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Six Key Reforms


Reform #1.
Secure Native Timber Resource Supply

  • Renew Federal, State & Regional Native Forest Agreements on a rolling, 20-year basis, enabling the NSW timber industry to enter into long-term Wood Supply Agreements with confidence.
  • The NSW Department of Industry – Lands, to approve the types of Wood Supply Agreements that Forestry Corporation may use and how it may use them, based on principles of equity and fairness, not Forestry Corporation of NSW.
  • Appoint an independent third party to adjudicate the five-yearly review of the hardwood log pricing system.


Reform #2.
Boost Private Native Forestry (PNF) & Plantations

  • Promote and support native forestry on private land to increase the productive forest estate. Incentivise and support plantation investment and development.
  • Re-establish a PNF unit within Local Land Services to provide enduring extension services.
  • Integrate PNF Codes of Practice with other agricultural code-based activities within the new Local Land Services Amendment Act.
  • Implement NSW Forestry Industries Taskforce Plantation Strategy to stimulate investment in new plantations.
  • Officially recognise the carbon sequestration benefits of plantation forests.
  • Lobby the Commonwealth to finalise its Plantation Forestry methodology for carbon trading without any special approval conditions that will restrict uptake.
  • Formally recognise and support the development of existing plantation forest hubs.


Reform #3.
Create Robust Forest Productivity & Health Monitoring Systems

  • Develop and implement new timber resource metrics and a cross-tenure forest monitoring system as a necessary precursor to renewal of NSW Forest Agreements and long term forest planning and management.  
  • Appoint NSW Department of Industry – Lands, as land manager, not Forestry Corporation of NSW, to:
    • Increase accuracy of timber inventory and calculate sustainable timber yields at a wood supply catchment scale level
    • Develop and implement a cross-tenure forest monitoring system.


Reform #4.
Implement Active & Adaptive Forest Management 

  • Put in place holistic, cross-tenure approaches to managing common threats such as pests, weeds and fire.
  • Implement Natural Resources Commission ‘active and adaptive’ forest management principles across NSW, commencing in the Western region.
  • Expand the budget for management of fire pests and weeds on State forest and Crown Lands to be consistent with National Parks.


Reform #5.
Restore Balance between Environmental, Social & Economic Forest Values 

  • Regulate and uphold the protection of key socio-economic performance indicators in public native forests in a similar way to the regulated protection of environmental values.   
  • Conduct independent review of non-compliance with regional Ecological Sustainable Forest Management socio-economic indicators.
  • Appoint NSW Department of Industry – Lands, not Forestry Corporation of NSW, as land manager for key functions.


Reform #6.
Regulate Forestry as a Primary Industry

  • Regulate public, private and plantation forestry as a primary industry, the productivity of which is essential to supplying affordable housing in NSW.
  • NSW Natural Resources Commission to be principal forestry policy body, not NSW EPA.
  • The NSW Department of Industry – Lands to undertake strategic resource planning for both public and private native forestry.
  • Restrict role of NSW EPA to environmental oversight of forestry operations.