By JESSE GRAHAM
VICFORESTS has come under fire from a local environmental group for non-compliance in recent audits, but the timber industry said it is improving where it dropped the ball.
On 11 February, VicForests announced that an audit carried out by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) found its coupes complied with 93 per cent of the audit criteria.
The audit was carried out as part of DEPI’s Forest Audit Program (FAP), using a sample of 35 logging coupes across the state – including the Central Highlands – and was published on 7 June 2013.
The audit focused on the harvesting and closure of coupes in the 2012-2013 financial year, using a sample base chosen randomly from different risk-assessments.
MyEnvironment member Steve Meacher said he was concerned about the 93 per cent compliance, which he said was unacceptable and showed no improvement on a previous audit.
“It’s a concern – the figure hasn’t improved in several years and there haven’t been any prosecutions over the 7 per cent non-compliance,” he said.
“You’re not allowed to drive over the speed limit 7 per cent of the time – you do it once and you get pinned.
“Where are the prosecutions? 93 per cent is not good enough when it’s not improving.”
A DEPI spokesperson confirmed that an audit in 2010-2011 also recorded a 93 per cent compliance rate by VicForests, but said the two audits were difficult to compare.
“It’s difficult to compare results from audits from one year to another as different aspects of timber harvesting may be reviewed (not necessarily like-for-like),” they said.
A spokesperson for VicForests said that all issues of non-compliance, whether big or small, resulted in recommendations being handed down from DEPI, for future improvement of operations.
Two of the most significant non-compliance issues were where a stream was tainted with sediment and gravel from roads used to access a coupe – though not in large quantities – and a coupe which was almost entirely harvested.
“Disturbance from harvesting, regeneration burning and rough heaping meant that no long-lived understorey elements were retained within the harvestable area as required by the code,” the audit read.
VicForests General Manager of Stakeholder and Planning Nathan Trushell said the non-compliance in the harvesting coupe was an unusual occurrence, but was grounds to review processes.
“We did meet the habitat requirements; however the retention of long-lived understorey elements was an issue due to the areas needing mechanical disruption after failed regeneration attempts,” he said.
“We are currently reviewing our planning processes and will ensure biodiversity conservation measures are met in all areas we operate in.”
The audit can be found on VicForests website at www.vicforests.com.au.
