North East Forest Alliance

Media Release, 23rd April 2011

The North East Forest Alliance has congratulated the NSW Minister for Planning on making some improvements in mining regulation in NSW, but say the transitional reforms still fall a long way short of what is needed.
“The reforms announced by Minister Hazzard on Saturday are a step forward, but they fall a long way short of the full moratorium on coal seam gas exploration and production which communities throughout NSW have been calling for” said Carmel Flint, co-ordinator of the North East Forest Alliance.
“This is only a moratorium on new exploration licences, not on new exploration. Exploration across the 25% of NSW where licences have already been granted will continue unchanged, and there will be no extra information provided to the public about that drilling before it occurs.
“Furthermore, the reforms appear to do nothing about coal seam gas production, and will presumably allow the Government to approve large new production projects if they so choose.
“The other major failing of the reforms is that they do nothing to protect high conservation value bushlands. Our State Forests and State Conservation Areas are increasingly being targeted by coal and gas companies, and this does nothing to protect them.
“The North East Forest Alliance is calling for a proper moratorium on all coal seam gas exploration and production in NSW and strong legal protections for bushland and native wildlife from the impacts of mining” Ms Flint said.

More information or comment, Carmel Flint on 0400 521474

North Coast Environment Council, North East Forest Alliance
Media Release, 18th April 2011

North coast environment groups have described the extent of coal seam gas exploration licences in NSW as a disaster waiting to happen, and in a submission to the Coal and Gas Strategy have called for an immediate moratorium on any further coal seam gas approvals in NSW.
Submissions closed last Friday on the NSW Coal and Gas Strategy, which was released by the former Labor Government for public exhibition, but which the new Coalition Government has indicated it will probably go on to adopt.
“Just last week, as we finalised our submission to the NSW Coal and Gas Strategy Scoping Paper, we uncovered the full extent of coal seam gas licences across NSW” said Ms Carmel Flint, spokesperson for the North East Forest Alliance.
“Using Department of Mineral Resources data, we found that 23.5 million hectares of NSW is already covered by petroleum exploration or production licences, and a further 13.8 million hectares has current applications pending approval. This equates to almost half of NSW.
“Almost the entire north coast, from Gosford in the south to Byron Bay in the north, is covered by existing exploration licences or applications.
“These licences have been issued across vast swathes of NSW without any community consultation whatsoever and without any meaningful environmental assessment.
“Evidence from Queensland and overseas indicates that coal seam gas production has lasting and irreversible impacts on water resources, rural communities and native wildlife.
“The former Labor Government had been busy handing out approvals like lollies, without any fair system of checks and balances or any opportunities for the community to have its say” said Ms Susie Russell, vice-president of the North Coast Environment Council.
“Now, the spread of the industry across NSW is looming as a cause of massive land-use disputes, which we predict will lead to unprecedented conflict in rural NSW over the next decade.
“Action is needed now – we are asking the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, to implement an urgent moratorium on coal seam gas exploration and production in NSW.
“There also needs to be far-reaching planning reforms that prevent exploration in high conservation value areas, protect water resources and give the community a real say and active participation in making decisions.
“The Premier needs to tell NSW where he stands – is he on the side of our beautiful natural areas, priceless water resources and thriving communities or that of the big coal seam gas companies?”
See attached map of petroleum exploration licences and applications.

Petroleum Licences and Applications - NSW April 2011

Information or comment: Carmel Flint, 0400 521 474

MEDIA RELEASE 8 February 2011

The North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) has requested that the bodies who certify timber sourced from public lands in Upper North East NSW (north from near Coffs Harbour) as coming from ecologically sustainable and legal sources to immediately withdraw their accreditation of Forests NSW.

Commenting on a NEFA report released today, Dailan Pugh, said “Continuing to accredit the illegal and blatantly unsustainable logging we have revealed discredits Australia’s certification system and threatens to bring all accredited forestry products from Australia into disrepute”

“NEFA audits of logging operations over the past year have revealed frequent and systematic breaches of legal conditions governing logging.

“Whether it is oldgrowth, rainforest, endangered ecosystems, threatened fauna habitat or stream banks, we have found that they are being illegally logged all the time”.

“In 2000 the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) established a range of other conditions Forests NSW are required to abide by, and in 2006 their operations were accredited as being ecologically sustainable and lawful in accordance with the Australian Forestry Standards (AFS).

“In the report ‘Audit of Compliance of Forestry Operations in the Upper North East NSW Forest Agreement Region’ released today, NEFA has identified grossly unsustainable logging rates, non-compliance with 11 conditions of the north-east Regional Forest Agreement and multiple non-conformities with 17 specific criteria of the Australian Forestry Standards.

“The Environmental Defenders Office, on NEFA’s behalf, is writing to the company NCS International who accredited Forests NSW’s operations and the government-appointed accreditation body JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand), asking for them to immediately suspend Forests NSW’s accreditation under the Australian Forestry Standards for timber sourced from upper north-east NSW.

“This complaint will also be referred to the world’s biggest assessor of sustainable forest management – the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification scheme (PEFC) – for their consideration.

“If a customer purchases AFS certified timber from Upper North East New South Wales there is no doubt it will be sourced from a forest logged on an unsustainable yield basis, a direct contravention of the concept of ecological sustainability.

“We have found that timber is being sourced from illegally-logged Endangered Ecological Communities. illegally-logged rainforest, illegally-logged oldgrowth forest, inadequately reserved forest ecosystems, illegally-logged feed trees necessary for the survival of threatened fauna species, illegally-logged hollow-bearing trees (hundreds or thousands of years old) required to be retained as nest, roost or den sites for threatened species, illegally-logged trees from exclusion zones implemented around streams and wetlands to protect water quality, and from sick forests in urgent need of rehabilitation due to Bell Miner Associated Dieback.

“People in Australia and overseas paying a premium to buy AFS certified timber have a right to expect that their timber will not be sourced from such acts of environmental vandalism.

“Given that the State Government is unwilling to fix up the appalling mismanagement of public forests, we expect that the accreditation agencies will take the urgent action required to remove Forests NSW’s accreditation, and ensure they fully comply with minimal environmental standards before they are accredited again”, Mr. Pugh said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063

The NEFA “Audit of Compliance of Forestry Operations in the Upper North East NSW Forest Agreement Region” is available at:

http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Audit_UNE_Forests_Feb2011.pdf

MEDIA RELEASE 1 February 2011

The North East Forest Alliance today welcomed the Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell’s, highlighting the over-cutting of local forests in order to satisfy over-allocation of resources in Wood Supply Agreements, though are concerned by his preference to open up national parks for logging.

NEFA spokesperson, Dailan Pugh said that Steve Cansdell told him on Saturday – and repeated on ABC radio today – that his personal preference is to open up national parks for logging. NEFA is therefore seeking an unequivocal assurance from the Liberal-National Party that they will not revoke National Parks or reduce logging prescriptions designed to minimise impacts of logging operations on threatened species and water quality.

“In 2004 Forests NSW identified that their own assessments of yields of large quota sawlogs in north-east NSW were seriously flawed and unreliable.  The NSW Government ignored these concerns when it issued tradeable and compensational Wood Supply Agreements for 215,422m³ of large quota sawlogs per annum for 20 years from north-east NSW until 2023.  This was despite Forests NSW’s latest “indicative” yield review at that time identifying that yields should be limited to 187,000m³ per annum for 5 years and then reduced to 170,000 m³ per annum for years 6-20.  Even then yields would be drastically reduced after year 20.

“At the same time the NSW Government removed clauses from the Wood Supply Agreements that allowed committed volumes to be reduced in line with yield reviews.  Given that they were advised that the yield assessments were unreliable and that they issued more resources than were identified as existing, this was grossly irresponsible and has exposed NSW taxpayers to significant financial liabilities.

“Ever since the new 2004 Wood Supply Agreements were signed Forests NSW have not been able to meet commitments, particularly in the Upper North East.  Over the 5 years 2004-09 there was a shortfall between commitments given in WSA and actual yields of large high quality sawlogs of at least 144,000m3 (13%).  Forests NSW have already had to buy back timber committed in Wood Supply Agreements and compensate mills that they couldn’t meet supply commitments to.

“This has also forced Forests NSW to increase logging of small high quality sawlogs (the large sawlogs of the future) and get into the plantations too early.  This is further reducing long-term yields. The desperation for sawlogs is part of the reason why Forests NSW are increasing unlawful logging.  With yields declining and native forest operations operating at a loss of $8-14.5 million per annum the situation will now worsen rapidly.

“We are worried that Steve Cansdell’s personal agenda is to open up National Parks for logging to meet the timber shortfalls.  We are therefore seeking an unequivocal assurance from the Liberal-National Party that they will not open up National Parks for logging or reduce logging prescriptions designed to minimise impacts of logging operations on threatened species and water quality.

“Timber commitments in north east NSW need to be urgently reduced.  We are glad that Steve Cansdell supports our call for an independent public inquiry to be established to determine how bad the problem is and how the situation was allowed to deteriorate so badly.  We are now seeking a similar commitment from the Liberal-National party”, Mr. Pugh said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063

MEDIA RELEASE 17 November 2010

NEFA is calling upon the Forest Products Association to support its efforts to ensure Forests NSW faithfully comply with licence requirements aimed at reducing impacts on  threatened species, endangered ecosystems, oldgrowth forest, rainforest, wetlands, and streams.

NEFA spokesperson, Dailan Pugh, said “We are disappointed that the NSW Forest Products Association Chairperson Andrew Hurford is not joining with us in our attempts to get Forests NSW to abide by the forestry regulations that the industry, unions and the NSW Government agreed to.

“In the end we were not party to the industry’s Forest Agreement, though we want to see its minimal requirements implemented.

“In the last 12 months NEFA have undertaken 3 detailed audits of logging operations at Yabbra, Doubleduke and Girard State Forests which, contrary to Andrew Hurfords assertions, have been written up and provided to the regulators.  These included breaches in Compartment 144.

“To date only the Yabbra breaches have been responded to.  Our substantive complaints were upheld and forests NSW were issued with 6 Penalty Infringement Notices and sent warning letters for 3 other breaches.

“Mr Hurford may consider illegally trashing 3ha of rainforest, trashing two wetlands, trashing a number of stream banks, and cutting down numerous feed and den trees required to be protected for threatened species as “minor”, but we do not.  Hundreds, and possibly over a thousand, trees were illegally logged at Yabbra.

“Our audits have revealed a systemic failure by Forests NSW to implement numerous licence requirements for threatened species, endangered ecosystems, oldgrowth forest, wetland, and stream protection.  We are frustrated by the failure of the regulatory agencies to take appropriate and rapid action in response to our complaints.

“We have been waiting since June for action to be taken for the breaches in Doubleduke and since August for action on Girard.  Meanwhile Forests NSW have continued their rampage through our forests unchecked.

“Contrary to Mr Hurford’s claims that there are no relevant records that describe genuine old growth in this area of Doubleduke State Forest, 37% of compartment 144 was mapped as being oldgrowth forest in 1998.  Of this, 65ha was logged in 2002, 25ha is now proposed for logging, and 200ha is shown in the harvesting plan for protection.

“Mr. Hurford is right that little tall oldgrowth forest remains in coastal areas.  This makes it even more important to protect what is left.

“Contrary to Mr Hurford’s assertions, there is nothing sustainable about logging in north-east NSW.  Last year the NSW Auditor General reported that the native forest managed by Forests NSW on the north coast is being cut faster than it is growing back.

“We believe that the reason for Forests NSW increasingly poor compliance is their desperation to find timber to meet the over-commitments”, Mr. Pugh said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063

The NEFA Preliminary (June) and Supplementary (November) Doubleduke Audit Reports are available at http://nefa.org.au/audit/Doubleduke/

Supplementary_Audit_of_Doubleduke_State_Forest

NOTE

Pursuant to our complaints for Yabbra, DECCW issued Forests NSW with 4 Penalty Infringement Notices for (i) harvesting timber within IFOA mapped rainforest, (ii) the failure to mark Yellow-bellied Glider sap feed trees and feed trees, (iii) timber felling within a wetland and wetland exclusion zone, and (iv) machinery entry within a wetland and wetland exclusion zone.  DECCW also issued a formal warning to Forests NSW for not identifying habitat of the Richmond Range Frog, and inadequate mark-up of exclusion zones and retained habitat trees.  Fisheries issued 2 Penalty Infringement Notices for failing to mark exclusion boundaries on streams and for logging, bulldozing and burning within 10m of these streams. They also cautioned Forests NSW for logging the two wetlands that DECCW had previously fined them for. Please note that many other breaches were upheld, but excused due to a post-logging burn getting out of control.

Please also note that while we identified 1.7 ha of mapped rainforest as being logged in Yabbra, subsequent mapping by Forests NSW has increased this to 3ha.

MEDIA RELEASE 12 November 2010

Today the North East Forest Alliance undertook a successful walkin through a logging operation to inspect a proposed logging area in Compartment 144 of Doubleduke State Forest within which mapped oldgrowth forest is proposed for logging.
NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that NEFA welcomed Forests NSW’s subsequent undertaking to stop logging on Saturday to give time for differences to be resolved.
“The contractors and foresters kept on trying to bar our access and prohibit us from inspecting the proposed logging area, though given their abysmal record of illegal logging in Doubleduke State Forest we would not take no for an answer. We asserted our rights to inspect public forests and assured them that we were not going to interfere with their current logging operation at that time.
“They even had the police waiting for us when we finished our inspection at 3pm, claiming to be worried that we could be lost. What a waste of police resources, we have been bushwalking for years. Neither are we easily intimidated.
“Unfortunately the lantana left from past logging in adjacent forests hindered our assessment, though we did confirm that at least some of the mapped oldgrowth is indeed oldgrowth. We estimated some giant trees to be over a thousand years old.
“We were particularly concerned that with logging underway Forests NSW had not completed a legally valid Fisheries Assessment, had not fixed errors in the stream mapping and zoning, had not done flora and fauna surveys, and had not done the required markup.
“We caught them logging in the nearby compartment in June without first undertaking the legally required mark up of habitat and feed trees.
“We gave an undertaking not to interfere with their operations on Saturday in return for which Forests NSW gave us an assurance that they would stop logging on Saturday until such time as we have tried to resolve our differences, including over the proposed oldgrowth logging.

“We are glad to have a chance to sort out our problems up front, rather than after they have trashed the forest. We will be putting a proposal, based on our assessment, to them in the next few days” Mr Pugh said.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063
The NEFA Preliminary (June) and Supplementary (November) Doubleduke Audit Reports are available at http://nefa.org.au/audit/Doubleduke/

Environment Minister called upon to prosecute $16 million worth of illegal logging in Doubleduke State Forest

MEDIA RELEASE 11 November 2010

A follow-up audit in Doubleduke State Forest conducted by the North East Forest Alliance has revealed a further three logging incursions into an Endangered Ecological Community which have killed or severely damaged another 1,433 trees and shrubs and made Forests NSW potentially liable to a maximum fine of over $16 million.

Spokesperson for NEFA, Dailan Pugh, said the North East Forest Alliance undertook a follow-up audit in Doubleduke State Forest on Monday when it became apparent that the Department of Environment Climate Change and Water had failed to take any action against those responsible for flouting environmental laws, and had failed to identify other instances of illegal logging in Endangered Ecological Communities which NEFA suspected had occurred.

“In a single day NEFA documented an additional 46 trees that had been logged within the Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) Sub-tropical Coastal Floodplain Forest, and 1,387 other trees and shrubs that had been bulldozed out of the ground, trampled by machinery, or had trees dropped on them within this EEC. We also documented breaches of 6 requirements of the Threatened Species Licence and 7 of the Fisheries Licence within this EEC.

“A preliminary audit of Doubleduke State Forest by NEFA in June identified breaches of a total of 20 statutory Licence Conditions and an incursion into the Endangered Ecological Community. It is reprehensible that, having been found out once, Forests NSW have continued to cover up these additional breaches. They should have come clean months ago rather than hoping nobody would find them.

“It is extremely disturbing that in the past 4 months neither the Departments of Forests or Environment’s supposedly independent auditing teams have found these significant and readily identifiable additional breaches within the compartment they have been auditing. They only seem willing to find breaches that we show them.

“These breaches, and Forests NSW’s cover up, put them in the worst category of such offences and the Minister for the Environment, Frank Sartor, must ensure that Forests NSW are prosecuted for them without further delay. Endangered Ecological Communities are excluded from Forests NSW’s logging licence, making these incursions a direct offence under the National Parks and Wildlife Act where it is an offence to pick or harm endangered ecological communities” Mr. Pugh said.

Mr. Pugh said that for picking or harming an Endangered Ecological Community the maximum penalty for the first offence is $220,000 and up to 2 years jail, with an additional $11,000 for each of the 1,453 trees and shrubs (20 in the previous audit) NEFA have documented as illegally picked or harmed within Compartment 145 of Doubleduke State Forest. This equates to a potential maximum fine of $16,203,000.

“Though judging by previous cases of illegal logging of rainforest, wetlands and threatened animal habitats in this region it appears that the Department of the Environment will not prosecute and will instead only issue a $300 fine, which is what Forests NSW make from illegally logging one or two trees. There is one rule for the general public and another for their mates in Government.

“Over the past 4 months neither the Departments of Environment nor Forests have taken any action against those responsible for this environmental vandalism. These same people have been allowed to continue their rampage through Doubleduke State Forest unchecked.

“We call upon the Minister for Forests, Steve Whan, to stop his denials and immediately suspend the forester and contractors responsible for the illegal logging in the Endangered Ecological Community and the ongoing cover-up” Mr. Pugh said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063 OR JOHN EDWARDS 66 493310
The NEFA Preliminary (June) and Supplementary (November) Audit Reports are available at

http://nefa.org.au/audit/Doubleduke/

Photos from the audit are available at:

http://bit.ly/bfqdds

The North East Forest Alliance has called for federal intervention after once again finding comprehensive breaches of logging prescriptions by Forests NSW in contravention of the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement. This short film addresses some of the systemic breaches by NSW State Forest as reported by NEFA in the Girard and Doubleduke State Forests preliminary audits and is a call to action so that we can appropriately address these issues and ensure sustainable native forests for our future

See the short film here