sustainable forest management - Forestry Tasmania

forests now and into the future
Productive capacity
Productive capacity is one way to measure the economic
and long-term sustainability of forests. To maintain and
enhance the productive capacity of Tasmania’s state forests,
Forestry Tasmania models and monitors sustainable yield
to ensure that harvesting and use of wood products is
consistent with the long-term productive capacity of
Tasmania’s state forests. Forestry Tasmania maintains
productive capacity through yield regulation of its native
forest and plantation resource and assesses the sustainable
yields for both. More detailed trend data for this section can
be found in Appendix one.
Sustaining timber production
For Forestry Tasmania to maintain the ongoing supply of
timber an effective area of production forest is required.
Figure 6 provides an overview of the six components
that make up the total forest estate and shows that
approximately 46 per cent of this area is used for wood
production. Native forest production areas make up
39 per cent of the area and plantations seven per cent.
The remaining area (54 per cent) is included in formal
and informal reserves and other native forest outside
production areas. Since 2000/01, the area available in
native forest production areas has reduced by 16 per cent
or 116,300 hectares.
The majority of the decrease in the available native forest
over the past six years has been as a result of additional
reserves being implemented under the Tasmanian
Community Forest Agreement. However, the conversion of
a portion of native forest to plantation has also contributed.
Figure 6. State forest classification from 2003/04 to 2007/08
Area (ha)
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Native forest
production
areas
Native forest
outside
production
areas
Ongoing losses also occur due to areas being removed from
wood production during pre-harvest planning to protect
conservation values.
A vital prerequisite for sustainable forest management is
that the volume of timber harvested from the forest estate
does not exceed its productive and regenerative potential
over a given time period. Forestry Tasmania manages
harvesting in state forests to ensure an ongoing supply of
at least 300,000 m 3 per year of high quality eucalypt sawlog
required by the Forestry Act. The availability of at least
300,000 m 3 per year of high quality eucalypt sawlog is also
recognised in Clause 77 of the Regional Forest Agreement.
Informal
Reserves
Forest
Reserves
Softwood
Plantation
Hardwood
Plantation
2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08
In 2007/08 a total of 304,000 m 3 of high quality sawlog
and veneer was produced (Figure 7). The five-year average
sawlog yield remained within the sustained yield strategy,
while average pulpwood yield was below the indicative
long-term supply level of 2.8 million tonnes (Figure 8).
Figures 7 and 8 highlight the differing sawlog/pulpwood
ratios in the forest that are harvested each year.
19