land management code - pasture expansion · part of an eec under the land management code....

Land Management Code - Pasture Expansion

Soil and groundcover distance

Minimal disturbance to soil and groundcover means no greater than 30% of the total area.

Nil disturbance to soil and groundcover means no greater than 5% of the total area.

This fact sheet provides guidance to landholders about the pasture exansion provisions of the Land Management (Native Vegetation) Code 2018. This part of the Code allows the removal of woody native vegetation by uniform or mosaic thinning to promote native pastures and increase farm efficiency and productivity.

Uniform thinning of woody native vegetation (notification) Allows you to clear native trees and shrubs provided: • the density of remaining native trees and shrubs remains

at least 225 stems in each hectare of the treatment area, and

• the remaining trees and shrubs are, as far as reasonably possible, at least two metres in height and evenly dispersed in the clearing area.

Landholding restrictions Clearing under this division is not permitted on small landholdings or in the Coastal Zone.

Treatment area restrictions Treatment area refers to the area on-farm where native vegetation is being removed. Clearing under this division is only permitted if the vegetation is one of the following vegetation formations: • arid shrubland (Acacia sub-formation)• dry sclerophyll forest • forested wetland• grassy woodland• semi-arid woodland• wet sclerophyll forest (grassy sub-formation) Clearing is not permitted in an area that: • is less than one hectare, or• contains a vulnerable ecological community (VEC) or an

endangered ecological community (EEC).

Method and impact conditions Clearing under this division must:

• retain all native trees with a diameter at breast height over bark (DBHOB) greater than 90 centimetres,

• if clearing on category 2 - vulnerable regulated land or within the buffer distance from a water body, be carried out only by clearing individual plants with nil disturbance of the soil and groundcover.


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Requirements prior to undertaking permitted clearingYou must notify Local Land Services at least two weeks before before undertaking any clearing. Local Land Services can issue a voluntary code compliant certificate for the intended notifiable clearing. You must obtain a mandatory code compliant certificate from Local Land Services before undertaking any uniform thinning (certification) and mosaic thinning.

Uniform thinning of woody native vegetation (certification) Allows you to clear native vegetation provided: • the stem density of remaining native trees and shrubs

are retained is the stem density set out in table 1 (for native vegetation that is not part of a vulnerable ecological community (VEC) or endangered ecological community (EEC)) or table 2 (for vegetation that is part of a VEC (see table 2), and

• the remaining trees and shrubs are evenly dispersed in the clearing area.

Vegetation formation Minimum stem densityArid Shrubland (Acacia sub-formation)

75 stems per hectare

Dry Sclerophyll Forest 150 stems per hectare

Forested Wetland 115 stems per hectare

Grassy Woodland 115 stems per hectare

Semi-arid Woodland 75 stems per hectare

Wet Sclerophyll Forest (Grassy sub-formation)


Table 1 - Remaining stem density for vegetation that is not part of a VEC or EEC

Note: clearing of native vegetation that forms part of a critically endangered ecological community is not allowed. You cannot clear native vegetation that forms part of an EEC under the land management code.

Vegetation formation Minimum stem densityArid Shrubland (Acacia sub-formation)


Dry Sclerophyll Forest 225 stems per hectare

Forested Wetland 170 stems per hectare

Grassy Woodland 170 stems per hectare

Semi-arid Woodland 115 stems per hectare

Wet Sclerophyll Forest (Grassy sub-formation)


Table 2 - Remaining stem density for vegetation that is part of a VEC or EECHowever, Local Land Services may issue you a certificate specifying an alternative minimum stem density to those listed in table 1 and table 2 if satisfied that:

• a higher stem density is required to avoid significant adverse environmental impacts at a local or regional scale, or

• a lower stem density is reasonable in the circumstances and would have no significant adverse environmental impacts.

Landholding restrictionsYou many not clear vegetation in the Coastal Zone under this division unless Local Land Services is satisfied the primary use of the land is for agricultural purposes.

You are not permitted to clear in areas less than one hectare, no matter where the landholding is located in the State.

Treatment area restrictionsIn the Central and Western Zones, you may only clear if the vegetation comprises one of the following vegetation formations:

• arid shrubland (Acacia sub-formation)

• dry sclerophyll forest

• forested wetland

• grassy woodland

• semi-arid woodland

• wet sclerophyll forest (grassy sub-formation)

In the Coastal Zone, you may only clear if the vegetation comprises one of the following vegetation formations: • arid shrubland (Acacia sub-formation)

• dry sclerophyll forest

• grassy woodland

• semi-arid woodland

• wet sclerophyll forest (grassy sub-formation)



Uniform thinning of woody native vegetation (certification) - continued

Method and impact conditionsClearing under this division must:

1. retain all native trees with a diameter at breast height over bark (DBHOB) greater than 90 centimetres,

2. if carried out in the Coastal Zone clearing is limited to the following genera:

• Acacia

• Allocasuarina

• Angophra

• Callitris

• Casuarina

• Corymbia

• Eucalyptus

• Leptospermum

• Melaleuca

• Syncarpia

3. Clearing on category 2 - vulnerable regulated land or within the buffer distance from a water body, may be carried out only by clearing individual plants with nil disturbance of the soil and groundcover.

Mosaic thinning of woody native vegetation You may clear native trees and shrubs provided:

• the canopy cover of the remaining native trees in the area comprises at least 30 per cent of the clearing area,

• the remaining native tree patches are at least five hectares in area and evenly distributed throughout the treatment area,

• at least one patch of at least five hectares is retained in each 50 hectares.

Landholding restrictions

Clearing under this division is not permitted:

• on a landholding on which category 2 - regulated land comprises less than 30 per cent of the landholding

• on a small holding

• on a landholding in the coastal zone unless Local Land Services are satisfied the primary use of the land is for agricultural activities.

Treatment area restrictions On a single landholding, the total clearing area must not exceed 30% of the total area of the landholding.

Method and impact conditionsClearing under this division must:

• cause no more than minimal disturbance to soil and groundcover on land that is category 2 - regulated land

• unless specifically authorised in a certificate, not occur on category 2 - vulnerable regulated land or within the buffer distance from a water body

• if authorised, by certificate, to be undertaken on category 2 - vulnerable regulated land, clearing must cause nil disturbance to soil and groundcover

• not occur if the vegetation forms part of a VEC or an EECretain all trees with a DBHOB of greater than 90 centimetre

Other conditionsThis division does not allow a change of land use, for example, from grazing to cropping. Any area cleared under this division may not be used for cropping.

Soil and groundcover distance

Minimal disturbance to soil and groundcover means no greater than 30% of the total area.

Nil disturbance to soil and groundcover means no greater than 5% of the total area.


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