FORESTRY CORPORATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES NATIVE FOREST HARVESTING PLAN Wang Wauk State Forest – Compartment 117 1. Certification This plan has been prepared in accordance with the Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) issued under the Forestry and National Park Estate Act 1998. Prepared by: Mark Stute Reviewed and Approved by: Dirk van Dijk Senior Planner Acting Planning Supervisor Signature: Signature: Date: 9/11/2015 Date: 10/11/2015 Note: Approval encompasses the Harvest Plan Operational Map (HPOM) with the corresponding approval date displayed on the map, verifying final approved version. 2. Description of Proposal Native forest timber harvesting and associated road maintenance works. This operation will not be licenced under the EPL. Refer to Legal Conditions (Item 10). Attachment 1: Site Safety Plan – describes safety requirements and Medical Emergency Evacuation Plan (MEEP) for this harvesting operation. Attachment 2: Operational Road Works Plan – outlines roading requirements for this harvesting operation. Attachment 3: Standard Harvest Plan Conditions for Native Forest Operations under the IFOA: Central Region. 3. Area Identification and Yield Estimates State Forest Compartment Management Price Zone Harvest Area Plan No. Wang Wauk 117 Bulahdelah Bulahdelah 32770 Cpt 117 PlanCptID 44155 Gross Area 360.5 Ha Net Harvest Area 248.1 Ha Treatment Area * 160.5 Ha Estimated Yield 4747 m3 % Treatment Area > 15° 42 % * Treatment Area is the portion of NHA that is proposed for harvesting during this event less the area of slopes greater than 30 degrees as estimated by Hazard Calculator (est. area > 30° = 9.1 ha). 1 HARVEST PLAN – Compartment 117, Wang Wauk State Forest 4. Silviculture and Harvesting Prescriptions Compartment History and Stand Condition Compartment 117 has a long history of forest management, including harvesting and hazard reduction burning. Records indicate regular logging from the mid 1960’s. More recently, the proposed treatment area for this harvest plan was harvested between 1970 and 1972 and again between 1992 and 1994. A very small area (approximately 1 ha) along Lemon Tree Trail was harvested in 2011 in association with harvesting in compartment 116. The compartment were treated with a range of silvicultural regimes including thinning and STS harvesting, and AGS gapping. Some timber stand improvement (TSI) operations were conducted, mainly to the north-east of the compartment and outside of the current proposed treatment area. Current stand condition is varied, with regeneration succeeding in some areas and failing in others. There are patches of high quality regrowth spars that should be retained to grow on and harvesting should avoid damaging these stands. The compartment treatment area comprises; mixed moist hardwood stands containing the commercial species flooded gum, blue gum and tallowwood with some areas of pure flooded gum on lower slopes and along drainage lines, and high and low quality dry hardwood stands of white mahogany, red mahogany, grey gum and grey iron bark. The stands of mature forest will be harvested intensively in order to maximise their commercial value and achieve regeneration. The silvicultural objective of this harvesting operation is to harvest end-point stands to create ground disturbance and conditions suitable to achieve regeneration. Tourism and recreation values along Horses Creek Road are protected by a 50 metre wide (25m either side of the road) FMZ 3B special prescription zone. The FMZ 3B zone is shown on the HPOM. At least 50% of the canopy within this zone must be retained. Apply STS light to moderate to achieve this condition. Retain growers, seed trees and Koala preferred species (tallowwood, grey gum, swamp mahogany). Log dumps placed along Horses Creek Road must be located and sized in such a manner as to reduce impacts on visual quality, with due consideration given to safety. Basal Area limits will be managed by offset areas within the compartment which may be harvested at a later date. A basal area assessment, with offset areas in place, estimated an average basal area retention requirement for the treatment area of 12.4 m2/ha. Harvesting Prescription Stand type % of Example Treatment (STS, AGS, or THIN) treat and Prescription area Moist Harwood Stands. 68% Lower slopes and Heavy STS. along drainage Harvest intensively to remove lines. merchantable products as well as poor quality stems and suppressed trees. Retain good quality seed trees1 of preferred species at 30 - 50m spacing. Treat areas between seed trees to aid regeneration2. Avoid damage to patches of regrowth spars of preferred species, where present. Mixed Dry Hardwood Stands. 30% Mid and upper Moderate and Heavy STS. slopes. Areas where regeneration has failed may be treated (by machinery disturbance) to provide another opportunity for regeneration Avoid damage to regrowth spars and advanced regeneration where it is present. - 2 - HARVEST PLAN – Compartment 117, Wang Wauk State Forest FMZ 3B. 2% 25m wide special Light and moderate STS where at least prescription strip 50% of the canopy must be retained. along Horses Care must be taken to avoid damage to Creek Road advanced regeneration. Mixed dry hardwood stands Displayed as Do not harvest. Retain for future dominated by young regrowth “Future harvesting events. spars resulting from pole Treatment” Areas Snig tracks may be permitted through operations in 1989 to 1991 and on HPOM these areas where access is otherwise mining timber harvesting in impractical. Care must be taken to avoid 1992/1993. damage to advanced regeneration. Notes: 1. Retained seed trees must be mature, have good form and large, healthy crowns. Trees chosen as seed trees must be of preferred species and must be dominant or co-dominant in the pre harvest stand. Do not retain suppressed trees as seed trees. 2. Areas between seed trees should be treated to aid regeneration, including removal of shade-tolerant stems as far as practicable under the conditions of the IFOA and as market conditions allow. IFOA Limits STS Basal Area(BA) limit (40%) Sections of native forest will be retained within the NHA (displayed as ‘future treatment areas’ on the HPOM) to ensure BA limits are not reached. The Harvest Planning Forester must be contacted if changes to this plan are proposed. 5. Special Conditions Non-Harvest Areas In this compartment, non-harvest areas comprise: FMZ 2 (Wildlife - fauna, runs parallel with the Wang Wauk River. This zone is obscured on the HPOM as it lies beneath the 4th order drainage riparian protection zone applied to Wang Wauk River). FMZ 3A (associated with rainforest). Ridge and headwater habitat (40m and 80m wide). Slopes over 30 (mapped indicatively). Riparian protection zones. Threatened species exclusions. Owl landscape reserves. Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) Subtropical Coastal Floodplain Forest of the NSW North Coast Bioregion EEC may be present in the compartment associated with Wang Wauk River. The potential EEC areas indicated on the attached HPOM are excluded from logging unless assessed in the field as not meeting the criteria for EEC. The Senior Field Ecologist must be notified prior to any harvesting occurring on mapped indicative EEC locations. If during the course of mark-up you identify any additional areas that you feel may possibly be EEC, contact the Senior Field Ecologist prior to any activities occurring in those areas. FMZ 3B There is a FMZ 3B (Special Prescription Zone) area which is 50 metres wide (~25m either side of Horses Creek Road) and runs parallel with Horses Creek Road. The dominant value of the zone is “Tourism & Recreation”. The actual purpose of the zone is not clear, however, it may have been created when several roads within Wang Wauk State Forest (including Horses Creek Road and Wang Wauk Forest Way) were used as tourist drives at the time Wootton Way formed part of the Pacific Highway. The area is available for harvesting under modified harvesting prescriptions. - 3 - HARVEST PLAN – Compartment 117, Wang Wauk State Forest Koala High Use Areas and Intermediate Use Areas Although recent ecology surveys did not identify any Koala High Use areas, previously identified areas in 2012 will be excluded from harvesting. Ecology surveys did determine the compartment to be a Koala Intermediate Use area as a whole requiring tree retention conditions where 10 primary browse trees (Grey gum, Tallowwood, Forest Red Gum, Swamp Mahogany) must be retained for every 2 hectares of NHA. Haulage Pattern All timber will be hauled to the north via Horses Creek Road to Manning Hill Road, and to the south via Horses Creek Road and Wang Wauk Forest Way to Wootton Way. Critical Boundaries Compartment 117 lies entirely within Wang Wauk State Forest and is not adjoined by National Park, freehold lands, or other land tenure. The boundaries of compartment 117 comprise roads, trails and drainage features, all of which have been accurately defined for this harvesting plan based on LiDAR data sets and on-ground GPS data capture. Harvesting Debris Management Logging debris must be removed within 5 meters of the base of retained seed trees and hollow bearing trees to avoid damage in burning operations. Traffic Management Harvesting operations adjacent to Horses Creek Road are likely to require traffic control especially as there are several log dumps positioned alongside Horses Creek Road. The harvesting contractor must provide an adequate traffic management plan and adequate implementation of the traffic management plan. Refer to Forests NSW Safety Standard OSS009 – “Traffic Management”. Koalas In Care – Koala Emergency Rescue Plan The local community group Koalas In Care have agreed with Forestry Corporation of NSW that the following procedure will be adhered with in case of a sick or injured Koala being located during the course of this timber harvest event. Please note that KIC may request a FCNSW employee transport a sick or deceased koala to the intersection of Willina Road and the Pacific Highway and meet with KIC at this location.