Australian Forestry Standard & Forests NSW
The Australian Forestry Standard criteria are:
1. Systematic forest management
2. Public participation and good neighbour
3. Protection and maintenance of biological diversity of forests
4. Maintenance of the productive capacity of forests
5. Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality
6. Protection of soil and water resources
7. Maintenance of forests’ contribution to carbon cycles
8. Protection and maintenance of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples’ heritage values
9. Maintenance and enhancement of long-term social and economic benefits
1. Systematic forest management
Forests NSW provides systematic forest management through its independently certified Environmental Management System, to AS/NZS ISO 14001. Forests NSW has an Environmental Policy that commits the organisation to a systematic approach to forest management, continual improvement in management performance and outcomes, legislative compliance, provision of resources, management review and stakeholder consultation.
Forests NSW has developed Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (ESFM) plans for each of its Regions that provide the scope and management objectives, describe the forest estate and values to be managed (including social), the rationale for harvesting rates, descriptions and rationale for silvicultural regimes. They also refer to relevant operating conditions and controls for specified activities. Stakeholder input is sought through a public consultation process in the development and 5 yearly reviews of these plans.
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2. Public participation and good neighbour
Forests NSW has developed Corporate and Regional Communication Strategies that list details of stakeholders with whom the Regions/Organisation are involved. These strategies and lists are periodically reviewed and updated.
More information on how Forests NSW engages its stakeholders in the development and review of plans and policies, as well as providing a wide range of information is found in the Forests NSW Statement of Affairs.
Living, working, playing…forests is a policy and strategy document developed by Forests NSW, with close stakeholder involvement. It provides a formal framework for recreational use of State forests.
Forests NSW actively engage stakeholders in the development and review of its Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (ESFM) Strategic and Supplementary Plans.
Forests NSW has a Good Neighbour Policy, which advises employees on communication and consultation with neighbours on forest management operations that may impact on adjoining lands.
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3. Protection and maintenance of biological diversity of forests
Significant Biological Diversity Values (including spatial configuration of forest cover, stand structure and growth) are considered and are documented in the ESFM Strategic Plans and in classification of forests under the Forest Management Zoning system.
Implementation of management practices to support protection and maintenance of Significant Biological Diversity Values is tracked and recorded through operational activity monitoring, a database and participation in research programs.
Forests NSW carries out pre-harvest surveys and has a post-logging regeneration assessment procedure for native forests, which is used to monitor the composition and distribution of regeneration and allow assessment of any forest stand changes.
The Plantations and Reafforestation (Code) Regulation 2001, under the Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999, regulates plantation establishment and provides for the control of exotic conifer wildings in specified native vegetation retained areas to ensure the successful establishment and viability of native vegetation in those areas.
The need for disturbance regimes is assessed and evaluated in the Native Forests Silvicultural Manual, as well as the Corporate Fuel Management Plan and operational plans.
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4. Maintenance of the productive capacity of forests
Productive uses of the forests include the full range of timber products and also non timber products, such as wildflowers, tree ferns, honey, grazing, extractive materials, forest foods, game and seeds. These are identified in the Regional ESFM Strategic Plans.
Resource inventory and mapping systems, together with periodic monitoring, are well established and maintained through FRAMES (Forest Resource and Management Evaluation System) monitoring, the Forests NSW Geographic Information System and stand record systems.
Forest growth and yield estimates for wood products, as well as the accuracy of these estimates, are defined in Permanent Growth Plot inventory and strategic inventory. Manuals and/or procedures exist for all of our Planted and Native Forest Inventory methods. Forests NSW have a Corporate Inventory Program Framework that encompasses all these elements.
Activities that may affect productive capacity, and the planning of operations to address any risks to productive capacity, are identified in ESFM Strategic Plans, Silvicultural Manuals and operational plans.
Harvesting more than the forest can sustainably yield is prevented through the Forest Estate Modelling Process. The possibility that catastrophic loss may occur from time to time, for example through major bush fires, is also discussed in ESFM Strategic Plans and is accommodated in timber sales agreements.
Silvicultural Manuals and Regeneration Assessment Procedures prescribe the timing of regeneration/establishment, silviculture and harvesting operations to maintain the productive capacity of the site.
Silvicultural systems (ie planned programs of treatments to achieve specific stand structural objectives) used within Forests NSW are set out in the Silvicultural Manuals, which have been developed by silviculture specialists within the organisation and are based on forest type, specific stand and site conditions and product and market requirements.
In Regions that have an Integrated Forestry Operations Approval, silvicultural regimes, and their application, are prescribed in licence conditions and guidelines.
A program for control of damage agents during the stocking/survival/regeneration phase is carried out in accordance with Fire Management Plans, specific programs, such as the Bell Miner Associated Dieback Program, and the ESFM Grazing, Weed and Pest Animal Supplementary Plans.
Operational controls to keep damage to a minimum are defined in operational plans, the Forest Practices Code and the Silviculture Manuals.
The Operational Monitoring and Auditing Process and Forest Health Surveys assess, monitor and report damage, as well as ensure that, where necessary, corrective action is taken. Non Conformance & Improvement Requests (NCIRs) record incidents that include damage to growing stock and ensure that remedial action is taken when necessary.
Risk factors contributing to the incidence, extent and severity of unplanned fires are identified and evaluated in the ESFM Strategic Plans, together with Fuel Management and Fire Management Plans and Forest Practices Code. Fuel and fire management are implemented through operational plans, including fuel management plans, fire suppression plans and road maintenance plans.
The over-arching framework for fire management, in NSW, is defined by the Rural Fires Act, which is effected through the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee and District Bush Fire Management Committees, of which Forests NSW is an active member.
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5. Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality
The ESFM Strategic Plans, together with the ESFM Supplementary Pest Animal, Weed and Grazing Management Plans and the PFOB Silvicultural Manual identify relevant damage agents, which threaten ecosystem health and vitality.
The NSW DPI Forest Health Management Program has corporate knowledge of the potential damage agents, pests and diseases, of forests. The Program is also linked to a national knowledge base and network of forest health specialists through the Forestry and Forests Products Committee’s (FFPC) Research Working Group 7 – Forest Health. Forests NSW also has the Forest Health Strategy in preparation, which covers the assessment of impact and prioritisation for prevention and control of potential damage agents.
Forests NSW is involved in a number of groups and programs established to maintain ecosystem health and vitality, both directly and through State Government, for example Plant Health Australia.
Forest NSW and DPI contribute to Forest Health, Biodiversity and Ecology through extensive research including:
Forests NSW Silviculture Manuals and the Corporate Fuel Management Plan identify, assess and evaluate the disturbance regimes required to maintain and enhance ecosystem health and vitality.
Implementation of appropriate disturbance regimes to maintain and enhance ecosystem health and vitality, as defined in Forests NSW Silviculture Manuals, ESFM Strategic Plans and the Corporate Fuel Management Plan, is carried out through operational plans, in accordance with the Regional Fuel Management Plans and Harvesting Plan Manuals. Monitoring of the appropriate disturbance regimes is carried out in the Post-harvest and Post-fuel Management Burning Monitoring Processes.
The purpose, rationale and principles for Forests NSW use of chemicals is defined in the Chemical Manual, Silvicultural Manuals, ESFM Strategic and Supplementary Weed and Pest Animal Management Plans. Complete details on the use of chemicals are documented using a Chemical Register.
Forests NSW is committed to reducing its reliance on the use of chemicals, including options or alternative measures being assessed for applicability, effectiveness and cost, as demonstrated through its participation in biological control programs and research into tree improvement for performance and resistance to pests and diseases and improved site-species matching (see “Can we Grow Certified Eucalypt Plantations in Subtropical Australia? An Insect Pest Management Perspective”).
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6. Protection of soil and water resources
The operational planning process is guided by licence conditions, the Forest Practices Code, the Plantation and Reafforestation Code, Harvest Planning, Roading and Silviculture Manuals and the ESFM Supplementary Plans. Assessment of site-specific values is carried out by soil specialists within the organisation as part of this planning process.
Management of operations to conserve soil and water resources are implemented through operational plans and adherence to licence conditions, implementation of Water Quality Monitoring Program, the Plantation and Reafforestation Regulation, the Forest Practices Code and through Operator Soil and Water Training Programs and operational supervision. Strategic plans and the Geographic Information System identify and recorded soil and water values of concern. Forests NSW also have an emergency response procedure for spills of hazardous materials (HAZMAT).
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7. Maintenance of forests’ contribution to carbon cycles
Forests NSW has been involved in the area of carbon sequestration for many years. Early in 2000 Forests NSW put a proposal to Standards Australia to establish a committee to devise guiding rules for accounting for carbon sequestration from forests. Forests NSW was a major contributor to the interim standard published by Standards Australia in June 2002. This was the world’s first greenhouse gas accounting standard.
In 2001 Forests NSW also began working with the architects of the NSW scheme, the Department of Energy Utilities and Sustainability, to develop a methodology for calculating carbon sequestration. This was later replaced with the Interim Australian Standard and the development of a Rule for Carbon Sequestration within the scheme.
To complement these initiatives Forests NSW has also developed its own state-of-the-art carbon accounting system. The system developed by Forests NSW provides a rigorous and verifiable process for estimating and monitoring the carbon sequestered in planted forests.
For more information on carbon accounting follow this link.
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8. Protection and maintenance of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples’ heritage values
Forests NSW acknowledges the continuing importance of land and waters to Indigenous peoples and the significance of forest environments and cultural resources to maintaining cultural knowledge and practice. Forests NSW consults with Indigenous communities to identify cultural heritage values and interests and involves Indigenous people in processes to protect and manage their heritage. Ongoing consultation with Indigenous peoples informs planning through the sharing of traditional knowledge, enabling plans to be developed identifying measures to protect heritage places and objects and provide for contemporary cultural interests.
Natural, cultural, religious, spiritual and social heritage sites and values are identified, assessed for significance and protected through the Forests NSW planning process, with the support of plans and guidelines, such as the Operational Guidelines for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management.
Traditional uses are evaluated in conjunction with relevant parties or communities with existing legal rights or traditional Indigenous or non-Indigenous uses with regard to forest management activities as determined in the Cultural Heritage Guidelines and Operational Guidelines for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management as well as using regional consultation mechanisms.
Where native title rights and interests are determined to continue or are otherwise recognised, Forests NSW will engage with relevant Indigenous peoples' groups, in accordance with arrangements identified in Indigenous Land use Agreements (ILUAs). Specific Indigenous interests may also be identified and provided for under arrangements identified in Memoranda of Understanding developed with Indigenous groups. Forests NSW has offered joint training programs to enhance management of forests on lands owned by Aboriginal Communities.
Procedures for managing illegal and unauthorised activities are described in Forests NSW Prosecution Manual and in relevant sections of the Forestry Act and Regulations.
Forest-based recreation and tourism is permitted in approved areas, as defined in Forests NSW Living, working, playing … forests recreation policy.
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9. Maintenance and enhancement of long-term social and economic benefits
The ESFM Strategic Plans, together with timber distribution strategies and plantation establishment contracts, recognise the role in regional forest industry issues and the need for employment opportunities for regional contractors and suppliers.
Regional Communication Strategies identify the forums and committees in which Forests NSW participates. They include industry, local government, and Regional development forums that deal with issues such as road maintenance, fire protection, wild dog control, plantation establishment, Local Environment Plan development and regional economic and social studies.
Forests NSW have established a Staff Development Program, together with training programs and professional development opportunities, to develop the skills of its staff in line with organisation needs and workers aspirations.
The organisations structure charts, contracts and industrial instruments, negotiated with the unions, commit Forests NSW to long-term employment relationships, including with contractors and seasonal workers.
Forests NSW is committed to providing a safe working environment for all employees, contractors and other persons at our places of work which is reflected in the Health and Safety Policy. The management of Health and Safety is seen as a core activity and responsibility. The Health and Safety system is integrated into day to day business and work activities. Forests NSW is committed to the highest possible safety standards in the pursuit of injury-free workplaces, and takes very seriously its legal obligation to apply the primary duty of eliminating any risk to the health and safety of its employees, contractors and visitors where reasonably practicable.
Forests NSW has an Equity Policy and Program that demonstrates Forests NSW commitment to equity. Forests NSW embraces the principle of diversity and cultural harmony and seeks to recognise and benefit from the ideas and different ways of working and decision-making which are afforded by a diverse workforce. The organisation believes that the principles of equity and Equal Employment Opportunity must be integral to the development and implementation of all policies and practices.
The Equity Policy along with other Human Resources Policies and Procedures ensure fair practices in the workplace, fair implementation of benefits and conditions of employment, recruitment and/or promotion based on merit selection, staff training and development linked to both employee and client needs, freedom of association, recognition and respect for social/cultural backgrounds of staff and clients, access to flexible work practices and access to a grievance resolution process. Forests NSW ensures that it provides a workplace free from harassment and from unlawful discrimination on grounds such as age, race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.
Forests NSW carries out collective bargaining with staff and workers and their representatives in good faith and with best efforts to reach agreement, as demonstrated with union representation and consultation mechanisms. Forests NSW complies with the Public Employment Office framework for negotiation and consultation over workplace issues.
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