Farm forestry set-back as politics takes precedence over practicality

On Monday afternoon, during the last week of Parliament for the year, the NSW Government bowed to pressure from Greens and Teals, one of their own from the Tweed, Geoff Provost, and independent Fred Nile before pulling the pin on an amendment to the Private Native Forestry Bill.

At the core of the matter the bill would have absolved local councils from having to carry out development applications for farmers wishing to harvest their own native timber, and instead Local Land Services would carry out the approval process.

Opposition centred on concerns that streamlining PNF legislation would harm koalas.

Forest consultant and director of Timber NSW Steve Dobbins, said the withdrawal of the amendment was a loss to modern forestry, while managed forests were already demonstrating the ability to grow koala numbers as evidenced by DPI's acoustic monitoring project.

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A key aspect of the bill was to double the length of time a DA approved forestry plan remained active from 15 to 30 years. Mr Dobbins argues the longer program would have set up growers to tap into certified and high value markets while removing temptation to harvest trees before economic maturity.

"This would have provided assurances that the forest was managed sustainably and for the long term," he said. "As it stands if there is a change in land ownership that all could be lost."

Mr Dobbins said economic maturity for some species was 80 to 100 years. And that a 30 year plan would prevent the waste of retained trees.

NSW Government funded trials, part of a $28m investment into on-farm forestry, involving 60 landholders are therefore unable to develop certified forestry because without the modifications to the PNF Bill, there are no grounds for a forest stewardship plan.

"A forest management plan for 15 years is not a stewardship plan," Mr Dobbins said.

"Too many politicians are more concerned about the potential for Teal Independents to take their seats, while consumers are more comfortable importing Merbau decking at the expense of orang-utans, while locking up and leaving it at home - but forests don't look after themselves.

"If you don't actively manage them all we seek to produce in timber and carbon capture is lost.

"We're frustrated. The bill was a big deal. Government has promised us for six years that it would unwind the Green tape; remove the need for duplicate approval."

The fact that local government is ill-prepared to handle PNF approval has been highlighted in the Kyogle Council area where more than 200 applications are awaiting approval.

At This week's council meeting the council's planning staff proposed drafting a new LEP to absolve them of the responsibility. The withdrawn amendment before State Parliament would have done this automatically.

Mr Dobbins said the 65pc of councils state wide who require a DA (25pc on the north coast) could continue to demand landholders carry out a koala survey at a cost of between $20,000 and $40,000 for 100ha.

Meanwhile new rules covering logging that now include a10m buffer zone either side of an unmapped drainage channel, has resulted in 20 to 25pc shift of privately owned forest as resource to one of environmental protection.

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