Review of New South Wales Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals Upper North East, Lower North East, Eden and Southern regions Cover: Turpentine ironbark forest, Wallumatta Nature Reserve, Lane Cove (M.Cufur, DECCW) This report has been coordinated by the Crown Forestry Policy and Regulation Section of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW. Prepared for the NSW Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Minister for Primary Industries, and Minister for Mineral and Forest Resources. Preferred way to cite this publication: Review of NSW Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals: Upper North East, Lower North East, Eden and Southern regions © Copyright State of NSW This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager Publishing, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, 59–61 Goulburn Street, PO Box A290, Sydney NSW 1232. Published by: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW on behalf of the State of NSW 59–61 Goulburn Street PO Box A290 Sydney South, NSW 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (environment information and publications requests) Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks, climate change and energy effi ciency information and publications requests) Fax: (02) 9995 5999 TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Email: [email protected] Website address: www.environment.nsw.gov.au ISBN 978 1 74232 609 2 DECCW 2010/237 Key contributors • Department of Environment, and Climate Change and Water NSW • Industry and Investment NSW (Forests NSW) • Industry and Investment NSW (Fisheries) Review of New South Wales Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals Upper North East, Lower North East, Eden and Southern regions Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................v Acronyms and abbreviations.......................................................................................vi Executive summary.....................................................................................................ix What this report contains ....................................................................................ix 1. Background to the review.................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction.................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Requirement for review of forest agreements and integrated forestry operations approvals ................................................................................... 2 1.3 Review terms of reference .......................................................................... 2 1.4 Review objectives and scope ...................................................................... 3 1.5 Links to other processes ............................................................................. 3 2. Review of forest agreement milestones .............................................................. 5 2.1 Environmental Management Systems......................................................... 5 2.2 Management planning................................................................................. 7 2.3 CAR reserve system ................................................................................. 13 2.4 Crown reserves and assessment of Crown land....................................... 15 2.5 Threatened species management............................................................. 16 2.6 Pest, weed and feral animal control .......................................................... 20 2.7 Managing for other forest values and uses ............................................... 23 2.8 Private land ............................................................................................... 26 2.9 Private native forestry and plantations ...................................................... 30 2.10 World heritage and wilderness .................................................................. 31 2.11 Cultural heritage ........................................................................................ 33 2.12 Aboriginal interests.................................................................................... 37 2.13 Aboriginal interests in the Hume and Riverina regions of Forests NSW and the South West Slopes region of DECCW ......................................... 43 2.14 Supply arrangements ................................................................................ 46 2.15 Supplementing timber supply .................................................................... 47 2.16 Forest Resource Assessment and Management Evaluation System (FRAMES) improvement, inventory, sustainable yield, volume review ..... 48 2.17 Forests NSW practices including silviculture............................................. 55 2.18 External auditing processes and reporting results, review processes....... 60 2.19 Charcoal provisions in NSW Forest Agreements ...................................... 61 2.20 Staff training, employment and industry initiatives .................................... 61 2.21 Community awareness and education ...................................................... 63 iii 2.22 Community consultation informing the public......................................... 64 2.23 Reporting and monitoring .......................................................................... 66 2.24 Research and data management .............................................................. 69 3. Review of Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals........................................ 75 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 75 Integration of IFOA licences.............................................................................. 75 IFOA amendments ............................................................................................ 76 Compliance and audit framework...................................................................... 76 Other information considered in review............................................................. 83 Forests NSW management............................................................................... 84 Progress of undertakings in IFOAs (Eden, UNE, LNE and Southern) .............. 87 Proposed IFOA changes................................................................................. 108 4. Criteria and indicator review............................................................................ 140 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 140 Background to the ESFM criteria and indicators............................................. 140 Review process............................................................................................... 140 Review outcomes............................................................................................ 141 5. Bibliography..................................................................................................... 142 Appendix 1 Items for the review and review conclusion/recommendations ......... 149 Appendix 2 Current indicators of ESFM ............................................................... 164 Current indicators of ESFM for the Eden region Forest Agreement................ 164 Current indicators of ESFM for the LNE region Forest Agreement................. 165 Current indicators of ESFM for the UNE region .............................................. 166 Current indicators of ESFM for the Southern region Forest Agreement ......... 168 Appendix 3 ........................................................................................................... 170 A. Eden region ............................................................................................. 170 B. UNE region.............................................................................................. 170 C. LNE region .............................................................................................. 175 D. Southern region....................................................................................... 181 Appendix 4: Reference Papers for Eden and Bulls Ground Burn Study Areas ..... 186 Appendix 5: Proposed changes to Schedule 2 (and related revisions to operational map requirements of Schedule 1)................................... 188 iv Foreword Dear Reader I am pleased to present for public representations the outcomes of the combined five and ten year review of the: four NSW Forest Agreements for the Upper North East, Lower North East, Eden and Southern regions of New South Wales including the ESFM criteria and indicators four integrated forestry operations approvals for the Upper North East, Lower North East, Eden and Southern regions of New South Wales. The report shows substantial progress in meeting the requirements contained within agreements and approvals. The report also contains a number of recommendations on, and proposes some modifications to, the agreements and approvals. The Hon. Frank Sartor Minister for Climate Change and the Environment v Acronyms and abbreviations