Module 5 - VicForests

3 Audit Approach
Log landings and dumps;
Buffers (streamside, landscape, significant habitat);
Filters; and
Habitat trees.
Further details on measurements, taken from FAP Module 5 Harvesting and Closure are included in
Annex A of Appendix C of this report.
The Auditor undertook soil assessments at all VicForests-managed coupes for comparison with
results obtained by VicForests field staff during coupe reconnaissance. The Auditor adopted the same
methodology as used by VicForests, which is described in the VicForests Instruction, Soil
Assessment, April 2010. Similar assessments were not undertaken on the DSE coupes. The need for
formal soil assessments in the DSE coupes was mitigated due to the low gradient slopes and that and
soil disturbance arising from harvesting activities was negligible.
3.4 Environmental impact assessment
For each non-compliance identified, except in relation to coupe and exclusion area planning, the
Auditor made a qualitative assessment of actual or potential environmental impact using the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) tool prescribed in the FAP Module 2 Audit Process.
The EIA tool is a useful mechanism for assessing the significance of a non-compliance and provides
additional context to findings. It seeks to assess the significance objectively as a No impact,
Negligible, Minor, Moderate, Major or Severe actual or potential environmental impact. It should be
noted that the tool does not provide an absolute measure of environmental impact, such as a parts per
million sedimentation concentration impact on water quality, for example.
The EIA risk rating is based on the following factors:
Extent of impact or disturbance;
Duration of impact; and
Environmental asset value.
Details of the EIA tool are presented in Annex B of the FAP Module 2 Audit Process, which is attached
in Appendix B of this report.
In the case of non-compliances in the areas of coupe and exclusion area planning, a simplified
classification was used, in accordance with the FAP Module 2 Audit Process:
Severe - poses a severe threat to human life, or irreversible or extensive impact to the
environment;
Major - poses a potential threat to human life, or significant impact to the environment;
Moderate - poses a moderate impact to the environment;
Minor - poses a minor impact to the environment, however further risk reduction opportunities exist;
Negligible - poses no impact to the environment and/or provides for continuous improvement; and
No impact – during the audit, a new EIA category of ‘No impact’ was added to the EIA tool for those
issues where it was assessed that there is no actual environmental impact as a result of a noncompliance,
to distinguish them from non-compliances that result in a negligible actual or potential
environmental impact.
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