New forest management plan

THE Western Australian Government has released its Forest Management Plan 2004-13.

The plan helps ensure:

No more logging in old-growth forests;

Creation of 30 new national parks and two conservation parks;

Improved wildlife protection through the establishment of a network of fauna habitat zones across State forest;

Internationally agreed principles of ecologically sustainable forest management are adopted; and

A reduced timber yield from regrowth forest maintained to allow for sustainable timber production.

The calculation of the sustained yield figures has been independently reviewed by an expert panel chaired by Professor Ian Ferguson from Melbourne University.

The levels are 131,000 cubic metres of first and second grade jarrah sawlogs a year and 54,000 cubic metres of first and second grade karri sawlogs a year.

The log levels compare with 490,000 cubic metres of first and second grade jarrah, 214,000 cubic metres of karri first grade and 203,000 cubic metres of other Karri logs under the existing forest management plan that expired on December 31.

The plan is available on the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s website at www.calm.wa.gov.au or can be inspected at CALM offices in Kensington, Bunbury and Manjimup.