forest practices for contractors

Environmental careForest Practices for Contractors

Version 2.2 Slide 1

Background

© Forest Practices Authority, Tasmania 2020

Information in this presentation may be copied for personal use or published for educational or training purposes provided that any extracts are fully acknowledged.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide general learning guidance to forest workers who are required to follow environmental work practices in Tasmania’s forest industry. It is not meant to be exhaustive in its coverage of the forest practices system, and it is not intended to be a substitute for the Forest Practices Code, and should not be relied upon as such.

Published by:Forest Practices Authority30 Patrick StreetHobart Tasmania 700003 6165 [email protected] www.fpa.tas.gov.au

First Published: 2020Version: 2.2, July 2020ISBN: 978-1-921527-68-5 (online pptx)

Why has this Facilitator Presentation been developed?This presentation supports the unit of competency FWPCOR2203 Follow environmental care procedures. It is part of a set of materials that has been developed to support forest workers who are required to follow environmental work practices in Tasmania’s forest industry.

The complete set of materials includes the following:• Forest Practices for Contractors – Learner Guide• Forest Practices for Contractors – Learner Questionnaire• Forest Practices for Contractors – Facilitator Guide• Forest Practices for Contractors – Facilitator Presentation• Forest Practices for Contractors – Assessor Guide• Forest Practices for Contractors – Mapping Document.

While the materials focus on harvesting and clearing, the same principles apply to roading and site preparation.

FPA HPRM Reference: FPA/20/1559

Version 2.2 Slide 2

Forest practiceswhat you need to know

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Forest practices system

Co-regulatory approach between FPA and the forest industry which emphasises:

• planning

• training

• education

• continuing improvement.

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Forest practices system

Forest Practices Act 1985

Forest Practices Code 2020

Forest Practices Authority (FPA)

Forest Practices Officers (FPOs)

Forest practices plans (FPPs)

Forest contractors and workers

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The legislation

Forest Practices Act 1985

• Underpins the forest practices system

• Ensures Tasmania’s forests are sustainably managed by regulating ‘forest practices’.

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The Code

Forest Practices Code

• Set of guidelines for people who work in the forest industry

• Legally enforceable

• Ensures forest practices are conducted in a way that provides reasonable protection to the environment

• A copy should always be on-site.

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The regulator

Forest Practices Authority (FPA)

• Independent body

• Administers and regulates the forest practices system

• Monitors forest practices

• Ensures all forest industry workers comply with the Code.

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The planners

Forest Practices Officers (FPOs)

• Certify FPPs

• Inspect forest operations and lodge compliance certificates

• Not employed by the FPA, but trained/authorised by the FPA.

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The plan

Forest practices plan (FPP)

• Required for nearly all forest operations in Tasmania

• Specify the natural and cultural values that must be protected, along with any other constraints that apply at a coupe

• Key to good forest practices.

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The workers

Forest contractors and workers

• This is you!

• You put FPPs into action

• You must be familiar with the FPP before you start work

• You have to monitor your own operations and report breaches of the FPP to your supervisor.


Forest practices jargon

General terms

• Environmental harm

• Environmental hazard

• Environmental risk

• Natural and cultural values

Protection (buffer) zones

• Machinery exclusion zone

• Streamside reserve

• Wildlife habitat clump

• Wildlife habitat strip


Forest practices jargon

Depression types

• Drainage depression

• Watercourse


Watercourse types

• Class 1

• Class 2

• Class 3

• Class 4

Identifyenvironmental care practices


Check the FPP

Before you start work

• Check the FPP and the FPP map with your supervisor

• Clarify the natural and cultural values that must be protected, along with any other constraints that apply at the coupe

• Check if any additional environmental care practices apply at the coupe.



Ch

eck

the

FPP

map

Identify buffer zones

Before you start work

• Check if any environmental protection zones are marked as boundaries on the FPP map

• These will be marked with flagging tape or other defined features on-site (e.g. tracks or obvious changes in vegetation)

• Do not cross boundaries unless you have approval to do so.


Boundary awareness

Flagging tape colour Recommended usage

Blue Harvesting boundary

Blue Site preparation boundary

Blue and white Machinery exclusion zone

Orange Survey line

Pink Property boundary

Red Road line

Red and white Works

White Assessment

Yellow Research and silviculture

Yellow and white Natural and cultural values


Boundary awareness (recap video)


Buffer zone awareness

• You can’t always rely on flagging tape being visible.

• You should be able to estimate the distance of a buffer zone.

• A good way to do this is to imagine a cricket pitch, which is 20 metres long (stump to stump).

20 metres



• If you’re harvesting near a Class 3 watercourse, there should be at least 1 cricket pitch between you and the stream bank.

Class 3 watercourse20 metre streamside reserve

20 metres

1 cricket pitch 1 cricket pitch



• If you’re harvesting near a Class 4 watercourse, there should be at least half a cricket pitch between you and the stream bank.

Class 4 watercourse10 metre machinery exclusion zone

½ cricket pitch ½ cricket pitch

10 metres



Watercourse type Minimum horizontal widthfrom the stream bank to the outer edge

of the reserve/exclusion zone

Number of cricket pitchesbetween you and the stream

Class 1 40 metres 2

Class 2 30 metres 1.5

Class 3 20 metres 1

Class 4 10 metres 0.5

20 metres


Activity: Estimating distance

Column AItem

Column BYour estimate (metres)

Column CActual distance (metres)

The distance between you and the nearest door.

The distance between you and the nearest car.

The length (end-to-end) of the nearest corridor.

The length (gate to house) of the nearest driveway.

The length (front to rear bumper) of the nearest car.

Complete the table above using the following steps:a) Estimate the distance between you and each item in Column Ab) Record your estimate in Column Bc) Check the distance with a measuring taped) Record the actual distance in Column C.


Identify hazards

• You must always be aware of environmental hazards when you are on-site.

• By following good forest (and environmental care) practices, you can prevent hazards causing environmental harm.

Photo opposite:Slash pushed up against trees


Poorforest

practice

Common hazards

Environmental hazard

Chemicals, fuel, grease, oils, rubbish and emissions

Potential environmental harm

Can pollute soil, water and air


Photo opposite:Oil containers lying in a road drain with no bunding

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practice

Common hazards


Frost, rainfall, runoff, throughflow and wind


Can cause soil erosion


Photo opposite:Puddled soil (no cording or matting)

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practice

Common hazards


Harvest debris


Can ignite during forest activities


Photo opposite:Slash pushed up against trees

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practice

Common hazards


Heavy machinery operation


Can damage soil, habitats and ecosystems


Photo opposite:Heavy machinery operating in wet soil conditions

Common hazards


Machinery transport


Can spread weeds, pests and diseases to other sites

Version 2.2

Photo opposite:Forwarder after being washed down (Meeghan Price)

Slide 30

Evaluate risks

Step 1: Determine likelihood

Highly likely Is expected to occur in most circumstances

Likely Will probably occur in most circumstances

Possible Might occur at some time

Unlikely Could occur at some time (but considered unlikely)

Rare May occur in exceptional circumstances

Step 2: Determine consequence

Minor Minor incident that can be reversed

Moderate Isolated incident that can be reversed with intensive effort

High Substantial incident that can be reversed with intensive effort

Major Major incident with real danger of continuing

Critical Severe incident with irrecoverable damage


Evaluate risks

Likelihood

Consequence

Minor Moderate High Major Critical

Highly likely Medium High High Severe Severe

Likely Low Medium High High Severe

Possible Low Medium Medium High Severe

Unlikely Low Low Medium High High

Rare Low Low Low Medium High

Step 3: Determine risk rating


Activity: Evaluating risk

• You’re operating a forwarder at a coupe that is a known weed location (it’s detailed in the FPP).

• The forwarder is about to be transported to a new site.

What is the risk of weeds being spread to the new site?



• You’re operating a forwarder at a coupe that is a known weed location (it’s detailed in the FPP).

• The forwarder is about to be transported to a new site.

• You wash it thoroughly before it arrives at the new site.

What is the risk of weeds being spread to the new site?

Modified risk is calculated after control strategies have been put in place.



• You’re operating a felling machine at a logging coupe and you see a large nest in a tree.

• You know the tree is within the harvesting boundary.

What is the risk of the nest (and potential habitat) being damaged if you keep harvesting?


Activity: Identifying risk

Look at the photo

• What environmental hazard do you see?

• What potential environmental risk do you see?


Poorforest

practice

Activity: Identifying risk

Look at the photo

• What environmental hazard do you see?

• What potential environmental risk do you see?


• To evaluate an environmental risk, you must take into account any WHS requirements that are related to the risk.

• For example, when calculating the consequence of a chemical spill at a coupe, you will need a copy of the safety data sheet for hazardous chemicals to check if suitable PPE is available on-site.


Environmental risks and WHS

Goodforest

practice

Followenvironmental care practices


Respond to risks

Soil damage and erosion

• Soil damage and erosion can occur during forest practices, especially in wet soil conditions.

• To minimise this risk, you’ll need to apply the following controls:• cording and matting

• grips

• wet weather shutdown.


Poorforest

practice

Cording and matting

• By covering the ground with logs, bark or vegetation before machinery starts operating, you can prevent soil damage.

• Where required, place cording and matting on landings and extraction tracks before you start extracting timber.


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practice

Grips

• A grip is a ditch/earth bank that is constructed at right angles to an extraction track.

• It prevents water from building up speed along the track.

• An effective grip will slow, divert and disperse the water into the surrounding area.


Goodforest

practice

Grips (track gradients)

3° 4°

14°

15°

19° 20°

26°


‘Steeper the track, closer the grips’

Activity: Grip spacing

• You’re building grips on a track.

• The soil erodibility of the coupe is low (this is listed in the FPP).

• The gradient of the track you’re working on is 27 degrees.

What is the maximum spacing allowed between the grips?

Gradient of track

Soil erodibility class

Low ModMod-high High

Very high

0–3° Nil Nil Nil 100 m 40 m

4–14° 120 m 100 m 80 m 60 m 30 m

15–19° 80 m 70 m 60 m 40 m 20 m

20–26° 40 m 35 m 30 m 20 m NH

over 26° 20 m 20 m NH NH NH

NH = No Harvesting


Activity: Grip spacing

• You’re building grips on a track.

• The soil erodibility of the coupe is high (this is listed in the FPP).

• The gradient of the track you’re working on is 18 degrees.

What is the maximum spacing allowed between the grips?

Gradient of track

Soil erodibility class

Low ModMod-high High

Very high

0–3° Nil Nil Nil 100 m 40 m

4–14° 120 m 100 m 80 m 60 m 30 m

15–19° 80 m 70 m 60 m 40 m 20 m

20–26° 40 m 35 m 30 m 20 m NH

over 26° 20 m 20 m NH NH NH

NH = No Harvesting


Wet weather shutdown

• Cording, matting and grips may not be enough to prevent environmental harm during prolonged heavy rainfall.

• If you see the following, you will need to shutdown all operations until conditions improve:• puddled, rutted or saturated soil

• turbid water or mud flowing into a watercourse.


Poorforest

practice

Runoff awareness

Runoff is water that flows over soil rather than being absorbed into it.

• It causes soil erosion.

• It causes water pollution (if it enters a watercourse).

If you see muddy water flowing into a stream or river, stop work and let your supervisor know!


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practice

Runoff awareness (recap video)


Deal with incidents

• If an environmental incident occurs at a forest worksite, you must follow the site-specific procedures put in place by the forest manager or landowner.

• Your supervisor will take you through these at start-up.


Poorforest

practice

Environmental incidents

Environmental incident

Accidental spill while refuelling

Site-specific procedure

• Stop work and contain the spill immediately

• Let your supervisor know

• Dig up contaminated soil and secure in a sealed container


Leakages and spills (recap video)




Uncontrolled runoff caused by a sudden downpour


• Stop work immediately

• Build or reinforce grips to slow, divert and disperse the water



Poorforest

practice



Boundary breach (tree felled on wrong side of blue flagging tape)





Poorforest

practice



Habitat tree with nesting hollow accidentally felled by machinery





Uncertain situations (recap video)


Improveenvironmental care practices


Suggest improvements

• If you see environmental care practices that can be improved, let your supervisor know.

• For example, you may have a few ideas on how to improve:• boundary marking / awareness

• the location of extraction tracks

• the condition of extraction tracks

• operational responses to changing site conditions.


• You’re operating a felling machine at a logging coupe.

• You’re not sure where the harvesting boundary is because the flagging tape is too far apart.

What should you do?

Activity: Suggesting improvements


Keep up-to-date

How to stay in touch with changes in environmental care:

• Undertake training.

• Ask your supervisor about any changes in environmental care.

• Listen in at toolbox meetings.

• Read environmental alerts.

• Read the latest edition of Forest Practices News (see opposite).


Report breaches

• You must report breaches of the FPP to your supervisor.

• You can report breaches verbally(face-to-face, radio, phone) and in writing (text message)

• It’s a good way to improve environmental care practices, because it identifies areas where training and support are needed.

Photo opposite:Rutting on a crossing


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practice

Report breaches

Common breaches include:

• poorly marked boundaries

• harvesting outside boundaries

• poorly constructed extraction tracks

• poorly stabilised landings

• damage to streamside reserves and machinery exclusion zones.

Photo opposite:Harvest debris left in road drain


Poorforest

practice

Record breaches

You must record breaches in line with the communication protocols that apply at your worksite. These may include:

• direct / private messaging your supervisor

• completing a hazard form

• completing an incident form.


Where to from here?How to reinforce and validate your training


Where to from here?

• Complete the environmental care checklist• this will only take a minute, and it will give you a useful summary of the topics

covered in today’s training

• Take a copy of the following self-paced learning materials and work through them in your own time:• Forest Practices for Contractors – Learner Guide

• Forest Practices for Contractors – Learner Questionnaire

• Organise a convenient date/time to undertake an assessment.


Acknowledgements / disclaimer

AcknowledgementsMore than 45 key industry stakeholders were consulted during the research phase of this project, including:• forest contractors/workers• forest managers• forest specialists• Forest Practices Officers• training specialists.

The FPA is indebted to the open, generous and cooperative nature of all those who participated in (and contributed to) the consultative process, without whose support the learning and assessment materials arising from this project would not have eventuated.

Unless otherwise stated, all photographs used in this presentation are attributable to the FPA.

DisclaimerThe material in this presentation is provided for general information purposes only. It does not constitute the rendering of professional advice and should not be relied upon as such or as a substitute for seeking appropriate, independent professional advice.

Any use of, or reliance upon, any information or material provided in this presentation is done so entirely at your own risk and does not, in any way, effect or limit any obligations you have to comply with any applicable legislation or standard.

No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy, reliability, relevance or completeness of any information or material provided in this presentation. The Crown in Right of Tasmania, its officers, employees and agents do not accept any liability however arising (including, without limitation, for reliance upon), from any information in this presentation.

This document should be reviewed and updated periodically, especially in light of reviews to the Forest Practices Code.


Environmental care……it’s up to you

forest practices for contractors

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