Gunns certification probe

Public Briefing Paper for Forest Management Certification Pre-assessment of Gunns Limited, Australia
June 11, 2010

Introduction –
The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting a forest management certification pre-assessment of Gunns Limited located in Australia. The most intensive part of pre-assessment field work for selected region(s) will be implemented from 12 to 16 July, 2010. Consultation has already begun with some parties (as of June 11, 2010) and will
continue before, during and after the field work – prior to completion of a draft report.

Purpose of the Pre-assessment – The main objective of the pre-assessment is to provide Gunns Limited with an analysis of its conformance with the FSC standards for Forest Management and to evaluate the ability of the company to supply controlled wood as defined by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in the FSC standard for forest management enterprises supplying non FSC-certified controlled wood (FSC-STD-30-010, version 2-0). The preassessment also enables SmartWood to familiarize itself with Gunns and major forest stewardship issues in the region.

Scope of the Certification Pre-assessment – The forest management certification preassessment will assess the environmental, silvicultural and socioeconomic aspects of the forest plantations managed by Gunns Limited in selected region(s), using the SmartWood Interim Standards for Australia version June 2008 and FSC standard for forest management enterprises supplying non FSC-certified controlled wood (FSC-STD-30-010, version 2-0).

The forest area under the scope of Gunns Limited FSC pre-assessment is located across
Australia including Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria with the total area of approximately 429,250 hectares. This consists of approx. 316,000 hectares of plantations (Eucalyptus nitens, E. globulus and Pinus radiata), with the balance consisting of natural forests (productive, non-productive and reserved).

To obtain a copy of the applicable guidelines or to make comments about these standards,
please contact SmartWood by telephone, FAX, email or website listed below. SmartWood is
accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and this pre-assessment process must
follow procedures which have been approved by the FSC.

Preassessment Team Composition – The pre-assessment team will be led by Keith Moore (SmartWood Lead Auditor). The other team member will be Graham Lea (SmartWood FM Country Representative for Australia). The team will be partially complemented by Richard Donovan (Senior Vice President Forestry) and Irwan Gunawan (Forestry Services Manager) in view of stakeholders’ consultations.

Pre-assessment Steps and Schedule – Following is a short description of the certification process and a tentative agenda:
♦ Pre-assessment organization – The SmartWood team will assemble in Launceston, Tasmania on July 12, 2010.
♦ Field pre-assessments – The team will visit sites from July 12 to 16, 2010.
♦ Stakeholder consultation – Throughout the fieldwork, the team will contact local
stakeholders regarding forest management, and this will include private interviews and
discussions, and public stakeholder meetings.
♦ Final pre-assessment briefing – Prior to departure the team will meet with Gunns Limited’s
managers and other parties to finalize their data collection and present preliminary findings.
♦ Draft report production – The pre-assessment team will produce a confidential draft report
that will be provided to Gunns Limited. This will occur 30 days after completion of the preassessment field work.

Your Input Sought – As a part of the forest certification pre-assessment process we invite stakeholders to offer comment and feedback on Gunns Limited forest management in relation to the requirements of the forest management standard referenced above. We welcome input, either public or confidential, in whatever form is easiest and most secure for you. Your input will be valuable at any stage of the pre-assessment process, but we would prefer to receive your comments either prior to the pre-assessment, during the pre-assessment, or prior to July 31, 2010 so that we can take them into consideration. Your options for communicating your observations to us are as follows:

1. Meet with a SmartWood pre-assessment team member during or shortly after the fieldwork.
2. Call and give comments to either Graham Lea (SmartWood FM country representative for
Australia) or to Irwan Gunawan or Indu Bikal Sapkota, the SmartWood staff person responsible for coordinating this certification pre-assessment from Asia Pacific Regional
Office.
3. Submit written comments by mail, FAX or email to Indu Sapkota. Unless you request
otherwise, these comments will be kept confidential and are solely for the purposes of
assessing Gunns Limited.

The source of any information provided will be kept confidential available to only the FSC and SmartWood staff. Stakeholders who may wish to dispute any aspect of the forest certification process or decision can access SmartWood’s dispute resolution procedures at www.smartwood.org

Contacting SmartWood
Attn: Graham Lea
SmartWood FM country representative for Australia/Audit team member
Mobile: 042 972 0013 Email: leag@agriquality.com
SmartWood Asia Pacific Regional Office
Attn: Irwan Gunawan and Indu Bikal Sapkota
Jl. Ciung Wanara No. 1X, Lingkungan Kertasari, Kelurahan Panjer, Denpasar Selatan 80225 BALI
INDONESIA
Tel:+62 0361 224356, Fax :+62 0361 235875, Mobile: +62 812 3859500
Email: igunawan@ra.org; isapkota@ra.org or asia_pacific@ra.org
gunnslimitedstakenotif10.pdf