Report of the activities of the SaveYourLeatherwoodHoney Association for March and April 2010
Wedge Block
The next 3 year plan is now in its preliminary stage of preparation by Forestry Tasmania.
The beekeepers with sites in the Block have been invited to have input into the plan and will inspect the same late in April.
This will involve not only the inspection of the plan but also receiving a briefing by the District`s senior planner.
The main purpose of this exercise is
– to check that the Community Forest Agreement is being adhered to both as to the area being harvested and the leatherwood retention proposals for each coupe
– be appraised of the coupes due for harvesting in the first year of the plan
– inspect any preliminary Forest Practices Plans for coupes due for harvesting in the first year of the plan
– make submissions /suggestions as to coupe boundaries and resource retention
– arrange inspections of the coupes scheduled for the first year and map the resource effected
– make suggestions as to the addition of leatherwood resource areas to the resource plan which forms the basis of the Agreement (the plan underpins the entire operation of the Agreement). Some stands of mature leatherwood have already been added to the plan during the past year, on the initiative of the Senior Planner
– inspect burn plans for coupes recently harvested to be in a position to monitor the protection of the leatherwood resource retained in and around the coupes where the Agreement allows burning to occur
– discuss and arrange inspection of harvested coupes where regeneration of the resource and other forest species is occurring and there has been no burn
All of this process is ongoing and constant. It is also dynamic due to both the uncertainty of harvesting techniques on the ground, and the market and other influences on the timber requirements, with the necessary changes to coupe harvesting to accommodate this.
I have given a more detailed report than usual as to the on the ground activities of the Association and the relevant beekeepers, so as to share and make clear what has become more apparent over the last few Months. This is, that the signing of a Community Forest Agreement marks only the beginning of the resource retention process and not the end. The hard work starts now, with a vigilant assessment and appraisal process, to ensure compliance by not only Forestry Tasmania in their planning procedures, but more importantly, their contractors in harvesting.
Derwent District generally
In addition to the Wedge Block we are now commencing the inspection of 3 year plans for the Florentine, Tyenna and Styx Blocks where there still remain some mature stands of leatherwood.
There is no Agreement in place for these Blocks. The Guidelines for Beekeeping on State Forest, which form part of the Forestry Tasmania state wide planning material, applies. The implementation of the Guidelines often delivers little in relation to the protection of the resource, and compliance is wholly voluntary.
Huon Block
The current 3 year plan is now being examined by the beekeepers and on the ground coupe by coupe inspections have commenced, to assess the leatherwood content at risk from the harvesting operations.
This will be followed by the inspection of the Forest Practices Plans for the coupes likely to be harvested in the current year.
This process although only in its early stages, has already led to assessing the loss of hive carrying capacity in two coupes (possibly 25 – 50 hives), and of equal importance, the opening of access to an area where there may be previously underutilised resource which may support an additional 50 – 100 hives. This however is still to be audited on the ground by the Southern Hive Site Allocation Committee. The burn plan for the relevant coupe is also to be inspected with a view to ensuring that the leatherwood resource referred to and which abuts the coupe, is wholly protected during that operation.
We are also assisting with the preliminary planning and negotiations which we hope will lead to a Community Forest Agreement for the District.
This is more of a challenge than the Agreement for the Wedge Block, as the area is much larger and the remaining leatherwood resource is more fragmented.
The work involved in the above activities requires more people on the ground than we have at present, (3 and sometimes 4 only), and we ask that those who have a real interest in the leatherwood retention issue and in particular, the areas mentioned, make themselves available to help us cover more “ground” before it is too late to affect the content of the Forest practices Plans. At any one time we are trying to inspect, assess and make submissions to Forestry Tasmania relating to 15 – 20 coupes.
General
The media is still actively interested in the progress being made, (or the lack of it), in relation to the retention of the resource. We have been approached by a Television News Team to help them prepare a report on the implementation of the Wedge Agreement and more importantly the progress being made towards a similar agreement for the Huon District.
This report should be finished ready for publication during the next 4 – 6 weeks. We continue to see the Media involvement as an important element in not only publicising the issue generally but also influencing Forestry Tasmania and politicians in their decision making.
As previously reported, the influence of David Llewellyn in the successful outcome for the Wedge Agreement was critical. I wish him well in his “retirement”. We now have to focus on convincing the next Minister responsible for forestry matters, of the importance of the leatherwood resource and its retention, to both the beekeeping and horticultural industries.
I hope you have all contacted, (more than once???), your local Commonwealth Member of Parliament and/or the Commonwealth Minister for Agriculture (Tony Burke MHR), to ask about progress towards the implementation of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Resources in its Report on “the future of the Australian honey bee and pollination industries” which was published last year. As many of you are aware, the Report contains some recommendations relating directly to the protection of and access to, nectar resources.
Bob Davey (President)
