BATHURST NSW MARCH 20 – 21st 2024
Natural Capital
Trees as an alternative crop
Find out more about farm forestry from Local Land Services
Local Land Services, are responsible for private native forestry advice and approvals.
Find out more about forestry from the NSW Department of Primary Industries
The NSW DPI Forestry Team provided information on forest science, plantation regulation and policy
Forests are precious and provide us with vital products and services we depend on every day. Protecting and managing the use of our NSW forests is a balance of a broad range of needs and expectations.
The NSW Government is leading the way in Ecologically sustainable forest management (ESFM), a concept which underpins forest management in NSW and guides our work.
Forestry & Land Reform (DPI Forestry)
DPI Forestry's role ensures the economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits from forests and forestry are realised for the people of NSW. DPI Forestry actively supports the health and productivity of forests for current and future generations. DPI Forestry specifically leads NSW Government efforts to support stronger primary industries through forest science and research, evidence-based policy, and plantation regulation and growth.
Through these activities, DPI Forestry supports the State's $3 billion wood and timber product industry employing 18,800 people [1] in a highly regulated and sustainable manner. Wood and wood products are the ultimate renewable™, a critical part of NSW achieving our 2030 climate targets.
The Direction
A Forestry Industry Roadmap was launched in 2016, setting an ambitious agenda focussed on modernising rules and environmental sustainability, balancing supply and demand for timber, community understanding and confidence, and industry innovation and markets. This Roadmap was a whole-of-Government approach to the sustainable management of the NSW forest estate.
ESFM is about maximising community use and enjoyment of our forests in perpetuity and reducing the risks that they face. It is about recognising different needs and perspectives in our community and securing a forest legacy of which we can all be proud.
Since the original Forestry Act of 1916, the NSW Government has long been committed to sustainably managed forests that provide benefits for all.
Snapshot of Key Findings
Services
NSW DPI Forestry includes:
Forest Science who provides world class research with rigorous scientific and technical services in the areas of Forest Carbon, Forest Ecology, Forest Health and Forest Resources for the sustainable management of forests.
Plantations Regulation who provides regulatory and advice functions to facilitate reafforestation and development of plantations on essentially cleared land, in accordance with the standards of the Plantations Code and Ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles.
Forestry Policy who advises, develops and delivers on NSW Government priorities for sustainable forestry and related industries in NSW.
Find out more about farm forestry from the Central West Forestry Hub
"The Hub" is a group of forestry industry professionals based in the Central West of NSW, with a focus on the wood processing facilities in Oberon, Raglan and Burraga. The aim of The Hub is to provide information to industry and government, in order to promote forestry in the region. To achieve this, The Hub is working on projects that support development, productivity and investment in the industry. These projects will also aim to benefit the communities in which the Central West forest industry operates, as well as improving the environmental impact while minimising risks.
Project 1: Plantation spatial database
The Central West region has been an active plantation forestry region since beginning of the 20th century and while good data is available for the plantations held by Forestry Corporation, a NSW Government State Owned Corporation, there is comparatively little public information available for other plantations in the region. To resolve this data disparity the Hub has developed a spatial database of the existing plantations within the Hub boundary. Accompanying the database is a detailed methodology and report, it is recommended reading for all users.
Project 2: Plantation productivity, utilisation and recovery of harvested products
A detailed assessment of potential improvements to the productivity, utilisation and recovery of resources has been undertaken. Included in the report are potential and suggested changes, with estimated impacts, that could provide improved yields, efficiency and allocation of resources.
Plantation Productivity and Utlisation Report
Project 3: Plantation capability mapping
Expanding the plantation estate is a goal of the industry members of the Hub and Government. To aid the assessment of the suitability and capability of land, maps have been developed that categorise suitable land into productivity bands for potential pine plantations. This land productivity layer is also available on the CWFH spatial database.
Plantation Capability Mapping Report
Project 5: Landowner Plantation Assessment Tool
The CWFH has developed the Landowner plantation assessment tool (LPAT) to assist in the education of landholders on the potential cash flows and timing from a plantation forestry operation on their land. This tool is not investment advice.
Project 6: Carbon Footprint
The Central West Forestry Hub undertook a project to assess the net carbon impact of the entire industry in the region. The Central West Forest industry involves the planting, management, harvest, haulage, process, manufacturing, and recovery of wood products utilising Radiata pine The report shows that from seedling to the end of life of manufactured wood products, the industry is better than Carbon zero, it is carbon negative!
Project 19: Carbon Profile
The Central West Forestry Hub sought to understand the carbon sequestration potential of each productivity class described in Project 3 within the region. This comprehensive project involved 7,500 FullCAM runs to establish average carbon sequestration potential values.
Find out more about farm forestry from the NSW Environment Protection Authority
The NSW Environment Protection Authority is responsible for compliance and enforcement of private native forestry.
Old growth forest and rainforest
Bushfire-affected forestry operations
NSW forest agreements
Review of the Regional Forest Agreements
Regional Forest Agreements
Burning of biomaterial
Find out more about biodiversity and sustainable agriculture from the ANU Sustainable Farms Team
Sustainable Farms brings science to the paddock, working closely with Landcare and with farmers to understand how improving natural assets on farms can support biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
