Management of High Conservation Values Status Update May 2020
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Management of High Conservation Values Status update May 2020 DRAFT FOR COMMENT Copyright © VicForests. This publication is copyright. It may only be photocopied and distributed within VicForests. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provision of the Copyright Act 1968. Management of High Conservation Values Foreword VicForests has prepared this assessment of High Conservation Values (HCVs) within its Forest Management Unit (FMU) in eastern Victoria, based on a review of the presence and extent of HCVs identified at the FMU level, using the current FSC® National Forest Stewardship Standard of Australia, released November 2018 (FSC®-STD-AUS-01-2018 EN) and the FSC® Australia’s High Conservation Values Evaluation Framework. The purpose of this assessment is two-fold: 1. To inform stakeholders of VicForests’ assessment of HCVs within its eastern FMU and VicForests’ current management strategies and controls; and 2. To inform VicForests’ planning functions and guide more detailed assessments at the operational level, to confirm the presence and extent of HCVs and modify and improve management where necessary to ensure these HCVs are retained and protected. VicForests first conducted a comprehensive HCV assessment across its eastern FMU in 2014, using FSC Australia’s then HCV Evaluation Framework (V3-4), released in March 2013. The 2014 assessment formed the basis for VicForests’ HCV management strategy that was presented as part of VicForests’ evaluation audit for FSC Controlled Wood in December 2017. VicForests updated its HCV management systems and assessment in 2019, using the recently released FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard with its updated and expanded definitions for the six HCV categories. VicForests sought and received extensive stakeholder input on this process and released an updated version of its HCV Management Systems and HCV Assessment in August 2019. Since that time, there have been several major changes that affect the context of the assessment. These include a significant change to State government policy in relation to commercial timber harvesting in public native forests; extensive wildfires during the 2019/20 summer months impacting on native forests and plantations in the East Gippsland and North East regions in particular; and external audit processes that have recommended additional management actions by VicForests relating to old-growth identification and landscape-scale vegetation management. These major changes are discussed as part of setting the context for this updated assessment for VicForests’ management of HCVs. Stakeholder engagement VicForests welcomes feedback regarding the context of this plan at any time. Feedback and comments can be directed at any time to: Manager Environmental Performance Phone: 03 9608 9500 Email: [email protected] --- Alex Messina General Manager, Corporate Affairs May 2020 Version: 2.0 Management of High Conservation Values May 2020 Page 2 of 128 Management of High Conservation Values Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 5 List of Tables ................................................................................................................. 6 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 7 General Information ....................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Major changes since the 2019 assessment .......................................................... 11 1.2 Mapping limitations ............................................................................................... 16 2. HCV Management Framework ................................................................................... 18 2.1 HCV categories ..................................................................................................... 18 2.2 HCV management responsibilities ........................................................................ 19 2.3 State and regional level frameworks ..................................................................... 19 2.4 VicForests’ planning systems ................................................................................ 22 2.5 Retention of large old trees ................................................................................... 22 3. HCV Management Systems ....................................................................................... 24 3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................... 24 3.2 FMU level assessments ........................................................................................ 27 3.3 Landscape-level assessment ................................................................................ 27 3.4 Coupe level assessments ..................................................................................... 29 3.5 Compliance and monitoring .................................................................................. 32 4. HCV Assessment ....................................................................................................... 33 4.1 HCV 1 Species diversity........................................................................................ 35 HCV 1 values ............................................................................................................... 35 HCV 1 definitions ......................................................................................................... 35 VicForests’ HCV 1 assessment .................................................................................... 35 VicForests’ HCV 1 management controls ..................................................................... 47 4.2 HCV 2 Landscape level ecosystems and mosaics ................................................ 49 HCV 2 definitions ......................................................................................................... 49 VicForests’ HCV 2 assessment .................................................................................... 49 VicForests’ HCV 2 management controls ..................................................................... 54 4.3 HCV 3 Ecosystems and habitats ........................................................................... 56 HCV 3 definitions ......................................................................................................... 56 VicForests’ HCV 3 assessment .................................................................................... 56 VicForests’ HCV 3 management controls ..................................................................... 69 Version: 2.0 Management of High Conservation Values May 2020 Page 3 of 128 Management of High Conservation Values 4.4 HCV 4 Critical ecosystem services ....................................................................... 72 HCV 4 definitions ......................................................................................................... 72 VicForests’ HCV 4 assessment .................................................................................... 72 VicForests’ HCV 4 management controls ..................................................................... 80 4.5 HCV 5 Community needs ...................................................................................... 84 HCV 5 definitions ......................................................................................................... 84 VicForests’ HCV 5 assessment .................................................................................... 84 VicForests’ HCV 5 management controls ..................................................................... 85 4.6 HCV 6 Cultural values ........................................................................................... 86 HCV 6 definitions ......................................................................................................... 86 VicForests’ HCV 6 assessment .................................................................................... 86 VicForests’ HCV 6 management controls ..................................................................... 94 5. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting ....................................................................... 97 5.1 Compliance ........................................................................................................... 97 5.2 Effectiveness ........................................................................................................ 98 5.3 Validation .............................................................................................................. 99 6. References ............................................................................................................... 102 6.1 Scientific literature............................................................................................... 102 6.2 Acts, policy documents and spatial data ............................................................. 103 Annex A VicForests Working Area and maps ........................................................