• safeguard biodiversity, old growth, wilderness and other natural and cultural values of forests; and
• to identify the preferred use and management of forest areas outside the CAR reserve system.

The body responsible for overseeing the implementation of NSW forest policy was the Resource and Conservation Assessment Council (RACAC), whose membership included representatives from forest stakeholder groups including Government agencies, the timber and mining industries, unions, conservation groups, and the Aboriginal community.

The Interim Forest Assessment Process
The first step in the implementation of the NSW forest policy commenced in early 1996 with the Interim Forest Assessment Process (IAP), a scientific assessment of forests in eastern NSW.

In July 1995 the Commonwealth Government published a position paper containing a set of conservation assessment criteria that set the benchmark by which the IAP was to be conducted. The criteria include:

• the protection of 15% of the pre-1750 distribution of forest communities;
• the retention in reserves of at least 60% of old growth forest increasing to 100% for rare old growth forest types;
• the protection of 90% or more of high quality wilderness; and
• the protection of endangered species.

The identification of areas needed to meet conservation targets and areas required to meet wood supply commitments to industry was achieved through negotiations between key stakeholders carried out over a period of four weeks. This was facilitated by the use of sophisticated computer programs containing extensive databases of information about the biological features and wood resources of the forests.

Following completion of negotiations a draft report was prepared, a series of public consultation sessions were held and public submissions invited. The outcome of this consultation was considered in the preparation of a final report to Government on the IAP outcomes.

Interim Assessment Process Outcomes
The final IAP report identified an area of approximately 817,000 hectares of forest in eastern NSW that may be required for a CAR system. This area was deferred from logging pending the completion of the CRA process. Timber industry log supplies were set at 60% of 1995 levels.

Following the IAP logging was allowed to continue in areas outside the deferred area subject to the application of conservation protocols for the protection of flora and fauna (administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service) and a Pollution Control Licence issued by the Environment Protection Authority for the prevention of soil erosion and water pollution.

To maintain supplies to industry in the Casino District, access to selected deferred areas was authorised by the Agencies on the advice of the North East State Forests Harvesting Advisory Board.

The Comprehensive Regional Assessment Process
The CRA process commenced at the completion of the IAP. It had a much broader focus than the IAP and expanded the community's involvement through the establishment of Regional Forest Forums. The CRA was managed by four RACAC technical committees that covered the areas of environment and heritage, economic and social values, timber resources and ecologically sustainable forest management. The committees commissioned a wide range of projects throughout the CRA to supply information and data into the next round of negotiations towards a forest agreement.

CRA negotiations were conducted between August and October 1998 and again involved all stakeholders. Biophysical, cultural, economic and social information and data collected throughout the process was again presented with the use of computer technology, although some Commonwealth data related to socio-economics was not available at the time of the negotiations.

The 1998 NSW Forestry Decision
Although agreement has not been reached with the Commonwealth to date on the signing of Regional Forest Agreements in NSW, the NSW Government finalised the CRA process for the Eden region and north coast through its 1998 Forestry Decision. This saw the passing of the Forestry and National Park Estate Act that came into effect on 1 January 1999. Negotiations towards the completion of the CRA for Southern NSW and its incorporation into legislation are yet to be concluded.

The three key planks of the legislation are:

1. Protection of old growth, wilderness and other areas of conservation significance, including the protection of threatened or vulnerable species, through a CAR reserve system.
2. The establishment of a secure, ecologically sustainable, value adding native timber industry.
3. The integration of regulatory regimes for the protection of the environment and threatened species through Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals.

• The protection of 449,350 hectares of former State Forest in National parks, Nature Reserves, Flora Reserves and Crown Reserves
• The provision to industry of long term security and certainty of supply through 20 year term agreements.
• A net employment gain related to public forested land of between 241 and 261 jobs.
• A system of Integrated Forestry Operations (IFO) Approvals for future forestry operations that will set out the terms and conditions under which logging may occur on State Forests and Crown timber lands.

References
Draft Interim Forest Assessment Report. June 1996. RACAC

RACAC Homepage
www.racac.nsw.gov.au

Produced by Northern NSW Forestry Services for the Northern Rivers Regional Development Board (NR Regional Plantation Committee)

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