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The NSW Upper House “Management of public land in New South Wales Inquiry” reported on the 15 May. The Inquiry was dominated by Government members and chaired by the Fishers and Shooters Party.  It recommends immediately opening up national parks in north east NSW for logging, swapping logged out state forests for national parks, and placing a moratorium on new national parks.

The anti-park majority considered that conservation outcomes can be achieved alongside other land uses, that public lands should not be separated into distinct tenures and that all Crown lands should be managed for multiple uses. They call for the Government to establish an inquiry into the management of all public lands in New South Wales, with a view to reviewing the inquiry’s recommendations for effectively abolishing national parks and freeholding western leasehold lands.

The Management of Public Land in New South Wales Inquiry (MPL Inquiry) report is at:

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/74DA1CD968BEB279CA257B6C00012C86?open&refnavid=CO4_1

We need to convince NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell that this is not on. Write to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrel now to ask him not to open up NSW’s national parks for logging: office@premier.nsw.gov.au.

NEFA CALLS ON MINISTER FOR FORESTS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT THE STATE OF TIMBER RESOURCES

MEDIA RELEASE 19/5/2013

NEFA is calling on the Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, to come clean about the state of public timber resources in north east NSW following demands from the loggers and the Government dominated Upper House inquiry to meet shortfalls by opening up national parks for logging.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that the loggers have been intentionally over-logging state forests for the past 14 years, and now that they claim to have almost exhausted the supply of large sawlogs they want over a million hectares of national parks to log. (i.e. see paragraphs 13.74 and 13.75 of the MPL Inquiry report – below)

“Last year the Minister established an interdepartmental steering committee comprised of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Treasury, Department of Trade and Investment, Forestry Corporation and the Environment Protection Authority to review the supply of hardwood timber on the north coast of NSW up to and beyond the current wood supply agreements which run to 2023.

“The Committee commissioned URS to undertake a timber supply assessment that was completed months ago, though the Minister is still refusing to make it public.

“The evidence of the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Corporation of NSW, Nick Roberts, to the Upper House inquiry was that opening up national parks for logging “would be good”, “has the potential to deliver what is required” and that the Minister’s 2023 Steering Committee may be assessing the area of national parks required. (i.e. see paragraphs 13.78 and 13.79 of the MPL Inquiry report – below)

“It is assumed the 2023 Steering Committee has already provided its advice to Minister Hodgkinson. It is revealing that one member of the Minister’s Committee is publicly advocating the logging of national parks.

“The Minister must come clean with the people of NSW by releasing the URS timber supply assessment and her 2023 Steering Committee’s review of north coast timber supply. These are public lands and public resources, so the public have a right to know what her reviews found”, Mr. Pugh said.

Extracts from The Management of Public Land in New South Wales Inquiry (MPL Inquiry)

6.40 Further, the NSW Forest Products Association have asserted that industry commitments are not being met, stating that ‘in 2010-11 Forests NSW, in the Upper and Lower North East regions, was only able to produce a total of 172,150 m3 of both large and small high quality sawlogs, 78 per cent of committed Wood Supply Agreement volumes and less than 50 per cent of commitments of Forest Agreements’

6.46 Serious concerns over the sustainability of current logging practices have been raised by inquiry participants from the timber industry with particular concerns over future resources. Greensill Bros Pty Ltd expressed that the view that ‘under the current regulations restricting access, the small area of forests is being overcut’.489 Newells Creek Sawmilling Company similarly said that ‘we are overcutting the bush because we are limited to a small area for sustainable forestry while vast areas have been locked up for timber production and placed under the management of National Parks’.490 Mr Notaras highlighted the long term implications for the industry, contending that ‘they will not have high quality large logs in the future’. 491

13.25… However, doubts over the ability of Forestry Corporation to meet these wood supply agreements have been raised by Inquiry participants from both the north coast and the Pilliga, with many asserting that already, Forestry Corporation is failing to deliver promised quotas.

13.27 However, Mr Nic Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Forests NSW (now Forestry Corporation of NSW), disputed these assertions and told the Committee that the contractual obligations ‘can be met in total volume terms’. 1215 He said that ‘there is no shortage of logs at the moment’ and that timber is in ‘plentiful supply’. Mr Roberts added that he has ‘had to lay off crews recently’ because ‘log yards are full’. Mr Roberts attributed industry comments on restricted supply primarily to ‘cost pressures and preferred species’1216 but did acknowledge that there are pressures on the supply of large sawlogs, saying, ‘the difficulty we have within

the 270,000 cubic, if I just talk about high-quality sawlog, and the volume of preferred species that will be available. That is the tricky bit’.1217 While the figures quoted by Mr Roberts refer specifically to the agreements for the north coast, the Committee heard that sawmillers in the Pilliga are also experiencing a reduction in the supply of large quality sawlogs.

13.45 Mr Roberts responded to comments from Inquiry participants that the current rate of logging is  unsustainable. He said that the drop off was planned for and envisaged at the time the wood supply agreements were made, commenting that ‘the resource estimates have been consistent since about 2003’.1244 He explained that ‘if you interpret sustainability as being even flow, then we are not cutting at an even flow rate’ and that this is determined by an ‘operating environment…where the log harvest rates are determined by the contracts and the area that we have to harvest’.1245

13.74 In relation to the timber industry on the North Coast, Mr Conley said that releasing land from reservation would provide the industry with resource security, particularly following the end of the current wood supply agreements:

RFA [Regional Forest Agreements] indicated there would be a drop in supply of merchantable timber after the conclusion of the current wood supply agreement. That was what the RFA was predicated on. Certainly it would assist the commission’s ability to supply timber, or the agency at that time, if they had other areas available and more freedom to harvest areas and regenerate them.1279

13.75 In relation to the amount of additional land required to make the industry sustainable on the North Coast, Mr Ainley gave evidence that: ‘At a guess, I would suggest that we would need a little more than one million hectares to be returned. However, it depends on which hectares, where they are and how the regulations may affect them’.

13.78 In response to questioning, Mr Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Forests NSW, agreed that reopening areas of reservation would relieve current industry pressures by making available more areas containing large trees for harvesting, remarking that: ‘If the exchange as is being proposed were to go ahead and deliver them what they are looking for … that would be good’. He added that ‘some verification work’ would be necessary but that it ‘certainly it has the potential to deliver what is required’.

13.79 Mr Roberts was also questioned on how issues of supply on the North Coast would be addressed following the expiry of the wood supply agreements in 2023. Mr Roberts told the Committee that the Hon Katrina Hodgkinson MP, Minister for Primary Industries, had convened a ‘so-called 2023 Steering Committee’ to investigate these issues and make recommendations to the NSW Government.1285 In answers to questions taken on notice, Mr Roberts told the Committee that the 2023 Steering Committee may choose to investigate the size of the areas of harvestable land required to meet industry needs.1286

13.83 The Committee supports the call for access to additional harvestable areas to increase timber supply. The Committee considers these measures to be necessary in order to provide resource security and ensure the future survival of the timber industry in New South Wales. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the NSW Government identify appropriate compartments for release to meet the levels of wood supply needed to sustain the industry, and that the NSW Government take priority action to release these compartments, particularly in the Pilliga.

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The State Member for Ballina, Don Page, today put out a press release accusing NEFA of misrepresenting what the Environment Minister said and claiming she said there will be no logging in national parks. Unfortunately this is not really what she said.  He said there will be no logging in national parks.  This is a start, now all we need is his commitment that there will be no revocation of national parks or other reserves for logging.  Read her letter for yourself: Page_Parker Letter

MEDIA RELEASE 25/2/2013

The North East Forest Alliance today welcomed the Member for Ballina, Don Page’s, unequivocal assurance that “There will be no logging in National Parks in New South Wales” as a start.

NEFA spokesperson, Dailan Pugh, questioned Mr. Page’s assurance that the Minister for the Environment, Robyn Parker, has dismissed claims that the NSW Government is considering a proposal to allow logging in National Parks.

Mr. Page said “I have received letters from the Minister stating that there will be no logging allowed in National Parks in New South Wales,”

Mr. Pugh said “If this is the same letter he forwarded to us, it unfortunately does not say this. It notes that the Forest Products Association’s submission to the Public Land Use Inquiry, “which supports the revocation of national park in north eastern NSW to enable logging”, “does not reflect the Government’s views on this issue” but that the Government “will carefully consider any recommendations arising from the inquiry”.

“This would seem to leave the issue open, particularly given the Government’s backflip to allow recreational shooting in national parks”.

“For clarity, we ask Don Page to also give his assurance that there will be no revocation of national parks or other conservation reserves for logging”.

“All we want is a clear and unequivocal commitment from the Government that national parks, nature reserves or state conservation areas will not be revoked for logging or have logging allowed in them.

“In light of Don Page’s assurances we are writing to the Minister for the Environment and the NSW Premier seeking these commitments.  We will gladly promote such assurances should we receive them” Mr. Pugh said.

Attached is the Minister for Environment’s letter (note that despite being dated 8 February it was not emailed to us until 13 February, two days after our press release on this issue).

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NEFA have written to the Federal Ministers for the Environment and Forestry and all Federal members in north-east NSW asking them to intervene to stop the NSW Government from allowing logging in national parks or weakening logging prescriptions.  Please add you voice by going to the website http://saveparks.com.au/ and making online submissions to both the NSW Premier and the local members in at least one of the four regions.

See the letter here Letter_Ministers Environment Forestry_15_2_2013

MEDIA RELEASE 21/2/2013

The North East Forest Alliance is calling upon the Commonwealth to intervene to stop the NSW Government opening up north-east NSW’s national parks for logging and reducing protections for nationally threatened species on State forests.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that NEFA is concerned that the NSW Government is now considering opening up national parks for logging and reducing logging constraints as an outcome of their secretive reviews of timber resources and logging prescriptions.

“Such substantive changes would represent a breach of the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement between the Commonwealth and NSW.

“The Commonwealth has a responsibility to ensure the maintenance of the national reserve system and the protection of rainforest, oldgrowth, wilderness, nationally threatened species, and identified National Estate values.

“In response to NSW’s threats to breach the Regional Forest Agreement we have requested that the Commonwealth initiates the dispute resolution process before the breach occurs.

“Should NSW proceed to unilaterally over-ride the Regional Forest Agreement we have requested that the Commonwealth terminates it. This would remove the Forestry Corporation’s exemption from the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and export woodchip controls.

“NEFA has written to the Federal Ministers for the Environment and Forestry, as well as the 12 federal members representing north-east NSW from Gosford to the border, asking them to actively oppose logging of the reserve system, and to ensure that any proposed changes in prescriptions applied on State forests involves the Commonwealth and the public in an open, scientific and transparent process” Mr. Pugh said.

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In response to proposals to open up north-east NSWs reserves for logging, conservation groups have established a Save Your National Parks website http://saveparks.com.au/.

Given that the NSW Government is in the process of deciding which, if any, national parks it will open up for logging it is important for people who care about the future of our forests to use its email links to send messages to Premier Barry O’Farrell and local members for the north coast NOW.

NORTHERN RIVERS MEMBERS REFUSE TO RULE OUT LOGGING NATIONAL PARKS

MEDIA RELEASE 11/2/2013

Conservation groups have established a Save Your National Parks website to provide information on north east NSW parks proposed for logging: http://saveparks.com.au/

The North East Forest Alliance is disappointed that the elected members for the Northern Rivers refused requests to express their support for retaining national parks in response to proposals to open them up for logging.

NEFA spokesperson, Dailan Pugh, said that having already voted to allow recreational shooters into most of our national parks it seems the Northern Rivers’ State elected representatives are going to stand aside again and allow them to be given to the loggers.

“The Forest Products Association are asking for over a million hectares of north-east NSW’s National Parks, Nature Reserves and State Conservation Areas to be made available for logging. So far they have identified over 100,000 hectares of 43 specific reserves they want revoked.

“In the Northern Rivers the loggers have so far singled out 12 reserves they want to be wholly or partially revoked for logging: Wollumbin, Mebbin, Nightcap, Goonengerry, Guy Fawkes River, Chaelundi, and Nymboi-Binderay National Parks, and Wollumbin, Whian Whian , Bungawalbin,  Butterleaf, and Chaelundi State Conservation Areas.

“The O’Farrell Government is currently assessing the timber resources in these reserves with a view to opening them up for logging.

“These reserves encompass core habitat for an array of threatened plants and animals, rare ecosystems, rainforests of world heritage value, exceptional oldgrowth forests, and part of a wilderness. The loggers are also seeking the removal of protections for numerous stands of oldgrowth on state forests throughout the region.

“In mid December NEFA wrote to the four local members for the Northern Rivers, asking them if they support logging within, or revocation for logging of, any National Parks, Nature Reserves or State Conservation Areas on the far North Coast of NSW.

“NEFA told them that we intended to publicise their responses to their electors on the grounds that they have a right to know the position of their elected representatives.

“None of the four State members for the Northern Rivers indicated that they would oppose logging of national parks. Don Page replied that he had forwarded our request for his opinion to the Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker. This is the same Environment Minister who repeatedly refused to rule out allowing logging in national parks during a budget estimates hearing. She has not replied.

“Thomas George responded that until the Government considers an inter-departmental committee review into the timber supply situation on the north coast he is ‘not in a position to speculate on what those options might be or even speculate on what subsequent decisions might be made’.

“Christopher Gulaptis and Geoff Provest did not respond.

“We need local members who are prepared to stand up for the north coast and not stand aside while our national parks are given to the shooters and loggers.  The electors of the Northern Rivers must assume that the Government members for Lismore, Clarence, Tweed and Ballina have no intention to stand up for the local national parks that this community had to struggle for decades to protect.

“If the Northern Rivers community wants to keep its national parks they are first going to have to convince their elected representatives that their jobs depend on not supporting proposals to log them” Mr. Pugh said.

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Latest EPA statistics show Forests NSW still frequently and repeatedly  breach logging prescriptions and usually get away with it.  Last year out of some 500-600 Forests NSW operations the EPA audited parts of 39 operations and recorded 634 breaches of conditions (ie some 16 per part of each operation).  Despite there being  a consistent pattern of flouting environmental laws the EPA only issued 17 warning letters and 10 fines (Penalty Infringement Notices).

MEDIA RELEASE 21 January, 2013

Forests NSW’s shocking record of environmental destruction revealed

 Conservation groups have condemned Forests NSW and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) following the release of details of hundreds of breaches of forestry licences and codes.

During the 2011-2012 financial year, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) found that Forests NSW had breached its licences and relevant codes 634 times at the 39 sites the authority inspected. [1]

“Given that the EPA only investigated 39 areas last year, this is an average of 16 breaches in each logging operation, of which there are hundreds every year,’’ Nature Conservation Council  Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke said.

“It is very disturbing that despite the high number of breaches the EPA issued only 17 warning letters and 10 infringement notices. This culture of non-compliance won’t stop until real and meaningful penalties for non-compliance are applied.”

Forestry regulations and licence conditions are designed to protect threatened native species and fish habitat in the state’s native forests. They also protect streams and catchments from excessive run-off and siltation that results from forestry operations.

Specifically, breaches include:

• Failure to mark up exclusion zone boundaries and habitat features
• Failure to complete koala surveys
• Failure to observe outcrop exclusion zones
• Failure to retain recruitment and habitat trees
• Logging within stream exclusion zones
• Piling of debris around habitat trees

North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) spokesperson Dailan Pugh said even though the number of offences detected was very high, it was only the tip of the iceberg.

“We have been identifying and reporting breaches by Forests NSW for decades and the organisation and its environmental performance has not improved,” Mr Pugh said.

“Until there are meaningful deterrents, Forests NSW will go on routinely damaging the environment.

“People caught speeding 45km/h above the limit in a school zone are fined $2,296, but when Forests NSW is caught repeatedly breaching licence conditions aimed at reducing impacts on streams or threatened species over 90 per cent of the time they get away scot-free.  For their worst offences they get a $300 slap on the wrist.”

Mr Pugh said the EPA’s lax record on enforcement was putting threatened species at risk.

“NEFA had reported numerous breaches in Doubleduke State Forest, between Maclean and Evans Head on the Mid-North Coast,” he said. “The EPA simply refused to investigate most of these, including logging and roading within what ought to have been an exclusion zone for an endangered plant, logging and roading within a wetland, and failing to identify and protect Yellow-bellied Glider feed trees.”

South East Forest Rescue spokesperson Lisa Stone said the State Government must give the EPA adequate resources to monitor forestry operations more closely and increase penalties.

“The amount of audits conducted annually by the EPA only covers 3 to 4 per cent of total logging operations,” said Ms Stone. “On the South Coast compliance has not improved and logging intensity has increased. SEFR has not seen a logging compartment that does not contain breaches.

“For example in both Yambulla and Tantawangalo State Forests we discovered logged rocky outcrops and recommended to the EPA that logging cease, as the other unlogged areas also contained rocky outcrops. We later returned to those compartments and found the unlogged rocky outcrops had been logged.

“This needless and unlawful destruction could have been prevented. In other words, the same breaches that should have been prevented by injunction or appropriate and effective penalties were allowed to continue.”

Mr Clarke said: “If the government is not prepared to enforce its own regulations then it should get out of the way and let the public do the job for it. Citizens are currently not permitted to take action in relation to forestry operations to ensure environmental laws are enforced, as they are in many other areas of environmental law.

“The government should amend the Forestry Act 2012(NSW) to allow third parties to remedy breaches resulting from unlawful forestry operations and increase the maximum fine to $1.1 million in line with similar environmental offences.”

[1] EPA – Recent forestry regulatory activities, www.environment.nsw.gov.au/forestagreements/recentactivity.htm

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Below is a media release in response to attempts by north coast loggers to open up over a million hectares of national parks and other reserves for logging.  They are also trying to get environmental constraints on logging removed or minimised.  The real concern is that the NSW Government appears intent on implementing these requests.  In a secretive process they are currently assessing the timber resources in some national parks and revising conservation prescriptions to make more timber available, though with significantly increased environmental harm.  If you don’t want to loose our hard one national parks and minimal constraints on logging then it is time to convince north coast MPs to stop it happening.

MEDIA RELEASE 2 December 2012

 Conservation Groups are calling on the Government to categorically reject proposals being promoted by timber companies to open up over a million hectares of north-east NSWs national parks for logging.

North East Forest Alliance spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that the timber industry has been deliberately logging well in excess of the identified sustainable yield for the past 14 years and now that they have almost used up the large sawlog resource on state forests they want to log our national parks.

“In response to a question from the Chair of the Public Land Use Inquiry as to what areas of north coast reserves they wanted for logging, Russell Ainley, Executive Director, NSW Forest Products Association, identified “a little more than one million hectares”.

The Forest Products Association represents sawmillers logging public lands in north-east NSW, except Boral.

“In their submission to the Inquiry the Forests Products Association identified 43 national parks and other conservation reserves in north east NSW for initial revocation, stating that they also want whatever other reserves are necessary to maintain current yields in the long term.

“The national parks proposed for revocation by the FPA include forests identified as qualifying for World Heritage Listing, areas of core Koala habitat, and irreplaceable stands of oldgrowth forest, such as those at Chaelundi described by Justice Stein as ‘a veritable forest dependent zoo, probably unparalleled in south-eastern Australia’.

“The FPA are also seeking initial removal of protection over 20,000 hectares of oldgrowth forest on State Forest, though are after much more than this in the future. They are also asking for major windbacks in environment prescriptions so that they can log heavier than current rules allow”, Mr. Pugh said.

North Coast Environment Council President Susie Russell said “We are concerned that the NSW Government is currently undertaking a review of timber yields which is assessing yields available from some national parks, and a review of environment prescriptions aimed at reducing environmental prescriptions to get more timber.

“While the marine reviews were open scientific processes, the forest reviews are claimed to be “Cabinet in Confidence” and are being undertaken secretly by bureaucrats.

“Given the opening up of national parks for shooting and grazing, making them available for logging seems to be next.

“We are asking people to contact north coast State members to ask them to intervene and stop national parks being revoked or logged”,  Ms Russell said,

Reserves explicitly identified by Forests Products Association for revocation:

Black Bulga State Conservation Area, Bongil Bongil National Park (part), Bungawalbin State Conservation Area (part), Butterleaf State Conservation Area, Chaelundi National Park (part), Chaelundi State Conservation Area (part), Columbey National Park, Copeland Tops State Conservation Area, Dorrigo National Park (part), Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park (part), Gir-um-bit National Park, Gir-um-bit State Conservation Area, Goonengerry National Park, Gumbaynggirr State Conservation Area, Guy Fawkes River National Park (part), Hunter Estuary National Park, Jilliby State Conservation Area, Karuah National Park, Karuah Nature Reserve (part), Lake Innes State Conservation Area, Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area (part), Mebbin National Park (part), Medowie Nature Reserve, Medowie State Conservation Area (part), Myall Lakes National Park (part), Nightcap National Park (part), Nowendoc National Park (part), Nymboi-Binderay National Park (part), Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, Queens Lake Nature Reserve (part), Queens Lake State Conservation Area, Sherwood Nature Reserve (part), Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, Tilligerry National Park, Tilligerry Nature Reserve (part), Tilligerry State Conservation Area, Tomaree National Park (part), Tuggalo Creek Nature Reserve, Watagans National Park, Werakata State Conservation Area, Whian Whian State Conservation Area, Wollumbin National Park, Wollumbin State Conservation Area.

EXTRACTS FROM:

Evidence of RUSSELL ALAN AINLEY, Executive Director, NSW Forest Products Association, FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2012  Public Land Use Inquiry, pp51-61

CHAIR: … Would you be able to answer now or provide on notice your industry’s idea as to how much area of land, giving the conversion rates, would need to be returned and made available for harvesting in order to meet the contractual obligations and the forecast timber delivery in those RFAs?

Mr AINLEY: …  At a guess, I would suggest that we would need a little more than one million hectares to be returned. However, it depends on which hectares, where they are and how the regulations may affect them. There are some fairly clear avenues that we might claim back if given the opportunity. One of those is the plantations that have gone into reserve on the basis that they are old growth.

EXTRACTS FROM:

Inquiry into the Management of Public Land in NSW,  Submission by the NSW Forest Products Association,  2012

To address these issues there are a number of options available to restore the balance and meet the timber supply commitments of Forest Agreements:

• Return to forest management those reservations that were created in unassessed legislation:
  • NATIONAL PARK ESTATE (RESERVATIONS) ACT 2003 No 24
  • NATIONAL PARK ESTATE (LOWER HUNTER REGION RESERVATIONS) ACT 2006 No 90
  • Return to forest management those areas of plantation and adjacent regrowth forests that were reserved, specifically:
    • Whian Whian,
    • Goonengerry,
    • Mebbin,
    • Dorrigo,
    • Tuggalo,
    • Queens Lake
    • Myall River and
    • Watagans
    • Return to forest production those areas of forest that were purchased by NSW specifically for the purpose of timber production.
    • Return to forest management those areas of regrowth forests necessary to substantiate legislated forest yields and maintain those yields as sustainable in the long term (including North Coast, Eden and Brigalow)
    • Return to forest management the Red Gum forests to be managed as multiple use forests under a single administration for conservation values, for sustainable timber production and for Aboriginal community welfare. That will require a reassessment by a new independent authority (not the NRC again).
    • Amend Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals to ensure at least 70% of harvesting areas are accessible for timber production. A description of IFOAs and recommendations for amendment are included as attachment 1.
    • Acquire failed MIS plantation schemes and manage for sawlog production.
    • Maintain plantation establishment at 5,000 ha per year for at least 10 years.
    • Maintain plantation re-establishment as routine practice.

Opportunities to better manage conservation reserves are recognised as follows:

• …
• Manage reserves to ensure maintenance of conservation values. Secure services of Forests NSW to conduct operations and ensure orderly marketing of products from those management activities.
• …
• Manage Endangered Ecological communities to ensure their long term existence, that is manage to sustain healthy growth, thin, harvest and ensure regeneration.

NOTE: The NATIONAL PARK ESTATE (RESERVATIONS) ACT 2003 No 24 reserved some 42,522 hectares as 1 new national park, 7 additions to  existing national parks, 2 additions to nature reserves,  9 new State Conservation Areas,  and 2 extensions to  existing State Conservation Areas.  This included the assessed Wold Heritage areas of Whian Whian State Conservation Area, Wollumbin National Park and Wollumbin State Conservation Area.  It also included in reserves the controversial oldgrowth forests at Chaelundi and Sherwood, and identified for protection some 20,000 ha of oldgrowth forest in Special Management Zones. These are some of the many north coast icons that the loggers want.

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After finding that Forests NSW are still not bothering to search for Koala scats before logging and have logged yet another Koala High Use Area in Royal Camp SF, NEFA have written to the Ministers (for the third time) asking them to justify the continued illegal logging.

MEDIA RELEASE 25/9/2012

The North East Forest Alliance have asked the NSW Ministers for Environment, Robyn Parker. and Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, to justify their determination to allow illegal logging of Koala High Use Areas to continue in Royal Camp State Forest, 16 kilometres south-west of Casino.

Spokesperson for NEFA, Dailan Pugh, said that an inspection on Sunday of recent logging in Royal Camp State Forest revealed that Forests NSW are still not searching for Koala scats (fecal pellets) and are consequently continuing to log Koala High Use Areas.

“Forests NSW are prohibited from logging within 20m of Koala High Use Areas by their Threatened Species Licence.

“Forests NSW are legally required to thoroughly search for Koala scats in advance of logging in order to identify Koala High Use Areas for protection.

“On Sunday we found another Koala High Use Area that had recently been logged. This is the second Koala High Use Area we have found logged since we first asked the Ministers for Environment and Primary Industries to intervene to stop it.

“Of the 103 potential Koala feed trees we searched for scats only 7 had been searched before.  It appears that these were searched by the Environment Protection Agency in a token post-logging audit.

“It is clear that despite our repeated appeals to the Ministers, Forests NSW are still not undertaking the required searches for Koala scats and continuing to illegally log Koala High Use Areas.

“It is outrageous that the Ministers responsible for implementing laws to protect Koalas are knowingly allowing Forests NSW, a public agency, to continue to flout them” Mr. Pugh said.

NEFA’s letter to the Ministers is available at Ministers for the Environment and Forestry_Royal Camp Koalas_3. The NEFA Audit of Royal Camp State Forest is available at http://nefa.org.au/audit/RoyalCamp/NEFA_Audit_Royal_Camp_SF.pdf

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MEDIA RELEASE 21/8/2012

The North East Forest Alliance has written to the Ministers for Environment and Primary Industries asking them again to intervene to stop logging in areas of high use Koala feed trees in another part of Royal Camp State Forest until independent surveys are conducted to identify and protect Koala High Use Areas.

Royal Camp State Forest is 16 kilometres south-west of Casino.

Spokesperson for NEFA, Dailan Pugh, said that a Sunday inspection of areas where logging resumed in Royal Camp State Forest revealed that Forests NSW are still failing to undertake the required thorough searches for Koala scats to identify high use trees and thus Koala High Use Areas.

“We thoroughly searched over 100 potential Koala feed trees and stumps for Koala faecal scats and saw no evidence that anyone else had previously searched in the long grass, leaves and bark around the bases of these trees.

“We found 17 trees and 3 stumps with Koala scats under them.  Six trees had more than 20 scats beneath them and so qualify as high use Koala feed trees.  These are the trees that Forests NSW are required to identify and undertake detailed surveys around.  This is the only way to identify Koala High Use Areas before they are logged.  We found a Koala High Use Area that had recently been logged and consider there were likely to have been more.

“It is totally outrageous that Forests NSW continue to openly flout environmental laws designed to protect Koala High Use Areas.

“It is over 2 weeks since we first reported logging of Koala High Use Areas and it is reprehensible that it is continuing.  We appreciate that logging was stopped in one.area. We repeat our request for an independent assessment by a Koala expert to identify all Koala High Use Areas and a guarantee they will be protected” Mr. Pugh said.

NEFA have again written to the Ministers for Environment, Robyn Parker. and Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, to provide them with an audit of logging operations and to ask them to take urgent action to protect Koala High Use Areas in Royal Camp State Forest.

The NEFA Audit of Royal Camp State Forest concludes:

NEFA have documented what we consider to be breaches of 15 conditions of the Threatened Species Licence, 13 conditions of the Fisheries Licence and 2 IFOA conditions relating to ecologically sustainable forestry.  Some of these are major breaches and many are serial offences.  It is particularly disconcerting that after logging resumed in Compartment 16 tree marking improved but hollow-bearing trees were still being felled and a failure to thoroughly search for Koala scats prevented high use Koala feed trees and a Koala High Use Area being identified. An effective regulatory response is required.

The NEFA Audit of Royal Camp State Forest is available at http://nefa.org.au/audit/RoyalCamp/NEFA_Audit_Royal_Camp_SF.pdf

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A NEFA audit of a Koala High Use Area subject to auditing by Forests NSW and EPA proves that they are still not looking properly and failing to identify most Koala high use feed trees.  Where we identified 23 high use feed trees Forests NSW only identified 7.  It is just a matter of looking.  This is only one of 4 Koala High Use Areas we have so far identified in the compartment and only one of numerous breaches we found in the area.  A full report is being prepared.  The preliminary report is at:

INVESTIGATIONS OF A DENSE KOALA HIGH USE AREA IN ROYAL CAMP SF

MEDIA RELEASE 12/8/2012

A NEFA audit of Forests NSW’s Koala assessment in Royal Camp State Forest has shown that they are still failing to thoroughly search for evidence of Koalas, identify high use Koala feed trees and delineate Koala High Use Areas.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that further work by NEFA on a Koala High Use Area in Royal Camp State Forest on Thursday 9^th August has identified at least 23 Koala high use trees, with evidence of use by mothers and their young, over an area of about 4 hectares.

“When we undertook our first inspection Forests NSW had not identified a single high use tree, and even after two days of auditing they had only managed to identify 7 Koala high use trees, less than a third of what we found in a few hours.  It is clear that they are still not bothering to thoroughly search for Koala faecal scats.

“NEFA is also demanding that Forests NSW apologise to the public for falsely claiming last Tuesday that they hadn’t actually moved into the Koala High Use Areas identified to them by NEFA.

“The specific high use trees we had clearly identified to Forests NSW the day before had tracks and logging debris pushed amongst them.  Our further assessment has proven that at the time we made our complaint Forests NSW had intruded into this high use area in three places and cut down at least one Koala feed tree.

“They had done all the assessments they intended and the whole area would have been logged by now if NEFA had not intervened.

“Identification and protection of Koala High Use Areas is essential for the survival of Koalas in this region.

“We have no faith that Forests NSW or the Environment Protection Authority have the expertise or the will to accurately delineate Koala High Use Areas in Royal Camp State Forest and we repeat our request for an independent assessment by a Koala expert.

“We are particularly concerned that the EPA allowed Forests NSW to resume logging in one compartment without bothering to first check the high use Koala trees we found or ensuring a thorough search was made before logging to identify Koala High Use Areas.

“We also found that since our complaint Forests NSW has burnt off substantial parts of the logged area of Compartment 15, thereby destroying the evidence of any remaining Koala scats in those areas and any further evidence of Licence breaches.  Surely it is wrong to destroy evidence while an investigation is underway” Mr. Pugh said.

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A weekend inspection of Royal Camp State Forest revealed a large numbers of breaches of Forests NSW’s Threatened Species Licence requirements – most notably logging of Koala high use areas, felling of ‘V-notch’ feed tree for Yellow-bellied Glider, failures to retain required feed trees for a range of threatened species, and failure to retain required numbers of recruitment habitat trees.  Initially we have written to the responsible Ministers, the EPA and Forests NSW asking them to stop current logging of Koala High Use areas. Open letter to the Ministers for the Environment and Forestry

MEDIA RELEASE 6/8/2012

The North East Forest Alliance has written to the Ministers for Environment and Primary Industries asking them to take urgent action to stop illegal logging being undertaken by Forests NSW of Koala high use areas in Royal Camp State Forest, 16 kilometers south-west of Casino.

Spokesperson for NEFA, Dailan Pugh, said that a weekend inspection of logging areas in Royal Camp State Forest revealed logging underway in one Koala high use area, about to enter another and proposed for two more.

“Forests NSW are prohibited from logging in Koala high use areas by their Threatened Species Licence.

“Royal Camp is known to have a large Koala population, and Forests NSW are legally required to thoroughly search for Koala scats (faecal pellets) in advance of logging in order to identify and protect Koala high use areas.

“We could see no evidence that Forests NSW had searched for scats.  Given how easily we found them in the few areas we searched, we expect they have already logged some high use areas and that we have only identified a few of the areas they are about to log.

“Unless stopped Forests NSW will continue logging this core Koala habitat today. The Ministers must act urgently.

“NEFA has identified numerous other breaches of licence requirements in Royal Camp State Forest and have asked the Ministers for their assurance that the Environment Protection Authority will prosecute Forests NSW for their failure to meet their legal obligations to protect Koalas and other threatened species” Mr. Pugh said.