Progress Report 2007-2008 - Department of Environment and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Ongoing 132 Due date Region FA section Milestone Progress Within next five years UNE, LNE 3.5 Att. 8 Refinement of resource availability by improving the inventory such as additional plot measurements (funding provided at $500 000 pa for five years). In progress Forests NSW has implemented a Forest Inventory Policy, which is designed to account for harvesting activity and maintain the currency of its strategic resource data. Continuous replacement of FRAMES plots is part of this policy. Improvements to FRAMES Tools In relation to FRAMES improvements, by the end of 2006, Forests NSW had completed a broad series of improvements to its FRAMES modelling, including: Biometrics • Growth models have been updated for all areas using recent Permanent Growth Plot (PGP) measure data. • Models have also been simplified to improve rigorousness with respect to implementation and testing. • Further data were collected and analysed to improve the recovery factors, volume functions, taper functions, height/diameter functions and tree product apportionment equations biometrics. Growth and yield simulation • FRAMES has been adapted to report species level yield trends. • Changes have been made to the modelled product mix to provide more realistic and flexible product categories. • The simulation tool has been integrated with the inventory and Woodstock wood flow model systems to improve efficiency and user-friendliness. • New reports have been developed that include the profiles of average pre- and post-harvest stand states for areas that meet the harvest criteria. This report can be used by regional staff to ground-truth the modelled harvest specifications. • Silvicultural and harvesting assumptions have been updated as a result of silviculture studies in the North Coast region. • New log level trace reports have also been incorporated into the growth and yield simulation process, enabling precise log level data to be incorporated into FRAMES yield tables. Previous yield simulation models accurately predicted standing yield at estate level but were found to vary significantly at more localised levels. The new log trace approach enables precise estimates at local levels. Area management Because of the complex nature of net area management and the large number of spatial inputs to area modelling, Forests NSW has restructured its strategic net area management toolkit. This has resulted in the development of a grid-based area prediction tool for North Coast regions. The new modelling environment permits layers that contribute to area availability to be easily extracted and updated as new data becomes available. Estate models • Changes have been made from Spectrum RFA to the Woodstock estate modelling system to facilitate more reliable and efficient yield scheduling and reporting at a range of spatial levels. • Resource growth and yield estimates have been defined at a more localised level (e.g. in contractor management zones) to support planning and monitoring activities. • The model has been modified to ensure that only appropriate silvicultural intensities are applied to defined management areas. Forests NSW will continue to review the utility of these and other tools for informing future management decisions. As part of remeasurement, PGPs have been converted to a new plot size (0.2 ha). All new PGPs will be established at the new plot size. The larger plot size will result in a better capture of variability and improve mortality and recruitment modelling. When data become available, the current models will be reviewed and if necessary updated and incorporated in FRAMES. NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGRATED FORESTRY OPERATIONS APPROVALS
Due date Region FA section Milestone Progress Ongoing Eden 2007 30 April Sthn 3.5 Att. 8 3.5 Att. 6(6e) Refinement of resource availability by improving the inventory, such as additional plot measurements. 25 STANDSIM was used as the scheduling tool in the Eden RFA. Refinement of resource availability on native forests by additional inventory plot measurements to improve volume estimates at a regional level. In progress Intensive inventory activities in regrowth forests in Eden continue. This inventory activity has resulted in improved site quality classification, at the regional level. Additionally, within the PGP inventory program three existing plots were remeasured in 2005. Another two existing plots are proposed to be remeasured in late 2006. As part of remeasurement, PGPs have been converted to a new plot size. The larger plot size will result in a better capture of variability and improve mortality and recruitment modelling. Eden-specific tools were reported in the 2006–2007 FA report. In 2002–2003, Forests NSW designed and implemented an inventory-plot management system, called REDEN, for modelling the Eden even-aged regrowth resource. The system is designed to predict individual tree and stand growth and yield for the even-aged regrowth forests and includes biometrics specific to the regrowth forests of the south-east of the State. The yield tables generated by REDEN are designed to be used by yield-scheduling tools for estate-level modelling. The drivers of the models in REDEN are stand age, measurement of site quality (site height), and the number of mature trees. Local taper and volume functions have also been developed; they allow the input of product specifications and determination of theoretical product (pulp) volumes by size. The outputs of the REDEN system are yield tables for the regrowth forest that predict the piece size and volume available for harvest. These results are then combined with net harvestable area estimates and used to schedule thinning operations by using Spatial Woodstock in much the same way as FRAMES. Because of the organisational shift from Spectrum and StandSim 25 to Woodstock for yield-scheduling analysis, the outputs from REDEN are formatted so they can be incorporated into the Woodstock package. The initial analysis from REDEN and Woodstock focused on short-term timber availability issues, notably the current 20-year planning horizon. After the preliminary results were refined and evaluated, the system was then expanded to incorporate longer-term modelling of the resource, bringing it in line with other FRAMES models to consider a full 200-year strategic planning horizon. This work is still in progress, the current focus is on sensitivity analysis of the outputs. After REDEN was developed, the MARVL inventory system, licensed to Forests NSW by New Zealand Forest Research, was upgraded and given the new name Atlas Cruiser. Although Forests NSW has converted the inventory data from the MARVL format for North and South Coasts, the complex nature of the Cruiser data model, the long modelling horizons and the nature of the inventory formats used for the Eden regrowth resource have delayed using this data for EDEN. Forests NSW will continue to review the utility of these and other tools for informing future management decisions. In progress Some planning for additional inventory plots began in the Tumut sub-region, but actual establishment of new inventory plots in areas harvested around Batemans Bay was completed in late 2006. Forty-one new plots were established. A FRAMES strategic inventory plot update program has been completed in accordance with Forests NSW Forest Inventory Policy. Additional plots have been measured to provide an even intensity (1 plot in 200 ha) of plots across the estate. NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGRATED FORESTRY OPERATIONS APPROVALS 133
Page 1:
NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGRATE
Page 4 and 5:
INFORMATION This project has been c
Page 6 and 7:
IV NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGR
Page 8 and 9:
VI within the NSW forest agreements
Page 10 and 11:
VIII Bushfire The incidence of bush
Page 12 and 13:
Forest type and growth stage 8 Fore
Page 14 and 15:
List of figures Figure 2-1A: Growth
Page 16 and 17:
XIV NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS IMPLEMENT
Page 18 and 19:
XVI RACAC Resource and Conservation
Page 20 and 21:
XVIII National Parks and Wildlife A
Page 22 and 23:
XX sustainable yield - The long-ter
Page 24 and 25:
XXII NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTE
Page 26 and 27:
Report structure Conclusion 2 Progr
Page 28 and 29:
Five-year review of Crown reserves
Page 30 and 31:
6 2 Introduction NSW FOREST AGREEME
Page 32 and 33:
Criterion 1 - Biodiversity Forest t
Page 34 and 35:
10 As noted in previous annual repo
Page 36 and 37:
12 The amount of old growth forest
Page 38 and 39:
Forest-dwelling species MIG indicat
Page 40 and 41:
Table 2-1E: Status of forest-dwelli
Page 42 and 43:
18 In the LNE, 843 threatened speci
Page 44 and 45:
Criterion 2 - Productive capacity o
Page 46 and 47:
Table 2-2A: Area of plantations aut
Page 48 and 49:
% committed volume harveste 24 In t
Page 50 and 51:
Table 2-2C: Volumes of timber produ
Page 52 and 53:
Standing volume of species logged 2
Page 54 and 55:
30 Other non-forest products licens
Page 56 and 57:
% effectively establishe Figure 2-2
Page 58 and 59:
Criterion 3 - Ecosystem health and
Page 60 and 61:
36 animal species that benefit from
Page 62 and 63:
Figure 2-3A: Percentages of post-19
Page 64 and 65:
Table 2-3B: Forests NSW control eff
Page 66 and 67:
Table 2-3C: Areas of park system bu
Page 68 and 69:
Table 2-4A: Length of road by class
Page 70 and 71:
Criterion 5 - Maintenance of forest
Page 72 and 73:
48 identifies ways in which NSW pub
Page 74 and 75:
50 In the LNE region, visitor surve
Page 76 and 77:
52 Rawson Pass, the construction of
Page 78 and 79:
54 reported for some sectors was le
Page 80 and 81:
Gross income Indicator 6.5: Gross i
Page 82 and 83:
58 retrieval and reburial of ancest
Page 84 and 85:
60 not missed any detected sites. I
Page 86 and 87:
62 Historic heritage features in St
Page 88 and 89:
64 The PR Act and Code provide cert
Page 90 and 91:
66 Public participation Public part
Page 92 and 93:
68 DECC public education and awaren
Page 94 and 95:
70 carbon sequestration, ecological
Page 96 and 97:
72 DECC has many staff located outs
Page 98 and 99:
74 DECC conservation compliance aud
Page 100 and 101:
76 Results of both internal and ext
Page 102 and 103:
78 where timber harvesting is permi
Page 104 and 105:
80 3 Introduction NSW FOREST AGREEM
Page 106 and 107: 82 As a result of the audit, DECC p
Page 108 and 109: 84 repeated instances of administr
Page 110 and 111: Forests NSW internal compliance pro
Page 112 and 113: 88 NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS IMPLEMENTA
Page 114 and 115: 90 Due date Region FA section Miles
Page 122 and 123: 2007 98 Due date Region FA section
Page 124 and 125: 100 Due date Region FA section Mile
Page 148 and 149: 2005 2005 124 Due date Region FA se
Page 164 and 165: Ongoing Ongoing 2002 2007 140 Due d
Page 178 and 179: Ongoing 2005 Ongoing 2007 154 Due d
Page 180 and 181: 156 Fauna Scientific name Common na
Page 182 and 183: 158 NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS IMPLEMENT
Page 184 and 185: Name of institutions Responsibiliti
Page 186 and 187: Agency Main legislation Purpose Ten
Page 188: Agency Main legislation Purpose Ten
show all

Progress Report 2007-2008 - Department of Environment and ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?