Woodchip Driven Logging in the Otways: An Economic Analysis
No Legislated Limit to Woodchip Volume
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Woodchip Driven Logging in the Otways: An Economic Analysis |
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No Legislated Limit to Woodchip Volume |
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Benchmark One: Hardwood Resource Usage There is no legislated limit to the quantity of Residual (Woodchip) logs that can be removed from the Otway State Forest. There is no limit in the Forest Act to regulate the amount of trees that can be classed as Residual (woodchip) and removed from State Forest. If a forest was to yield only one sawlog per hectare and the rest of the trees are Residual, the Forest Act still recognises the logging operations as sawlog driven. In the past, the Federal Government had power to control the amount of export woodchips that could leave Australia. This gave the Federal Government de facto control over the amount of forest the State government could allow to be sold as Residual trees for export woodchip. However, the power of the Federal Government to control export woodchips has been removed. Now unlimited woodchips can be exported from State Forests across Australia and only the State Government controls the amount of Residual trees to be used as woodchips. Fifteen-year Residual log licences have been issued to the woodchip industry. The 1992 Otway Forest Management Plan gives High Priority to allowing up to 60,000 tonnes/annum of residual trees to be used for woodchips from the Otway FMA. This woodchip limit was put into the Plan after a period of extensive public consultation, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Forestry Victoria) claims to manage the forest in accordance with the Plan. However, there is no legal requirement by Forestry Victoria to comply to prescriptions set in the Otway Forest Management Plan. |
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