CSOs Identified in the Charter

Native Forest Management

Objective: The Native Forest Management program involves the assessment, identification and development of policies and activities that protect and enhance the biodiversity and heritage values associated with the State’s forest reserves.

Rationale: The CSO aims to provide conservation planning and action for Native Forest Management that ensures the continued survival of flora and fauna (SASP T3.1) and to promote collaboration with stakeholders to ensure landscape scale approach to conservation within the gazetted forest reserves (SASP T3.2).

Community Use of Forests

Objective: The Community Use of Forest Reserves Program involves managing public access and recreation in the State’s forest reserves (managing visitation, providing information, developing and maintaining visitor facilities, and enforcing compliance with the Forestry Act 1950 and associated Regulations) and encouraging community engagement and participation in activities that support implementation of the CSOs (forest education programs, supporting and promoting volunteer participation, liaison with forest users, agencies, community groups and stakeholders).

Rationale: The CSO enables public access to plantation and Native Forest Reserves for a large range of recreational opportunities, providing a unique location for high profile and well attended events to smaller individual persuits (SASP T2.3). Opportunities provided for volunteering in the State’s Forest Reserves enable skill development within the community while further enhancing outcomes of the CSOs (SASP T5.6).

Forest Industry Development

Objective: The Forestry Industry Development Program involves the planning, development and delivery of activities that undertake forestry related research for the benefit of the State and forest industry, and develops and manages forestry demonstration and gene conservation areas.

Rationale: The CSO aims to provide up to date information to both the forest industry and the broader community, so that management decisions by the forest and forest products industry are suited to specific economic and/or NRM objectives, existing or likely climatic conditions, specific site parameters and commercial markets.  This will enable individuals or businesses to respond (SASP T4.7 Business innovation) in appropriate ways to changing markets and assist in the development of sustainable tree based enterprises (SASP T3.12 Renewable energy, SASP T3.5 Greenhouse gas emissions reduction).

Community Protection (Including Fire)

Objective: The Community Protection (including fire) Program aims to provide fire protection (through planning, preparedness and emergency response) for the community above that needed for ForestrySA’s own commercial asset management requirements.

Rationale:  Through ForestrySA’s own asset protection, the availability of resources for preparedness (track, signage, break, fuel reduction burning, crew training, standby, fire detection and airstrip maintenance) and fire suppression allow for rapid detection and response to fires surrounding the core plantation areas. Such rapid response assists community protection and the maintenance of regional community life (SASP T5.9) through lessening the impact of wildfire or aiding efficient early suppression.