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Regional Forest Agreements - Key to a sustainable future for our native forests

Whether the issue is water or waste, salinity or biodiversity, the Federal government is in no doubt as to Local Government's commitment to environmental protection. In the four States where RFAs are in place, Councils have played an important part in forest policy development.

However, a narrow focus on the woodchip aspect of the wider timber industry has led some Councils to initiate broad-scale bans on companies seen as being linked with woodchip operations.

Such misguided actions ignore the science underpinning the RFA process. They may also have detrimental financial impacts on ratepayers. For example, banning particular companies from the competitive tendering process for major capital works programmes could limit the number of specialised tenderers, and may mean increased tender costs due to reduced competition.

Regional Forest Agreements are 20-year blueprints for forest management in a particular region. They provide for a comprehensive, adequate and representative forest reserve system, and lay the basis for an internationally competitive and ecologically sustainable forest products industry. RFAs are based on the National Forest Policy Statement - signed by all States and Territories, and supported by both the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition.

They also aim to safeguard the biodiversity, old-growth, wilderness and other natural and cultural values of forests, both in reserves and through ecologically sustainable forest management practices. The reserve system provided by RFAs will be one of the most sophisticated in the world, exceeding international benchmarks. RFAs seek to reserve 15 per cent of the extent of each forest ecosystem which existed prior to European settlement - easily exceeding the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's target of 10 per cent of current forests.

Prior to negotiating RFAs, Federal and State governments conduct comprehensive regional assessments of sustainability issues, as well as environmental, heritage, social and economic values of forests. They also consult widely with those interested in forests and their use. This process ensures that individual RFAs can be tailored to particular regions.

As part of each RFA, the Commonwealth and State governments also develop a comprehensive, targeted industry development strategy. Under these strategies, the timber industry can be assisted to modernise, reduce waste and increase value-adding, or infrastructure projects may be funded to underpin tourism industry growth.

Local Governments have been an important link between ratepayers and the RFA process - increasing community awareness of its importance to local communities, and encouraging wide participation. Councils have participated in public consultation meetings and workshops, contributed to forest research and assessment projects, and have publicised consultation papers and RFA outcomes.

So what do RFAs between the Commonwealth and the governments of Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia deliver to Local Government? What will they mean to local communities - particularly those in regional Australia?

A key RFA outcome will be much greater certainty about the future of our forests. A 20-year RFA means that those interested in land and natural resources - policy makers and planners, industry, environmental organisations, recreation interests, business and community groups - can plan much more confidently for the future.

Sustainable and certain wood supply from native forests will help local Councils in rural and regional areas to attract vital processing and manufacturing investment to help stem regional employment decline. For the timber industry in particular, this should mean much higher investment in value adding and product development, with clear and positive regional employment growth and export implications.

Ecologically sustainable forest management is at the heart of RFAs. It applies to all forested land tenures - both public and private. For forested private land in some States, local government also has a strong role through mechanisms such as planning laws, forest and plantation codes of practice and restrictions on tree clearing.

While the National Forest Policy Statement and RFAs are fundamentally about managing our forests for the full range of their uses and values, many people focus on the controversial issue of woodchips - particularly from native forests. However, the issues are far from simple.

Most woodchips are residue products from timber harvesting or timber processing. When a tree is felled for use as a sawlog, only part of the tree can be processed into sawn timber. To promote healthy forest growth, small or defective trees are often harvested simultaneously with those suitable for sawlogs. Alternative options for dealing with this non-sawlog resource include burning, or leaving it to decay on the forest floor.

Waste wood suitable for chipping also results from the sawing process. The main alternative to woodchipping this material is to burn it, or to dispose of it in landfill.

Woodchips are the basis for a variety of products including wood panels, rayon and such pulp and paper products as writing paper and tissues. Even if woodchipping ceased, Australia's own sawn timber demand would still necessitate the harvesting of trees. We would then either need to import woodchips to supply our manufacturing plants, or import more wood and paper products. There are no guarantees that potential source countries will practice sustainable forest management, and the detrimental impact on Australia's balance of trade would be substantial.

To date, RFAs have added over two million hectares to conservation reserves in ten regions - an increase of around 30 per cent, representing over half the public land in these regions. Reserves include over 800,000 hectares of old-growth forest - more than 65 per cent of all old-growth in RFA regions. In addition, RFAs have ensured that around 90 per cent of high quality wilderness in the regions is now in reserves. Outcomes such as these mean that the RFA process attracts international attention from such organisations as the OECD, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Bank, as a credible, science-based process for resolving land use issues.

The Federal Government appreciates Local Government's contribution to the RFA process, particularly to its transparency, accountability and community participation.

In the end, all spheres of government have an interest in ensuring a balanced result that delivers good outcomes for both our natural environment and for growth and employment in regional Australia.

More information about the RFA process can be found on the Internet, at: www.rfa.gov.au

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