Introduction

Background

The forest industry in South Australia has long been a national leader in sustainable plantation forest management. In 1997, the Environmental Management Guidelines for Plantation Forestry in South Australia were developed in conjunction with the forest industry, but a need to update and improve this document has been identified.

Broader considerations need to be addressed including interactions between the physical environment, community expectations, and the efficiency and viability of forestry businesses.

The new guidelines have been developed in consultation with the forest industry, government agencies and other relevant stakeholders. This consultation process has updated and refined forest industry best practice in South Australia.

Aim

The aim of the guidelines is to present a document that summarises mandatory requirements along with forest industry practices that deliver appropriate environmental, social and economic outcomes.

The guidelines encourage forest owners and managers to be leading primary producers and continuously improve how they plan, implement and monitor their operations, their impact on the environment and relations with the community in which they operate.

The guidelines promote planning, establishment, management and harvesting of forest plantations in accordance with the principles of ecologically sustainable forest management, as outlined in the National Forest Policy Statement (Commonwealth of Australia, 1992).

Scope and intended audience

This document applies to operations carried out in public and private plantation forests. For the purpose of this document, the term ‘forestry’ or ‘plantation forestry’ relates to both large-scale and farm forestry plantations, unless stated otherwise.

While the guidelines do not document standard practices for environmental (revegetation) or amenity tree plantings, the standards could equally be considered when planning these types of plantings.

This document has not been written to provide in-depth planning advice for potential forest plantation owners and managers. Anyone considering purchasing or developing land for a commercial forest enterprise should contact their relevant local council to seek planning advice, and consider consulting with appropriate government agencies, industry development advisers or regional forest industry groups.

The intended audience for the guidelines are:

  • public and private forest plantation owners and managers operating in South Australia
  • landowners establishing and managing farm forestry in South Australia
  • relevant planning authorities assessing development applications for commercial forest plantations in South Australia
  • government agencies developing policy or commenting on the planning, establishment and management of forest plantations in South Australia
  • other relevant stakeholders (including community groups and neighbours) who have an interest in the planning, establishment and management of forest plantations in South Australia
  • auditors certifying forest management systems in South Australia.

Enforcement and Liability

The guidelines do not constitute a legal or statutory document, but have been prepared to complement relevant Commonwealth and state legislation, standards, codes of practice and guidelines in respect to the planning, establishment, management and harvesting of forest plantations.

It is the responsibility of every person potentially affected by applicable legislation to determine the rights and responsibilities pertaining to their particular circumstance. It is worth considering obtaining individual specialist advice for further details.

Forest owners and managers are expected to comply with these guidelines and are encouraged to utilise them when developing their own forest and land management operating standards which reflect individual objectives and circumstances.

Certification of Forest Management

The majority of forest plantation managers in South Australia demonstrate their commitment to sustainable forest and land management through systems that are independently audited. This is achieved through voluntary participation in internationally recognised certification programs such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, the Australian Forest Certification Scheme and the Forest Stewardship Council.

These certification programs have the similar intention of verifying individual forest operations and management systems in addition to that required by legislation or regulation. This includes identifying the potential impact of forest operations on the environment, associated communities or the viability of the business; developing forest operation plans that accommodate these potential impacts; developing systems for mitigating environmental damage; monitoring the effectiveness of the management system and commitment to continuous improvement; and transparent, triple bottom line reporting.

As consumers increasingly demand evidence of sustainable production, the forest industry has embraced this challenge, and leads the way amongst primary producers in providing this evidence. This is further demonstrated through the involvement of manufacturers and retailers in chain of custody programs certifying forest products as sourced from sustainably managed forest plantations.

How to use this document

For each of the forest operations detailed, the content is presented as:

  • Relevant Guiding Principles – the content of this document is based upon a series of ‘Guiding Principles’.
  • Mandatory Requirements – forest plantation owners and managers must observe or undertake all relevant mandatory requirements. The mandatory requirements include Commonwealth and state law that may be relevant to a particular forest operation or activity. This list may not be comprehensive and changes may occur during the life of this guideline.
  • Industry Practices – industry practices have been documented after consultation with the forest industry and stakeholders. They describe current practices that achieve appropriate environmental, social and economic outcomes.
  • Relevant references that provide the necessary details in relation to ‘Mandatory Requirements’ and ‘Industry Practices’ are listed in italics throughout the guidelines, and further detail or internet references can be found in the Appendices.

Hyperlinks are included to assist navigation through the document, or allow ready access to those available on the Internet.

Document Review

This document will be reviewed every five years to reflect industry and scientific developments or changes in stakeholder expectations. Regular but minor updates may occur to ensure current legislation, standards, codes of practice or guidelines are referenced.

The current version can be accessed from the PIRSA Forestry website (www.pir.sa.gov.au/forestry). Any changes or updates will be communicated via the website and through relevant stakeholder networks.