The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) a $15,000 penalty notice for a major erosion incident in Tuckers Nob State Forest.
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FCNSW undertook a clear-fell harvesting operation on a native forest plantation from September to November 2014, followed by plantation re-establishment works which continued until late February 2015. EPA North Coast Region Manager Brett Nudd said FCNSW had failed to implement effective erosion and sediment control measures.
“FCNSW did not pay adequate attention to likely rainfall and soil loss risks in its harvest and re-establishment planning in the Tuckers Nob native plantation,” Mr Nudd said.
“The timing of plantation re-establishment coincided with the time of year when you can expect high rainfall events in the area. This exacerbated the risk of soil washing into tributaries leading to Never Never Creek.”
Records show that approximately 220mm of rain fell over February 2-3. This led to surface run-off which carried sediment into the Never Never Creek. FCNSW estimated that more than 100 cubic metres of sediment washed into the Never Never catchment.
“However, the EPA’s investigation suggested that the volume of sediment entering the waterways would have been significantly higher than FCNSW’s estimate,” Mr Nudd said.
“The EPA’s investigation found that FCNSW did not have appropriate mitigation measures in place to reduce erosion risks, and that the risks were not adequately considered in harvest or re-establishment plans.”
“The EPA concluded that FCNSW had failed to deliver appropriate due diligence in its forestry operations.”
Statement by FCNSW
In planning the plantation operation, Forestry Corporation assessed the risk of erosion on this site and applied controls beyond what was required by the Plantation and Reafforestation Regulation including retaining trees in sensitive areas to help stabilise the soil. Before the corporation could re-establish the plantation after harvesting, a large rain event took place and sediment washed into the waterway.
After the storm, staff acted swiftly and worked with soil conservationist advice and the Never Never Catchment Group to rehabilitate the site and put additional sedimentation prevention measures in place.
We thoroughly investigated this incident undertaking a root-cause analysis to ensure improvements in our plantation operating procedures were identified and implemented so that this type of incident would not occur again.
By focusing on the outcomes we have made real change on the ground and are now better placed to avoid this kind of incident in the future.
Never Never Catchment Group
As the local landcare organisation that reported the incident for damage caused by harvesting operations in Tuckers Nob State Forest, Never Never Catchment Group is pleased to hear the EPA has made its determination on the penalty notice to Forestry Corporation NSW for polluting the Never Never River.
Landcare brings together people from all walks of life and of all political persuasions – the fact that we are collectively so concerned about forestry practices should demonstrate to the NSW Government that everyone agrees our forests deserve better management.
We know the real cost of repair to our waterways when the damage is done. NNCG has been working for over 20 years, investing significant funds and thousands of hours of volunteer time and effort in the recovery of the Never Never River system. Mistakes like this one in high rainfall areas such as ours will mean we need a whole lot of time and a whole lot of energy to recover – to remove sediment from the river bed, to control weeds, to regain shade and shelter, to stop erosion.
Beyond better management there is the matter of better policy. Whilst we are working positively with Forests Corporation NSW towards better management in respect of on-site remediation works, NNCG have not been successful in gaining the attention of the Forestry Corporation Board of Directors who are appointed by the NSW Government. We ask that these directors pay more serious attention to improving their policies on ‘whole of forest consideration’. And we would like them to consult with their community. Our forests are valuable in many ways and cutting them down to produce high-waste disposal issues in insecure market conditions and with a big clean-up bill means we all lose – in the short term and the long term.
In the meantime, NNCG is committed to continue working in partnership with Forestry Corporation NSW and the wider community to continue our project restoration works to protect our waterways and our catchment.
Bellingen conservationist, Caroline Joseph
The NSW Environmental Protection Agency has recently announced a pathetic $15,000 dollar fine for Forestry Corporation’s botched clear felling operation on steep slopes at Tuckers Nob State Forest adjacent to the Never Never River Catchment in late January 2015. It is important to underline that this fine is one Government Department, the Environmental Protection Agency,(EPA) fining another government department, Forestry Corporation NSW separated from the Baird Government only by name, with our taxes. In reality it is we who are being fined for these shocking acts continually being committed by Forestry Corporation cowboy contractors.
The EPA’s investigation only refers to soil erosion and the community want to know if there was widespread use of pesticides in the plantation reestablishment phase before the reported rain event on February 2? There are also questions to be answered regarding the possibility of an Aboriginal artefact found and an old growth seed tree harvested as ‘plantation’.
The fine was based on $150 per tonne and this means it is $10 cheaper to dump a tonne of soil in the Never Never as Land Fills can cost up to $110-$160 to dump.
Regarding the death of the Georgei snapping river turtles and any relationship between the trashing of the Never Never and the turtle deaths, there has been a rigorous attempt to stop any serious community discourse about the state and condition of the river when the turtles died and all government departments have consistently blamed a “mystery turtle virus”.
This neatly removes any responsibility from any Government Department either Forestry Corporation NSW the EPA or the Roads and Maritime Authority who were working at Gordon’s Cutting where a large mass of dead turtles were found.
At the same time early this year Bellingen community came out and demanded that Forestry Corporation not aerial spray a cocktail of poisons at logging operations being conducted at Gladstone Forest 25m from homes, farms and the river.
The logging at Tuckers Nob State Forest adjacent to the Never Never through the use of the clearfelling method on steep slopes was done in the public eye. We must take into the possibility hundreds of State Forest compartments in our shire have seen cowboy practices for decades with resulting cumulative damage to our waterways.
We understand there is also a plan by the NSW Government through the North Coast Integrated Forestry Review results to be announced in 2016, to remove buffers from first order streams and change them from 10m to 5m from the stream bank giving our waterways even less protection and allowing the large trees which have been protect thus far to be taken. Clearfelling in the Bellingen Shire must stop!
Is there any wonder that Bellingen residents are alarmed at the plan by Forestry Corporation to clearfell Tarkeeth State Forest which sits between the Bellingen and Kalang rivers as there is real fear that further erosion and damage to our waterways will ensue.
A growing number of Bellingen residents are calling for a moratorium on any logging in the Bellingen Valley from forestry operations until we can guarantee the Bellingen community, surety of protection for our rivers and our jewel the Bellingen estuary.