscape connectivity,wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Privateforests are as important to Tasmaniasfuture as our public forest estate.

Private forests cover over one millionhectares in Tasmania, with ownersranging from single small land-owners

through to large corporate entities.In 2008, the plantation estate onprivate land in Tasmania had reached171,980ha while there was 885,000haof private native forest. 1 Only 48,000hectares is protected in formal reserves- less than 6% of the native forests onprivate land. 2

Many private forests are dispersedremnants in a landscape mosaic.The conservation and restoration ofnative vegetation remnants in these

landscapes is crucial.The Regional Forest Agreement set atarget for the voluntary protection of100,000 hectares of native forests onprivate land in Tasmania it achievedonly 38,400 hectares. Similarly, the 2005Forest Conservation Fund targeted theprotection of 45,600 hectares of nativeforests on private land, but at the timeof the Tasmanian RFA 10 year review,only 4,300 of the 45,600 target had beenachieved.

Provide mechanisms to achievesubstantial increase of covenantednative forest on private land in Tasmania. Protection of native forests and theconservation values of native forestson private land will need to include a

exible mix of voluntary mechanismsand regulatory measures. However,appropriate nancial mechanisms willbe important for achieving a substantialarea of covenanted private forest.

1 Private Forests Tasmania, October 2008, Annual reportfor Private Forests Tasmania.

2 Forest Practices Authority 2007, State of the ForestsTasmania. 2006


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This will require the creation of a privateforest conservation fund, from bothCommonwealth and State funding.

These programs will continue thedirection of past strategic reserve design

undertaken in previous private landconservation covenanting programs.

The Private Timber Reserve Systemwas established to give exemptionsto planned forestry operations fromlocal government planning schemesand community input. This was seenas a mechanism to provide for timbercompanies and private landholders tohave security for forestry activity on theirland.

Exemption of private land forestryoperations from local council planninglaws has given local communities verylimited opportunity to challenge or havea meaningful say about forestry activityproposals in their vicinity. The PrivateTimber Reserve System also exemptsproperty from land tax. As this exemptionis not offered to many other land usessuch as tourism, this has the effect ofdistorting land use.

As the timber industry changes, in linewith the transition strategy to a plantationfocus, the Private Timber Reserve Systemneeds to be comprehensively reformed.In particular, a much higher level ofstrategic and integrated regional landuse planning is needed, including thegenuine input of local councils & localcommunities, to provide the strategicframework for the oversight of futureforestry operations on private land.

The 10-year review of the RFA clearlyidenti ed the need for funding ofongoing maintenance and managementof private conservation reserves.This requires ongoing governmentcommitment for a dedicated team toprovide continuous support, advice,conservation and land managementexpertise for landowners withcovenanted private forested land.

Policy 4. Develop carbon storageand capture potential of nativeforests.Managing native forests for carbonsequestration is a signi cant contributionTasmania can make to the global goalof reducing atmospheric CO 2. It is a newand potentially key element of providinga long term solution to the forest industrycon ict in Tasmania as it would providesigni cant income stream for both publicand private forests in Tasmania.

As part of this the TasmanianGovernment must have more detailedcarbon auditing. A key feature of themarketability of any forest carbon isgoing to be the transparency andaccuracy of measurements of actualcarbon stored and retained.

Managing re in forests will also be acentral challenge of trading carbon innative forests. A larger commitment fromstate and federal government should bemade to R&D on managing re in nativeforests and in particular to how thisrelates to carbon retention.


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Policy 5. Enhance forest andbiodiversity protection throughgovernance and regulatoryimprovements.RFA

There are a number of possible pathwaysfor the protection of Tasmanias nativeforests and a resolution to the con ictover public forests in Tasmania.

The Regional Forest Agreement (RFA)is an agreement between the Stateand Commonwealth governments onthe management of Tasmanias forestsestate. The Tasmanian Regional Forestagreement has been changed once (forthe worse it undermined RFA credibilityin threatened species protection).Therefore, it could be changed againvia cooperative agreement betweenboth governments. The Tasmaniangovernment could move to protectforest areas, the Commonwealthgovernment could move to re-involveitself in the proper management andprotection of Tasmanias forests, or amixed or bilateral response could beachieved.

The preferred pathway would bea cooperative approach betweenthe State and Federal governmentsthat supports a full resolution of theTasmanian forests issue.

A simple solution might involve changingthe Tasmanian Regional ForestsAgreement in line with the modi cationof the Supplementary TasmanianRegional Forests Agreement. The basicstructure of the RFA was left intact, but amodi cation of the agreement was putin place.

Another approach might involve removalof the RFA altogether, with a newmanagement framework developed. Themerit of this might lie in recognising that theRFA was an instrument developed primarilyto balance native forest timber productionwith conservation. However in transitioningtimber production to plantations in line withthis policy, it might be best to develop a newagreement altogether.

Native forest biomass and renewableenergy

The current Renewable Energy(Electricity) Act 2000 has wood wastelisted as an eligible renewable energy

source, whilst fossil fuels or materials orwaste products derived from fossil fuelsare listed as ineligible energy sources.

This means that, under currentregulations, the logging of native forestsand burning of native forest biomass ina wood- red power station, can be fedinto the electricity grid as renewableelectricity.

However, logging of native forestsreleases vast quantities of greenhousegases into the atmosphere. Furthersigni cant quantities of CO 2 would bereleased into the atmosphere via theburning of wood waste in the furnace,whilst there would also be substantialemissions contained in the transport ofmaterials to native-timber red furnaces.

This policy loop-hole needs to be closed.Native forest biomass should be listed asan ineligible renewable energy sourcein any renewable energy legislation orpolicy.

The adoption of comprehensive and fairland-clearing legislation

Land-clearing is the permanentdestruction of native forest or vegetationand replacement with non-nativespecies or materials. It is the singlegreatest threat to our wildlife. In thelast decade Tasmanian has had therecord for the highest rate of landclearing in Australia. 3 Whilst the Policyfor Maintaining a Permanent NativeForest Estate is committed to the end

of broad-scale clearing of native foreston public land by 2010, and the clearingof native forest on private land by 2015,there is no legislation to back up thispolicy, nor is there any comprehensivelegislation to prevent the clearing ofnon-forest vegetation.

Environment Tasmania proposes that, in3 In 2000 Tasmania had a rate of land clearing (mea-

sured as area of native vegetation cleared as aproportion of the states total land area) that was thehighest of any state in Australia (0.248%, just marginallyhigher than Queensland (0.245%) and twice the nexthighest rate in NSW(0.125%). Sourced from ACF reportAustralian Land Clearing, A Global Perspective: LatestFacts & Figures March 2001, and ABS data for stateland areas.


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line with other Australian states, Tasmaniamust adopt legislation to protect nativevegetation and to enforce the cessationof land clearing. Adequate resourcingto ensure enforcement needs to beprovided.

The Environment Protection & BiodiversityConservation Act.

The Environment Protection & BiodiversityConservation Act 1999 (EPBC) isAustralias premier biodiversity protectionlegislation. It is the principle act ofCommonwealth legislation providing forthe protection of threatened species,World Heritage, National heritage andother national environmental valuesand requiring ful lment of international

obligations to protect these values.However, logging operations withinRegional Forest Agreement areas arecurrently exempt from the jurisdiction ofthe EPBC Act, meaning that logging innative forests in Tasmania, for example,is allowed to occur in a manner thatpushes nationally listed threatenedspecies towards extinction.

Remove statutes that exempt RFAlogging operations from the jurisdictionof the EPBC.

Policy 6. Implement a transition package to move commoditytimber production to a plantation

resource base, and better realisethe economic potential of

protected native forestsTasmania now has a unique opportunityto create a long term resolution to thecon ict over resource allocation of itsnative forests.

It will be possible to have a stable andsecure timber industry providing timberproducts and jobs built on commoditytimber supplied entirely from ourexisting plantation resources within adecade. This would allow protection

of all of Tasmanias high conservationnative forests and use of the remainingnative forests for high value uses suchas recreation, tourism, biodiversityconservation, water catchments andcarbon sequestration.

The extensive establishment ofplantations in Tasmania in recentyears has been highly controversial particularly the conversion of nativeforests to plantations. However, now thatTasmania has nearly 300,000 hectares ofplantations in the ground, this plantationestate provides a unique opportunityto support our timber industry into thefuture.

This is a critical development whichhas changed the dynamic and nowallows the implementation of a policy toprotect native forests while guaranteeinga strong, secure and innovative timberindustry. This opportunity did not existwhen previous attempts were made toresolve the forest con ict.

Tasmania must take this opportunity totransition to a world class and highlyproductive forest industry built on theinnovative utilisation of plantation timberin Tasmania and to manage nativeforests for other more sustainable, andhigher value uses.

Sound, scienti cally based planningwould allow native timber industriesto make a viable transition to existingplantation timber and restoration forestry

in strategic phases, whilst allocating asmall area of native forest for high value,


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low volume timber production.

There is a need to support the uniquerole that Tasmanias speciality artists,boat-builders, furniture-makers andcraftsmen play in the Tasmanian

community, and the valued place thatTasmanias native timbers play withinthat role. Environment Tasmania supportsthe ongoing use of small volumes ofTasmanias native forest timbers forthese high-value end uses. Appropriatemechanisms would need to be put inplace to ensure the limited extractionof native forest specialty timber speciesto supply this industry. At the same timeit is imperative that in the long termways are found to develop plantationderived specialty timbers. As subsidisednative forest timbers cease to becomeavailable, the farm forestry sector willhave greater incentive to innovateand commit to long term small scaleinvestment in specialty timbers. It isalso important to support the positivebranding of plantation timbers asspecialty timber products that can beused in high value applications.

Tourism Operations

In strategic locations it might be

appropriate to develop visitor servicesites or even zones and to developan appropriate suite of facilitiesnormally associated with national parkssuch as trailheads, walking tracks,carparks, camping areas and in somecases a visitors centre. Commercialaccommodation facilities and othertypes of more intensive tourismdevelopment are inappropriate inreserves of these categories.

IUCN category IV reserves and StateForest are more appropriate forcommercial tourism activity. But eventhen it must be conducted in a wellplanned and limited manner.

Tourism opportunities exist here forwell-managed and controlled licenses,including standing camps, huts,small lodges and adventure tourismattractions. Private tourism licenceswould be managed, approved andgoverned by the land managementagency using, an;

an open competitive tender

minimal environmental footprintdevelopments

utilising existing cleared sites andaccess points, avoiding new roadsand clearing of undisturbed sites

a bond for rehabilitation wherenecessary

lease fees to be returned directlyback to Parks / the EnvironmentDepartment for management costs,including rangers, conservationwork and public infrastructuremaintenance on a full-cost recoverybasis

adequate resourcing to oversightlessees

protection of natural values, fullenvironmental impact assessmentand a public consultation processprior to lease approval


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Policy 7. Support improvements tothe management of plantationsand plantation productivity.Plantation grown timber offers economicadvantages over native forest sourcedtimber. For example, plantation sourcedwood bre is superior to native forestwood bre in paper production. Thebuilding industry now makes extensive useof plantation sourced timber productsin construction for its low costs, easyworkability, stability and lightness. Saw-millers are able to more ef ciently processplantation timber that has a much higherdegree of uniformity than native timbers.

It is recognised that Tasmanias existingplantation estate (over 270,000 hectaresin 2008) will provide a key part of thesolution to the con ict over the industrialscale logging and wood-chipping ofTasmanias native forests by being ableto replace native forest products. Therecent expansion of the plantationestate means that over the next severalyears almost the entire timber productionvolume from Tasmania will be able to bereplaced by plantation derived timbers.This represents an unprecedentedopportunity to end commodity timber

production from native forest whilesupporting new timber industry growthand innovation. Environment Tasmaniaproposes that, as a part of a reshapingthe timber industry to protect nativeforests, optimal use of the existingsubstantial plantation resource fortimber products be achieved. This maymean developing longer rotations,pruning for clearwood, and thinning forbetter timber, to deliver higher valueproducts such as sawn timber from

timber plantations, rather than havingplantation management focussedlargely on woodchip production.

In the past decade considerableplantation has been established on landthat has been cleared of native forest,a practise that is highly controversial.Plantations are not forests. Plantationsare planted speci cally for the purposeof timber production and as opposedto native forests have poor biodiversity,wildlife, carbon and landscape values.

Plantations are not a panacea and canand do cause signi cant environmental

problems. Concerted actions areneeded to mitigate these problems,including:

An end to the pesticide andherbicide contamination of land and

water systems Retention of highly productive

agricultural land for food production.

End the use of 1080 to control pests.

Recognition and protection of ruraland natural landscape values.

Development of an integratedcatchment management frameworkto protect and restore water yieldsand quality.

Protecting Tasmanias eucalyptspecies from genetic pollution

Plantation timber growers need toimprove the management of plantationforests in these areas. As a part ofthis process, it is proposed that theplantation industry in Tasmania goesthrough a review process to achievethe highest certi cation standards,socially acceptable management, andother recognised good managementpractices for plantation forests.

There needs to be increased supportfor plantation innovation and valueadding. Opportunity should be taken atrotation turnover to diversify with suitablespecies in consultation with sawmillers,silvicultural research scientists and otherstakeholders.

In some cases environment groupswould like to see consideration begiven to areas of plantation in otherwiseexpansive areas of high conservationvalue forest restored to native forest.

A critical part of long term commercialsustainability is that the plantationindustry not receive the signi cant taxbreaks, or other nancial subsidizationof commercial plantation establishmentit has received in the past. This hasdistorted markets of the timber industry,other agricultural markets and propertymarkets to the detriment of them all.In addition it has led to and is likelyto continue to lead to plantationestablishment on inappropriate landsthat would otherwise not be viable.


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Policy 8: End governmentmarket distortions which inhibitinnovation and lead to unfaircompetition within the timberindustry and with other sectors.The management of Tasmaniasforests on public land is currentlyheavily subsidised by a range of directand indirect subsidies, whilst loggingcompanies are also subsidised bydirect government handouts, tax-breaks, special regulations and othermechanisms.

The timber industry always has andalways will be an important part ofTasmanias economy, but it should stand

on its own two feet. Ongoing subsidyof native forest logging on public landinhibits investment in innovation anddownstream processing in the plantationsector at the expense of native forests.

In addition subsidies to the Tasmanianwood-chipping sector distort the marketand allow the industry to out-competemore competitive and jobs-rich sectorssuch as agriculture and tourism.

End the 300,000 cubic metres legislatedrequirement from State Forest. ForestryTasmania currently has a legislatedrequirement to provide a minimum of300,000 m3 of veneer or sawlog frompublic forests each year. What is clearis that the recent expansion in eucalyptplantation means that this could soonbe replaced (particularly with ongoinginvestment in thinning / pruning andnew technologies in composite andlaminated structural timber productsmanufacture from plantation timber).

Restructure Forestry Tasmania Business

A key element of a transition packagewould be the restructure of ForestryTasmanias business functions. Ashas already been noted the landmanagement functions would bebest incorporated with the landmanagement agency functions of theParks and Wildlife Service.

There would still be a role for a forestrymanagement agency in managing theextraction of specialty timbers for the

foreseeable future, the growing and saleof timber from publicly owned plantation


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forests, bee-keeping licenses, andcertain restoration forestry works.

Current commercial tourism operationson State Forests to be either sold ormanaged by a Tourism Government

Business Enterprise Forest TourismTasmania

There should be a clear delineationbetween the delivery of a publicservice / public good, vs a commercialenterprise in State Forests in Tasmania.As outlined earlier in this policydocument, Environment Tasmaniadoes see a role for very well managed,well controlled sensitive private tourismleases in identi ed forest tourism zones inTasmania.

Environment Tasmania proposes thatcurrent commercial tourism operations inState forest in Tasmania currently ownedand operated by Forestry Tasmaniashould either be sold or managed by thenew land management agency.

MIS Tax Breaks

There has been a growing roll-out ofMIS plantations on agricultural land atthe expense of legitimate agriculturalactivities and the environment. These

schemes distort markets for timber,agriculture, and property, to thedetriment of rural Tasmania.

Environment Tasmania recommends anend to MIS tax subsidies. It is proposedthat the multi-million dollar revenuesavings is diverted into a rural & regionalland conservation and restorationfund for jobs-intensive communityconservation, land-care and restorationprojects. Similarly, we recommend thatthe land tax breaks for private timber

reserves be brought into line with the restof the rural sector.

Policy 9. Develop an integrated public land management agencyfor TasmaniaCurrently public land with protectedvalues is managed by three agencies,Forestry Tasmania, Parks and WildlifeService and Crown Land Services.This leads to duplication of processesand services. It is proposed that thesegovernment functions be integrated intoone agency to provide for ef cienciesand better conservation management.

In the process of this change, informalreserves would be formalised, andproposed Crown Land Assessment andClassi cation Project (CLAC) reservesproclaimed and added to the reserveestate.

This reform will mean that a numberof speci c land management andpolicy roles currently housed by ForestryTasmania, will be transferred acrossto a single, properly resourced landmanagement agency.

Functions that would be shifted fromForestry Tasmania to the agency includeland use policy for state forest, and themanagement and control of all State

ForestThis new agency would also undertakeongoing work to develop whole oflandscape conservation strategiesacross Tasmania. (eg in accordancewith the National Forest PolicyStatement, the Environment Departmentwill ensure the existence and/ordevelopment of; effective corridorsystems [to] link reserves, refuges andareas with a relatively large range ofaltitudinal and other geographicalvariation so as to take into account thelikely impacts of climate change. )

Absorb the functions of the ForestPractices Authority into a strengthenedand well-resourced EnvironmentProtection Agency. This will ensurethat there is an EPA with state-wide

jurisdiction over environmental regulatorymatters. There are inherent con ictsof interest in a separate regulatoryregime for only one component ofTasmanias environment. At the sametime, it is important to note that thereare signi cant skills and institutional


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knowledge contained within the FPAwhich would be underutilised as thetimber industry moves from native forestsacross to existing plantations. Integrationof these skills into the EPA would providebetter environmental planning for allsectors of the Tasmanian community.Synergies and shared resources betweenpersonnel, will also encourage greaterlikelihood of forestry activity being bestintegrated with other land use regimesand planning.

The review will include the following:

Revision of the Forest practice Code

Policing and enforcement of forestpractice plans

Integrated catchment management.Provision of an Environment, Parks &Biodiversity Protection Tribunal

A tribunal to replace the role of theforest practices tribunal with a widergambit and broader communityrepresentation, to provide a mechanismfor appeals to decisions in relation toland management, parks, or the EPA.

For example, if a party is aggrieved at aForest Practices plan decision, change

to the Forest Practices Code, an appealcan be made to the tribunal.

Policy 10. Improve land and fremanagement practices in allforests.Day to day management of the statesforests is critical to their long term health.Beyond immediate threats from industrialtimber extraction, are a range ofimpacts that degrade protected forests.These include weeds, over-visitation,wood-hooking, recreational vehicleabuse, feral animals and re.

In addition to being threats to many ofthe natural values of protected forests,these threats are also a risk to the timberindustry and its plantation resources especially re.

There is an ongoing need to developand re ne re management strategiesto protect and enhance ecological andeconomic values across the Tasmanianlandscape.

Public land managers must be betterresourced and supported by policy andregulation, to effectively manage theseissues. In addition there is a need forongoing support to private landholdersto manage these threats on private land.

Providing better resourcing to publicland managers to care for forests andthe many bene ts they deliver willprovide additional employment in ruralareas of Tasmania as well as the owon bene ts of healthier forests for allTasmanians.


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Policy 11. Support forests andtimber industry pride, heritageand innovation.Along with our native forests, Tasmaniastimbers and the timber industry arean important source of pride andsense of well being for our state andcommunities. It will be important in anytransition to nd ways to build on thisheritage.

Protection and promotion of thehistoric heritage of forest industriesand cultural values of forests will becritical. But equally important is theliving cultural values of forests and ourtimber industries, especially in somerural communities and amongst theTasmanian Aboriginal community. Thiswill include the development of regionalstrategies to build local pride andidenti cation with our forests, culturallandscapes, Indigenous heritage, historicheritage and timber industry heritage.


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Appendix A - Mapped HighConservation Value Forests inTasmaniaThe map shows the ENGO identied forestareas of high conservation value (HCV) thatrequire immediate protection.They are the outcome of many different andoften overlapping processes that have beencarried out by governments, communitygroups, scientists and World Heritageauthorities. over many years.

Broadly the following criteria have beenapplied in determining these areas: Large intact natural forest areas; Forests with high levels of ecological

maturity;

Forest areas of importance to local,national and international communities;

Forests and ecosystems with highbiodiversity values;

Reserve design principles includingbuffering and ecological connectivity;and

Forests with high ecosystem serviceimportance (eg carbon rich forests,water catchments).

A summary of the specic processes thatled to the identication of major HCV areasare shown on the table (right). Consultationwith ENGO groups around the state has alsocontributed to the mapping.

Informal reserves are included as they areconsidered inadequately protected andtheir inclusion here reects the seeking offull, formal, legislated protection.

There are many limitations to the quality ofdata made publicly available for use in thisprocess and errors will exist, such as areasthat have been destroyed or degradedin recent years. In addition it is also likely

that areas not identied here that meet theabove criteria have been missed and shouldalso be considered when the informationbecomes available.

Some areas, whose values have beenseverely impacted by logging, or conversionbut are located inside a contiguous areaof HCV forest reserve proposal are retainedto be rehabilitated as are some areasfor establishing connected conservationreserves or delivering world heritagerecommendations.

HCV Area Processes of HCV identication

Proposed extensionsto the TasmanianWilderness WorldHeritage Area(TWWHA) (includesStyx and GreatWestern Tiers, asshown on PFGJmaps)

This is one of theworlds greattemperate wildernessareas and includessections of the Great

Western Tiers, UpperDerwent, Navarre,Counsel, Florentine,Wedge, Tyenna,Styx, Weld, Snowyrange, middle Huon,parts of Picton,Esperance and Lunecatchments.

These are the areasthat contain themost timber/pulpresource of all theHCV areas

National Estate listing (Governmentbody: Australian Heritage Commission,1980s)Helsham Commission of Inquiry 1987-88and consultantsInternational World Heritage experts,including IUCN, ICOMOS, World HeritageCentre and World Heritage Committee(includes ofcial representatives ofGovernment signatories to internationaltreaty)Panel of Experts (Tas. Forests and ForestIndustry Council conservation groups,industry, scientists in 1990)Tasmanian Department of Parks, Wildlife

and Heritage (Government, 1990)Sundry reports on threats to integrity ofTWWHA (Australian Government 1993;Australian Government consultants,1994 and 1995)Great Western Tiers National Parksproposals (community groups, 1990 and1995)Sundry reports as part of Regional ForestAgreement process (inc. GovernmentsPanel on World Heritage values, 1997)Tasmania Together process (TasmanianGovernment) 2000Promises by Australian Government,October 2004Hitchcock report 2008

Tarkine

(includes most of theHCV forests of north-west Tasmania)

Scientic consultants engagedby Tasmanian Conservation Trust(Forgotten Wilderness, 1992)National Estate listing (Governmentbody: Australian Heritage Commission,1990s)Tarkine National Coalition proposals1995-2004 (representing the WildernessSociety, ACF and local groups)Calls for World Heritage investigation byIUCN (1990s)Tasmania Together process (TasmanianGovernment) 2000Sundry reports as part of Regional ForestAgreement process (inc. GovernmentsPanel on World Heritage values, 1997)


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Ben Lomond National Estate listing (Governmentbody: Australian Heritage Commission,1980s) (part)Submissions to Regional ForestAgreement (TCT, 1996)

Tasmania Together process (TasmanianGovernment) 2000Proposed Ben Lomond National Park(Wilderness Society, 2000)

North-East Highlands,including extensionsto Blue Tier, MtVictoria and MtArthur reserves andPanama Ridge

Submissions to Regional ForestAgreement (TCT, 1996)Proposal for a North-East HighlandsNational Park (community group 1998,revised 2008)Tasmania Together process (TasmanianGovernment) 2000

Linking Landscapes Project (communitygroups and TWS 2007)

North-East Tasmania,including MtBarrow, Mt Horror,Mt Cameron,Constable Creek Loila Tier, FingalTier, Evercreech, StPatricks River

Linking Landscapes Project (communitygroups and TWS 2007)

Eastern Tiers,Wielangta, ReedyMarsh, TasmanPeninsula, BrunyIsland and othersmall areas

Scientists as part of Forests and ForestIndustry Council, 1990Community groups, 1990sTasmania Together process (TasmanianGovernment) 2000Swift parrot breeding surveys andsubsequent reports

Leven Canyon andBlack Bluff

Community groups 1970s and 1980sCanyon and Bluff Working Group(The Canyon and the Bluff, 2003) andsupport from widespread communitygroups, 2003

Forestry Tasmania moratorium 2003


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For more information, please contact

Environment TasmaniaThe Conservation Council

P. 03 6224 6319PO Box 1073Hobart TasmaniaAustralia 7000www.et.org.au

environment tasmania – forest policy

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