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Area of native forest on public and private land available for harvesting (timber and other forest products), including Private Timber Reserves and State Forest. This indicator is a measure of the area of native forests and plantations available for producing timber and other forest products. However, some areas of native forest are more likely to be harvested than others depending on factors such as slope, accessibility, commercial and conservation values. This indicator does not consider these constraints so the actual area available will be less than that shown. The issuing of harvesting compliance certificates in the future will allow improved reporting of actual areas harvested.
Area of native forest on private land As at June 2001 there was 921,900 ha of native forest on private land. Approximately 80% (732,500 ha) of native forest on private land was classed as dry eucalypt forest (Forest Practices Board 2002). The RFA Review Background Report and State of the Forests Report note that it is not possible to reach any conclusions on changes to the net area of private resource. When Private Forests Tasmania completes the resource review of private forests, the results can be compared to the previous resource estimates as a measure of the capacity of private forests to meet demands (Forest Practices Board 2002). Private Timber Reserves Where land has been declared as a private timber reserve in accordance with the Forest Practices Act 1985, it shall be used only for establishing forests, or growing or harvesting timber in accordance with the Forest Practices Code. Over 200,000 ha of native forests on private land, or approximately 30% of all native forests on private land, are covered by private timber reserves. The intention is that now or sometime in the future this native forest will be harvested. Private timber reserve summary Year Applications approved by
Area gazetted (ha) 1995-96 81 48,735 1996-97 152 39,154 1997-98 255 42,896 1998-99 90 6,106 1999-00 119 25,012 2000-01 112 14,146 2001-02 98 33,376 Total PTR's approved 1,282 337,673 Source: Private Forests Tasmania Private timber reserves, 2002 Source: Private Forests Tasmania 2002 State Forest 1,062,200 hectares of native forest on State Forest is classified as multiple-use forest, meaning that it is potentially available for harvesting. This area does not represent the net area available for timber production as calculated reported in indicator 2.1.a of the RFA five yearly review. The area represents the total area of multiple-use native forest on public land potentially available for harvesting. No consideration is given to the likelihood or otherwise of individual areas being harvested. Area of forest type by tenure, June 2001 Tenure RFA Forest Vegetation Community Dry eucalypt forests Wet eucalypt forests Sub-alpine eucalypt forests Non-eucalypt forests Public land Other State Forest (1) 23%
57%
13%
32%
Private land Other private land 47%
15%
10%
8%
(1) Includes Multiple-use forest Source: Source adapted from table 1.1.a: RFA Background Report Based on Sustainability Indicators for Tasmanian Forests (2.1a) (Forest Practices Board 2002) |
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