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A PROFILE OF THE NORTHERN NSW PRIVATE FOREST RESOURCE AND THE PRIVATE NATIVE FOREST INDUSTRY
4. Methodology for Updating the 2002 Study
4.1 The Private Native Forest Resource
4.1.1 Areas
The 2002 report presented data on the private native forest resource for 16 Local
Government Areas stretching from Bellingen Shire in the south to Tweed
Shire in the north and west to several Shires on the New England Tablelands
(see Section 2). The study area was covered by a total of 135 topographic maps at a scale of 1:25,000.
Since 2002 there have been amalgamations of several LGA’s and some minor boundary
changes, reducing the number of LGA’s in the study area to 13. There have also
been some acquisitions of private forested land by the National Parks and
Wildlife Service (now within the new Department of Environment and Conservation),
although the total area has not been significant.
The relevant topographic maps where these LGA changes and land acquisitions have
occurred since 2002 were reviewed and area and yield data updated.
As with the previous studies, private forest areas are categorised as follows:
- The gross forest area.
- The productive forest area, representing the private forest area after
easily identifiable non-harvestable areas were deducted, but inclusive of
constraints that may be applicable to the harvesting of that timber.
- The net productive forest area, representing the area over which
harvesting might occur after accounting for further non-harvestable
areas that were not easily delineated and deducted from the productive area.
No further field checking of private forest areas or broad forest types was undertaken for this updated report.
4.1.2 Broad Forest Types
The 2002 study simplified the eleven (11) broad forest types identified from the 1994 study
into six (6) broader forest associations and they have again been adopted for this updated report.
The six associations are as follows:
- Forest dominated by Spotted Gum
Spotted Gum is the dominant species (generally comprising at least 50% of the species mix).
This includes the 1994 broad forest types of Spotted Gum, Spotted Gum/Blackbutt,
Spotted Gum/Ironbark and Spotted Gum/Mixed Hardwoods.
- Forest dominated by Blackbutt
Blackbutt is the dominant species (again generally comprising at least 50%
of the species mix). This includes the 1994 broad forest types of Blackbutt,
Blackbutt/Bloodwood, Blackbutt/Spotted Gum and Blackbutt/Mixed Hardwoods.
- Moist Mixed Hardwoods
As for the 1994 study, moist mixed forests of the coastal and hinterland areas
with indicator species including Sydney Blue Gum, Tallowwood, Flooded Gum and Brush Box.
- Dry Mixed Hardwoods
As for the 1994 study, coastal dry hardwood forests with indicator species
including Ironbarks, Bloodwoods, Grey Gum and Grey Box.
- New England Hardwoods
As for the 1994 study, mixed species forests of the higher altitudes and tablelands.
New England Blackbutt is a common species, along with a range of associated high
altitude species including Stringybarks (E. obliqua, E. laevopinea, E. cameronii),
Manna Gum (E. viminalis) and Brown Barrel (E. fastigata). Sydney Blue Gum and
Tallowwood are two typically coastal species that are also found in some New England stands.
Appendix 4 is a series of photographs showing examples of the broad forest types.
4.1.3 Basic Site Quality Criteria
The broad site quality criteria used in 1994 and 2002 were retained for this review. They are as follows:
- High Site Quality
Forests on the better soils, higher rainfall, more sheltered locations.
Included are the better quality moist mixed types, and the best examples
of the Blackbutt, Spotted Gum and New England stands.
- Medium Site Quality
The typical average Blackbutt, Spotted Gum and New England hardwood stands
and the poorer quality moist hardwood stands. In places these are also high
site quality forest types that have been degraded by management practices.
- Low Site Quality
Forests on heavier soil areas, poorer exposed or steep country or near the
western limits of commercial growth. Because of soils, climate, topography
or aspect these forests are slow growing and often the species mix is dominated
by species of little or no commercial value. In some cases they are the drier
forest types that have been degraded by management practices.
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