North East Forest Alliance submission to Inquiry into the Australian forestry industry Dailan Pugh, North East Forest Alliance, March 2011 This submission addresses aspects of the following terms of reference of your committee: 1. Opportunities for and constraints upon production ................................................................ 5 1.1. Regional Forest Agreements ........................................................................................... 5 1.1.1. Satisfaction of Criteria ............................................................................................. 8 1.1.2. The Process is a Sham ............................................................................................ 10 1.2. Sustainable Yield ........................................................................................................... 18 1.2.1 Coming to Grips with Sustainability ....................................................................... 24 1.2.2. Yield Shortfalls ...................................................................................................... 30 2. Environmental impacts of forestry ....................................................................................... 34 2.1. Ecosystems ................................................................................................................... 37 2.2. Threatened Species ........................................................................................................ 39 2.2.1. Compartment Mark Up .......................................................................................... 39 2.2.2. Protecting Hollow-bearing trees ............................................................................. 42 2.2.3. Implementing Prescriptions for Threatened Fauna ................................................ 45 Example 1: Hastings River Mouse. .................................................................................. 46 Example 2: Richmond Frog. ............................................................................................ 47 Example 3: Oxleayan Pygmy Perch. ................................................................................ 48 2.3. Water Quality ................................................................................................................ 49 2.3.1. Increased runoff ...................................................................................................... 50 2.3.2. Increased erosion .................................................................................................... 51 2.3.3. Impacts on streams ................................................................................................. 53 2.3.4. Mitigating impacts ................................................................................................. 54 2.3.5. Poor Practice ......................................................................................................... 57 2.3.6. Forest Management Zone 8 .................................................................................... 59 2.4. Water Availability ......................................................................................................... 61 2.5. Dieback .......................................................................................................................... 64 2.5.1. The causes of Bell Miner Associated Dieback ....................................................... 68 2.5.2. What is being done about Bell Miner Associated Dieback ................................... 71 2.5.3. A Case Study in Management ................................................................................ 73 2.6. Atmospheric Carbon .................................................................................................... 76 3. Creating a better business environment for forest industries ............................................... 80 3.1. Separating plantations from native forestry .................................................................. 81 3.2. Accreditation ................................................................................................................ 82 4. Social and economic benefits of forestry production ........................................................... 84 4.1. Balancing all costs and benefits .................................................................................... 84 4.1.1. Non-use values ...................................................................................................... 86 4.1.2. Use values ............................................................................................................. 88 4.2. Removing Public Subsidies ........................................................................................... 92 4.2.1. Costs Increasing ..................................................................................................... 93 4.2.2. Roads and Bridges ................................................................................................. 94 . ......................................................................................................................................... 94 5. References ............................................................................................................................ 95 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................. 103 This submission relates specifically to north-east NSW and comments herein, unless otherwise stated, are specific to the North East Regional Forest Agreement region. This submission relies upon recent audits undertaken by the North East Forest Alliance, notably: Pugh, D. (2009) Preliminary Audit of Yabbra State Forest Compartments 162 and 163. North East Forest Alliance, December 2009. http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Audit_Yabbra_Dec2009.pdf Pugh, D. (2010a) Preliminary Audit of Yabbra State Forest, Compartments 162 and 163‟, Supplementary Report. North East Forest Alliance, 1February 2010. http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Audit_Yabbra_Supp1_2010.pdf Pugh, D. (2010b) Preliminary Audit of Doubleduke State Forest Compartments 144, 145 and 146. North East Forest Alliance, June 2010. http://nefa.org.au/audit/Doubleduke/Prelim_Audit_Doubleduke_SF_1.pdf Pugh, D. (2010c) Preliminary Audit of Doubleduke State Forest Compartments 144, 145 and 146, Supplementary Report. North East Forest Alliance, November 2010 http://nefa.org.au/wp- content/uploads/2011/02/Audit_Doubleduke_Supp1_Nov_2010.pdf Pugh, D. (2010d) Preliminary Audit of Girard State Forest Compartments 44, 45, 46, 54, 55 and 56. North East Forest Alliance, August 2010. http://nefa.org.au/audit/Girard/Preliminary_Audit_of_Girard_State_Forest_1.pdf Pugh, D. (2011) Audit of Compliance of Forestry Operations in the Upper North East NSW Forest Agreement Region. North East Forest Alliance, February 2011. http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Audit_UNE_Forests_Feb2011.pdf Sparkes, M (2010) Five Years of Proven Forestry Breaches. North East Forest Alliance, September 2010 . http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Sparkes_Forestry_Breaches_2010.pdf RECOMMENDATIONS 1) The Inquiry needs to reassert that the establishment of comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve systems that satisfy the national criteria (JANIS 1997) is the primary requirement for Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management. The inquiry needs to recognise that the forest reserve system in north east NSW does not satisfy the national criteria. To improve compliance with the national reserve criteria and the North East Regional Forest Agreement it is requested that the Inquiry: i) Report on the current shortfalls in attainment of the JANIS reserve criteria in north-east NSW and identify means of redressing gross deficiencies; ii) Investigate the failure of the Commonwealth to ensure accurate and timely reporting on sustainability criteria and indicators; and iii) Review compliance with all clauses of the RFA and identify actions to remedy failures. 2) The Inquiry needs to reassert that that the management of native forests on a sustainable yield basis, and within ecological constraints, is a fundamental requirement for Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management. The inquiry needs to recognise that public native forests in north east NSW are not being managed on a sustainable yield basis. In order to satisfy the RFA’s requirement to review sustainable yields in 2006, reduce commitments in line with timber reviews and cease unsustainable logging of native forests as soon as possible, it is requested that the Inquiry: i) Investigate the failure of the Commonwealth to document, consider and account for identified criticisms of FRAMES wood assessments; ii) Investigate and remedy the failure by NSW to annually report on actual versus predicted yields as required by the RFA; iii) Investigate the expenditure of Commonwealth funds provided for the enhancement of FRAMES and long-term timber supplies; iv) Investigate the decision to entrench and extend unsustainable logging for a further 5 years in contravention of the RFA, and for 3 years beyond the expiry of the RFA; v) Investigate the failure of Forests NSW to satisfy current Wood Supply Agreements; vi) Require an immediate independent review of the new FRAMES wood assessments that accounts for previous criticisms and specifically identifies the sustainable yield from native forests; and, vii) Identify means of reducing