Module 5 - VicForests

4 3BAudit Findings
Table 4-27
Summary of compliance findings for the Coupe Infrastructure – Boundary tracks
Compliance Element
Compliance Element
Coupe Infrastructure - Boundary tracks
Total compliance 28
Total non-compliance 6
Non-compliance EIA breakdown
Severe 0
Major 0
Moderate 3
Minor 3
Negligible 0
No impact 0
All of the non-compliances were identified where drainage structures had been constructed without
outlets to carry surface water off tracks (C1, C8, C9, C10, C12, and C14), resulting in siltation and
overflowing of drains and rilling of track surfaces on some of the coupes. On others, the rocky or
porous nature of the soil appeared to have allowed water to infiltrate quickly rather than continue to
flow along the surface and offer some protection against erosion and sedimentation. In most
instances the absence of outlets occurred on steep areas where rollover drains had been constructed
by bulldozers, which have limited manoeuvrability to create outlet channels. EIA risk ratings were
determined as Moderate (C1, C9 and C10) and Minor (C8, C12 and C14).
In one case, a boundary track had been constructed through a filter without documentation of approval
(C7), as discussed in the Filters section of this report; and on one coupe (C12) a boundary track had
entered rainforest and rainforest buffer at two locations, as discussed in the Rainforests section of this
report. These two non-compliances were recorded against the Filters and Rainforests Compliance
Elements respectively, to avoid ‘double-counting’ of non-compliances.
4.3 Summary of recommendations
This section of the report lists the recommendations that are contained within the findings sections for
each Compliance Element.
Recommendation 1 – It is recommended that DSE and VicForests ensure that pre- and post- harvest
weed assessment results are documented and triggers for subsequent control activities are
incorporated into their management systems.
Recommendation 2 – It is recommended that the Fire Salvage Harvesting Prescriptions requirement
to “Clean soil from all harvesting machinery (excluding trucks and passenger vehicles) before floating
to or from a salvage coupe” be changed to a requirement that can be more easily recorded or tracked,
such as “Clean soil from all harvesting machinery (excluding trucks and passenger vehicles) before
floating to and from a salvage coupe”; or devise processes to record centrally the cleaning of
harvesting machinery.
52 42807504/01/01