❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks clarification on the reduction of old-growth forest area since 1998, attributing the loss to logging, refined recording, and dieback reclassification. The response details the extent of dieback-affected forest and its reservation status.
AnsweredQoN 725Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
According to the Department of Conservation and Land Management, at the time of the Regional Forest Agreement in 1998, there were 347 000 hectares of old-growth forest in south west Western Australia. According to the Department of Conservation and Land Management, in the discussion paper on the new forest management plan released for public comment in January 2002, there are now 333 000 hectares of old-growth forest. (1) What has happened to the missing 14 000 hectares of old-growth forest? (2) How much unlogged forest is not classified by the Department of Conservation and Land Management as old-growth forest due to the alleged presence of dieback? (3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(1) What has happened to the missing 14 000 hectares of old-growth forest? (2) How much unlogged forest is not classified by the Department of Conservation and Land Management as old-growth forest due to the alleged presence of dieback? (3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(2) How much unlogged forest is not classified by the Department of Conservation and Land Management as old-growth forest due to the alleged presence of dieback? (3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(1) What has happened to the missing 14 000 hectares of old-growth forest? (2) How much unlogged forest is not classified by the Department of Conservation and Land Management as old-growth forest due to the alleged presence of dieback? (3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(2) How much unlogged forest is not classified by the Department of Conservation and Land Management as old-growth forest due to the alleged presence of dieback? (3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(3) Of the forest area referred to in the previous part of my question, how much is documented as being actually infected with dieback, and how much has been written off as old growth due to the Department of Conservation and Land Management’s belief that it will become infected with dieback at some time in the future? Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
Dr EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(1) There has been a decrease in the area of old-growth forest stated in the 1998 comprehensive regional assessment report. That has come about as a result of logging during the term of the previous Government. In the years between 1998 and February 2001, 7 500 hectares of old-growth forest were logged. It has also been a result of the refinement in recording, when the harvest at the coupes is actually examined. Finally, it has been a result of the reclassification of the dieback status of some areas of forest. The area so affected is 1 500 hectares. (2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(2) Unlogged forest infected with dieback amounts to 28 440 hectares, which is excluded from the nationally agreed definition of old-growth forest. Seventy-five per cent of this amount is in existing or proposed reserves, a further 11 per cent is in informal reserves, and 14 per cent is in multiple-use state forest. (3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
(3) All of the 28 440 hectares have been mapped for the presence of dieback.
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