December 1999 vol 2 no 2 ISSN 1441-1288 Forest Practices news published by the Forest Practices Board, 30 Patrick Street, Hobart – Tasmania – 7000 phone (03) 6233 7966; fax (03) 6233 7954; email [email protected] – www.fpb.tas.gov.au Articles from this newsletter may be reproduced. Acknowledgement of the author and Forest Practices Board is requested. The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Forest Practices Board contents Developments ...................... 2 Newresources ..................... 3 Noticeboard ......................... 6 Feature ............................... 7 Travel log ........................... 8 Archaeology ...................... 10 Landscape ........................ 11 Soils ................................ 13 Geomorphology ................. 14 To end the year on a very positive note, take a look at this picture of a plantation development by FET recently spotted in the South Nietta area: beautifully contoured, wet area excluded etc. Congratulations to all involved in this job – well done. A christmas present for sustainable forest management The black box As the year draws to an end I am not going to nag you for articles as I usually do, and I am certainly not going to say anything about the supposed millenium. Instead, I’d just like to thank you for your support for the newsletter over the past twelve months, and for your contributions to improved forest practices made throughout another year. The high standards increasingly being achieved by some forest practioners are a tremendous credit to them, and a real encouragement to those who may at times feel a little downcast about the challenges. Its been another important year for the forest practices system, not least with the formal separation of the old Forest Practices Unit from Forestry Tasmania and the changes to the membership of the Forest Practices Board. There is considerable action about, including the revision of the Forest Practices Code, and little sign that the pace of change, or pace generally, will abate. Hold on for next years ride! We’ll do our best to ensure FPN helps keep you informed. (PS. We really would like some articles from active FPOs) Kevin Kiernan, Senior Geomorphologist (03) 6233 7716 [email protected]
Transcript
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December 1999 vol 2 no 2 ISSN 1441-1288
Forest Practices
newspublished by the Forest Practices Board, 30 Patrick Street, Hobart – Tasmania – 7000
phone (03) 6233 7966; fax (03) 6233 7954; email [email protected] – www.fpb.tas.gov.auArticles from this newsletter may be reproduced.
Acknowledgement of the author and Forest Practices Board is requested.The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Forest Practices Board
contentsDevelopments ...................... 2
New resources ..................... 3
Noticeboard ......................... 6
Feature ............................... 7
Travel log ........................... 8
Archaeology ...................... 10
Landscape ........................ 11
Soils ................................ 13
Geomorphology ................. 14
To end the year on a very positive note, take a look at this picture of a plantation development by FET recentlyspotted in the South Nietta area: beautifully contoured, wet area excluded etc.
Congratulations to all involved in this job – well done.
A christmas present for sustainable forest management
The black boxAs the year draws to an end I am not going to nag you for articles as I usuallydo, and I am certainly not going to say anything about the supposed millenium.Instead, I’d just like to thank you for your support for the newsletter over thepast twelve months, and for your contributions to improved forest practicesmade throughout another year.
The high standards increasingly being achieved by some forest practioners area tremendous credit to them, and a real encouragement to those who may attimes feel a little downcast about the challenges.
Its been another important year for the forest practices system, not least withthe formal separation of the old Forest Practices Unit from Forestry Tasmaniaand the changes to the membership of the Forest Practices Board. There isconsiderable action about, including the revision of the Forest Practices Code,and little sign that the pace of change, or pace generally, will abate. Hold onfor next years ride! We’ll do our best to ensure FPN helps keep you informed.
(PS. We really would like some articles from active FPOs)
DevelopmentsComments from the ChairKen Felton, Chair, Forest PracticesBoard
What has most influence on thesuccess of institutions? Is it theadministrative arrangements thatgovern the workings of theinstitutions; their governance? Oris it the people who work in them?Theorists might argue for the first;experienced practitioners wouldsupport the last. They know thateven a perfect governance systemcannot deliver good results if itspeople will not allow it to.
Fortunately, the forest practicessystem has both; it has a goodgovernance system, based onsound principles, and first classpeople in all positions, Board,Council, forest practices officers,Board staff. All have my thanksfor their efforts in the 20th Century,and I know that their commitmentwill drive the forest practicessystem along the road ofcontinuous improvement in the21st.
But I want to make an opportunityhere to sincerely thank the threemembers of the Board whoresigned during calendar 1999 fortheir work in bringing the systemto its present position of excellence.
John Ramsay resigned from theBoard in March as a result of hismove from being the Secretary ofthe Department of PrimaryIndustries, Water andEnvironment to becomingSecretary of the Department ofHealth and Human Services. Johnwas an inaugural member of theBoard, serving for five years, andhas been a strong advocate forimproving its independence. Hehas stressed the importance of theforest practices system as a keycomponent of Tasmania’splanning system. The Boardwelcomed Kim Evans as the newmember appointed by virtue ofholding the office os Secretary ofthe Department responsible for theEnvironmental Management andPollution Control Act 1994.
Two members resigned at the endof June. Evan Rolley left as aconsequence of amendments to theForest Practices Act that includedthe removal of the position of theManaging Director of ForestryTasmania from the Board. Evanhas made an outstandingcontribution in guiding theimplementation of the forestpractices system since itsdevelopment during the 1980s.
Evan was the State’s first ChiefForest Practices Officer and later,as Chief Commissioner of theForestry Commission, played apivotal role in administering thesystem. Evan was appointed aninaugural member of the ForestPractices Board on itsestablishment in 1994. Since hisresignation from the Board he hascontinued to be an active supporterof the system.
Dr John Madden left the Boardupon the expiry of his term ofappointment to the Board ofPrivate Forests Tasmania. Johnwas also an inaugural member ofthe Board and he played animportant role in fostering goodcommunication and co-operationbetween the Forest Practices Boardand the Board of Private ForestsTasmania, and in contributing hisscientific expertise and knowledgeof land management practices inthe private sector.
And, in conclusion, I want to sendmy good wishes for the festiveseason to you all.
The Forest Practices AdvisoryCouncil has recently consideredfurther drafts of the proposedForest Practices Code 2000. TheCouncil is to meet again inDecember at which time a finaldraft may be agreed. If not, a datein January seems likely.
We therefore anticipate calling forpublic comment on the draft Codeby the end of January through thedaily newspapers. The ForestPractices Act requires a minimum
of 60 days be provided for publiccomment. The Forest PracticesBoard encourages commentsparticularly from Forest PracticesOfficers and other people with aparticular interest in forestry.
The draft Code will be availableduring the public comment periodin hard copy form and on theBoard’s Web site.
John Hickey, Principal ResearchOfficer (Native Forests), ForestryTasmania
The November 1999 release ofMonitoring and Protecting EucalyptRegeneration, prepared by MarkNeyland and Leigh Edwards,completes the Native ForestSilvicultural Technical Bulletinseries (Table 1). The series wasconceived by Graham Wilkinson,then Principal Research Officer(Native Forests) in the late 1980s.Eleven authors have contributedto the series, which was producedby Leigh Edwards. Fred Duncan’sillustrations of forest types andsystems are featured throughoutthe series.
The Technical Bulletins aredesigned primarily for themanagement of native forest on
Table 1. Tasmanian Native Forest Silviculture Technical Bulletin Series
No Title ReleaseDate
1 Eucalypt Seed and Sowing 19912 High Altitude E. delegatensis Forests 19903 Lowland Dry Eucalypt Forests 19914 High Altitude E. dalrympleana and E. pauciflora Forests 19905 Silvicultural Systems 19946 Regeneration Surveys and Stocking Standards 19967 Remedial Treatments 19928 Lowland Wet Eucalypt Forests 19989 Rainforest Silviculture 1998
10 Blackwood 199111 Silvicultural Use and Effects of Fire 199312 Monitoring and Protecting Eucalypt Regeneration 199913 Thinning Regrowth Eucalypts 1998
State forest but are also relevantfor private forests and are used asresource materials for ForestPractices Officers.
The Bulletins will be reviewed andupdated as required to takeaccount of new information andpractices. Additional Bulletins
may be produced if field staffidentify specific needs.
Copies of the Technical Bulletinsare available from the Division ofForest Research and Development,Forestry Tasmania, 79 MelvilleStreet, Hobart (price for eachbulletin for external sales is $10).
Soils developed on dolerite talus have management requirements (1) related to the inherent properties of thesoils; and (2) related to features associated with them.
Inherent propertiesIn the Forest Soils of Tasmania book (Grant et al. 1995) five soils developed in dolerite are described. Theydiffer in their erodibility classes (because of the presence or absence of texture-contrast features, differentdrainage, and different clay mineralogy). This erodibility difference means that the soils require differentmanagement techniques:
Guidelines for forestry operations on soils formedin dolerite slope deposits (dolerite talus)
Peter McIntosh, Senior Soil & Water Scientist, Forest Practices BoardComments are invited on the guidelines below - are these guidelines practicable to apply? Have importantissues been omitted? Please send your comments to [email protected]
Soilnumber/name
Description Erodibility Otherlimitations
Management guidelines
15.1 Eastfield Loamy over mottledclayey soils under dryforest
Associated featuresSoils on dolerite slope deposits may also require special care because of features associated with them:
Associated features Environmental risk Management guidelineSubsurface drainage Excessive flow of water in table
drains, where road batters cutthrough subsurface conduits
Check water flow in streams and drains during winterrainfallTreat larger subsurface conduits as Class 4 streams, i.e.one culvert per streamAvoid collecting more than 3 small subsurface streams intoone culvertAvoid creating “new” streamsWhere streams flow partly underground and partly on thesurface, connect the flow on the FPP map and treat as aClass 4 stream
Shallow soils onimpermeable “slab”dolerite
Sheet erosion Cultivate along the contourConsider no cultivation if extensive areas have soils <50 cmthickUpgrade drainage lines to Class 4 stream statusNo machinery or cultivation within 10 m of Class 4 stream(or drainage line)Attempt to limit fires in Class 4 stream streamside reserves
Underlying impermeablePermian and Triassic rocks
Landslides Consult FPB where deposits are on slopes >15o
Keep machinery out of wet areasTake care with culvert placement to avoid concentratingwater
Underlying unconsolidatedglacial tills and Quaternarysediments
Landslides, batter collapse Consult FPB where slope deposits are on slopes >15o
Take care with culvert placement to avoid saturatingunconsolidated sedimentsMinimise disturbance – avoid deep ripping and cultivation
Seepages, springs Contamination of water instreams and domestic watersupplies
Mark seepages or springs on coupe mapsNo machinery within 10 m of any seepageWhere the combination of dolerite talus + moderately (orgreater) erodibility soils + seepages or springs + domesticwater intake (within 2 km, in the same catchment) occursassume there will be subsurface conduits liable to damageby machinery and ensure that no roads or snig tracks ormachinery pass within a 90
o arc with radius 50 m upstream
from any seepageOld landslides Reactivation of landslides Consult FPB
Avoid cutting into toes of landslides when roadingTake care with culvert placement to avoid directing waterinto landslide zone and landslide slip planeNo machinery, no cultivation on existing landslides, plus a10 m no-machinery buffer at landslide margin
Aeolian deposits Erosion - soils are generallyhighly or very highly erodible
Mark aeolian deposits on coupe maps (they are generallyidentifiable by their pale colour and quartz-rich soils)Consult with FPBInform contractors of location of aeolian depositsAlign windrows and cultivation strictly along the contourMinimise topsoil disturbance when building windrowsOn flat to undulating land (<5
o), align windrows at right
angles to prevailing windNo cultivation on slopes 12o+Avoid cultivation in wet weather or when soils are saturatedAvoid building roads or tracks through aeolian deposits
New resources
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More new resources
FPB vehicle crisis – Senior Botanist opts for alternative transport arrangements.
Forward Training Program – Forest Practices BoardChris Mitchell, Forest Practices Adviser, Forest Practices BoardConfirmed and proposed training 2000
Select the correct collectivenoun for all the forest industrypeople below and you couldwin a chocolate fish,personally presented to youby the Chief Forest PracticesOfficer.
Ben Woodman et al. checking stream fauna duringfauna course
for winning the ‘Spot the eaglenest’ competition, pity you weren’taround to receive your prize!! Abig thanks to the farmer (BillManning), the FPO/FLO (BernardPlumpton) and the contractor(Craig Hawkins) for giving me thebiggest laugh in ages!!
Sarah Munks, Senior Zoologist,Forest Practices Board
Thanks to all of those whocontributed to this course and forthe feedback we received. Ingeneral the course was enjoyedby both speakers and students asthese comments illustrate.
‘Just a quick note to thank you fora well put together course. Icertainly found it beneficial. I guessthe highlight of the Course for mewas the presence of so manyspecialists altogether in one place.It was a great opportunity to getfeedback from people that youwould otherwise never get achance to meet. I had no idea thatthe likes of Kevin Bonham evenexisted - his knowledge of snailswas amazing’. (Brett Miller)
‘Thanks again for organising thiscourse. I found it extremely
valuable and a real eye opener tothe less seen side of fauna iehydrobiids, velvet worms,stagbeetles etc.’ (Carlton Frame)
‘I was pleased by the interest andquestions from the participants.One highlight for me wasproducing a north-east forest snailduring the field trip in an area I hadpreviously searched extensivelywithout success. This Faunacourse find extended Anoglypta’srange by 2.5km! (Kevin Bonham)
Congratulations to Martin Fitch
whoops…
Those readers who are librariansat heart may have detected acouple of minor slips in thenumbering system on past issuesof FPN. We thought we could getaway with the first one if we juststayed quiet, but since it happeneda second time in the last issue wehad better put the record straight.We aim to produce one volume offour issues each financial year.
Unfortunate ly,vol. 1 no. 3slipped throughi n c o r r e c t l ynumbered vol 2no. 1. We gotback on the righttrack for vol.1 no.4. but then blew itagain when thelast issue, vol. 2no. 1, wasi n c o r r e c t l ylabelled vol. 1 no.5. We’d like toblame automatedc o m p u t e r
numbering to let the proof readeroff the hook, but … Anyway, ourapologies. This is vol. 2 no. 2.Promise! And don’t let any otherpage tell you otherwise.
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FeatureRat sexing for beginners
Salix
During a recent foresters’ conference I caught up with some old colleagues from my early daysin the wilds of northern NSW. Back in those days, foresters were beginning to take a morescientific approach to the management of biodiversity. Our visionary Regional Forester decreedthat we would all benefit by a bit of professional bonding within the interdisciplinaryframework of a forest wildlife workshop.
He didn’t tell us that getting closeto nature meant that we wouldhave to rough camp in the bushwithout access to a local pub. Healso didn’t warn us that wildlifeecologists are indeed wild peoplewho enjoy doing strange things toother forms of life – hence mystory ...
Much of our time in the woodswas spent setting Elliott traps inthe evening and returning at dawnto collect assorted rodents whohad been lured into the metal trapsby our devious allure of mixedoatmeal and peanut butter.Having secured our lively captivesin safe containers we proceededback to camp, where we wereinstructed to record the species,weight and sex of each specimen.
Forester records personaldetails of captured rodents
Now, this is where I fear thewildlife chap reckoned he wouldhave some sport with these forestertypes. Keying out the type of ratwas pretty straightforward.Weighing them was easy,provided you scruffed them at theback of the neck where theycouldn’t give you a bubonic bite.But how does one sex a rat? Easy,
says the wildlife bloke. Hold themon their back and put your lipsbetween their back legs and blowgently. Well, this seemed a bitdodgy to us. Go ahead, says thewildlife bloke with a straight face.The trick is to part the fur and seewhether they have testes or not.This sounded reasonably scientificso we picked up our rats and gotstuck in. I must admit that we allfelt pretty stupid standing aroundwith rats to our lips, but what thehell, the rats seemed to enjoy it!We later decided that if anyonetold us that this was not thestandard way of sexing a rat wedidn’t want to know. After all,most of us were married men andhad reputations to consider (youcan imagine the sort of commentfrom a jealous partner, ‘who wasthat rat I saw you with last night?’).
We eventually determined that rat-sexing was good sport. Well, notthe sexing bit, but what came laterwhen we chucked the little fellowsout, I mean released them backinto the wild. The first few gotclean away (most still with adreamy look on their faces – canyou imagine what they told theirmums – hey, you’ll never believewhat those humans just did tome!). However, the word soon gotaround the biodiversity kingdomthat the rats were on the run. Anintrepid band of butcher birdsarrived to ply their craft. Butcherbirds, as the name implies, take akeen culinary interest in otherforms of life. What they lack insize (about the size of a blackbird)they make up for in sheer guts anddetermination. They lined up inthe trees and swooped down on
Butcher bird practices culinaryaeronautics
the fleeing rodents. I don’t thinkthey actually added many rats totheir larder, but there were someexciting aeronautics whilst pint-sized birds struggled to maintaina vertical flight pattern with astruggling and protesting payload.
We left the wildlife workshop aftera few days and returned to ournormal routine. Somehow lifeseemed different. One of ourcolleagues stayed in NSW anddecided to specialise in wildlifework, I think he went on to becomea recognised rat sexer. At leasttwo of us escaped to a new life inTasmania, where our rat sexingcredentials have been secretedaway in our CVs, awaiting theright time to come forth andproclaim our expertise. We’re stillnot ready to come out. Rat sexingis a personal choice, and still, I’mrelieved to say, not a mandatorypart of the Tasmanian forestpractices course!
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Travel logSome early observations:
Ratanakiri, North-East CambodiaGraeme Brown, former Forester with Forestry Tasmania
With the recent and not-so-recentpast of Cambodia, the country hasbeen left devoid of many resourcesand of infrastructure. An exampleof this is that the Ministry ofEnvironment has been allocated atotal of $500,000 (US). This is for thefinancial year, for the whole nation.That covers the operating costs ofan Environmental Protectionagency as well as performing themany advisory roles related to rapidchanges in the economy affectingthe environment. One thousand,eight hundred people are to beemployed within this $US 500,000.Not much is left over.
The result is, to continue theexample of the Ministry ofEnvironment, that employees aregenerally not paid enough tosurvive. Many are not able to attendthe whole period of the day.Resources are equally limited.Government Departments literallyhave next to nothing.
Alongside this, and to address this,the United Nations has a projectcalled Cambodian AreaRehabilitation And Regeneration(CARARE). CARARE seeks tosupport grass-roots activity andgovernance from below: which isdifferent to the very top-downauthority that seems to haveevolved in Cambodia: where theconflict resolution often involvesviolence, and the mode of operationoften involves corruption and self-interest, particularly at high levels.This is apparently changing quiterapidly but still exists almosteverywhere.
In response to this, CARARE haveemployed Khmer staff and havefunded projects supporting theestablishment of Provincial
planning and governance schemes.These schemes are directed athaving local communities becomeactive participants in land-use andpolitical decisions that affect them.
My work in Ratanakiri involvesworking primarily on land-useplanning to do with controlling theundesirable environmental andsocial consequences of uncontrolledeconomic development. Khmerstaff funded by CARARE have beenworking on such a thing for anumber of years. They have beenjoined by other advisors at varioustimes. There are also a number ofNon-Government Organizationsworking on the same issues.
The major issue, as I see it at thisearly stage is land rights andcompeting land use pressures.Eighty percent of the population ofRatanakiri are indigenous peopleof the seven distinct groups inCambodia (the Kreung, Tampuen,Kavet, Brao, Jarai, Kachok andPhnong people). These people havebeen living lives quite different tothe mainstream Khmer culturesince ancestral times. They practicea form of agriculture, known asswidden agriculture, which can beregarded as highly sustainable.They operate a series of gardenscleared from regrowth forest thathas re-grown after a fallow period.Within these gardens, that shiftwithin set villages and family areas,a diversity of plants and systemsare used to provide food securitywithout the need for additions ofoutside inputs (the rejuvenation ofgarden areas relies on fallow periodrather than external inputs, such asfertilizer). The majority of productsare consumed within the villages
and very little has to be tradedoutside for other goods required.
Supporting this system is a highlyintegrated system of indigenousforest resource management.Indigenous people have a systemof forest conservation thatmaintains forest areas that are usedto provide for sustainable use. Theshifting garden areas provide thebulk of the food in a diet that isprimarily vegetarian. There aretimes, however, when food suppliesare low, and forest areas are used tofill this gap. Research by an NGO,Non-Timber Forest Products, hasdocumented the use of up to 60plant species as supplementaryfood.
In addition to foodsupplementation, forest areasprovide all the building materialsrequired by the villagers. Bambooand rattan are the main itemscollected in this manner. Theyprovide, along with grass thatch,the basic for building houses.
With the integrated forest andfarming system there comes also anintegrated social system. Villagersoperate in a co-operative mannerwith labour being shared aroundbetween various families and sub-groups within the village level.Villagers also have an indigenousbelief system vastly different to thatof the mainstream Khmer culture,and certainly very different to theencroaching western belief system.Spirits are the major forcesperceived to be controlling theworld. They are to be worked withand are not to be subjugated to bydesires for unsustainable land use.Offerings are regularly made tospirits to ensure or raise the
In Australia I was informed that I was to be an employee of the Department of Environment atRatanakiri, North-east Cambodia. That seemed fair enough. When I arrived it became apparentthat the operation of the Cambodian public service is quite different to that of Australia.
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Featurelikelihood of successful cropproduction and to improve villageand personal health.
Together, these various social andnatural resource structures combineto form a very stable and sustainablesystem. The whole system,however, is under threat.
Rapid changes are occurring.Indigenous people live on landswhich are quite different to otherlands in Cambodia. Ratanakiri isan upland area with rich, redvolcanic soils. Areas have been leftsupporting old-growth forest.These areas have been the lifesupport system of indigenouspeople since ancestral times. Theyhave performed this function bybeing a source of non-timber forestproducts and by supporting forestspirits.
Entering into this system are forcesof exploitation. One such force is
the force of extensive anddestructive logging. Large areas ofland have previously beenconsigned to international loggingcompanies, or have been subject toextensive illegal logging.Indigenous people do not have landrights. They are not recognised asowners of the land that they live on.They are not recognised for thecustodian role they have played formany, many years. In some cases,Governments are not consultingwith indigenous people.Concessions have been granted to
logging companies allowing themto log large areas of traditionallyused lands. Areas are also beingused for coffee plantations beingestablished by government officials.
It should also be noted that thiswhole process is one which isapparently highly corrupt, such thatminimal funds are returned topublic finance, the majority of itgoing to a small number ofindividuals. Perhaps as a result ofthis and the pressure that has arisenover the issue, the government ofCambodia has recently put a halt tothe majority of the logging, but theissue remains a hot one.
In addition to this, another majorpressure in the land resource ofindigenous people is that or in-migration by Khmer people. Largeareas and fertile soil are attractingpeople from other districts. All landcurrently used by indigenous
people is legallyknown as forest area.It may be claimed byincoming people.Land title can beobtained at a rate of 5hectares per family.While this option isalso available toindigenous people,the mechanism forland title has notbeen framed withindigenous people’sneeds in mind.Indigenous peoplecurrently find it
difficult to understand land titleand often cannot afford the feesinvolved. Perhaps moresignificantly, traditional landcustodianship has been a communalownership and communalownership is not recognised incurrent land title legislation. (Thereare a whole host of issues here,where it has been seen thatindividual ownership can workagainst cultural integrity withinappropriate sale of individualparcels of land threatening theoverall viability of a village).
In some areas, particularly aroundthe more major settlements, thesechanges have considerably reducedthe area available to indigenouspeople; to a stage where swiddenagriculture and use of non-timberforest products is no longerproviding for the well-being ofindigenous people. In some of theseareas, land used for swiddenagriculture has had to become sointensive that insufficient fallowperiods are possible and land isdegrading.
In other cases, large areas of landare being, or have been, convertedto intensive mono-cropping: suchas rubber plantations and coffeeplantations. Again there arecomplex issues based around thisand studies have indicated that thesupposed wealth creationattributed to these “developments”is not as large as the agriculturaland non-timber forest productsgained under the traditional,sustainable system. In fact, it hasbeen noted that these activities haveoften resulted in the increasedoppression of indigenous peoplewho are often forced to work forcompanies operating on their lands.
So, for two years that’s to be my lot.Already I can see that 2 years won’tbe enough.
In some respects anyway. In otherrespects, maybe two yearsattempting to address thesociological and cultural issueswithin such a raw and complexenvironment will be enough.
I hope not. Its a beautiful country;most people are more concernedwith food security than they arewith comfort and materialpossessions.
I’ll keep you posted.
Author Contact:c/o Australian VolunteersInternationalP.O. Box 920Phnom PenhCAMBODIAemail:[email protected]
A local village in the forests of Cambodia
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Archaeology
The operation was being conductedon private property on the ForestierPeninsula. The landowner advisedthe planning staff at Triabunna thatan 1840s convict probation stationwas located on a small bay adjacentto the coupe. The probation stationwas one of many established acrossTasmania after free convict labourhad been removed from the largelandowners. These stations weregenerally temporary in nature andwere intended to build or improveinfrastructure across the colony.Roads, bridges and ports were themain emphasis of their works.Robyne Leven notified me that theprobation station site was locatedclose by the operation Given thepotential sensitivity of the historicsite, a site inspection was arranged.This revealed very few surfaceremains on the site. The area nowhas a few shacks and a boat ramp.Some of the original bricks from thestation were lying on the surfaceand some had been used in thechimneys for the shacks. Someleveled and benched areas indicatedwhere buildings had been locatedpreviously. Disturbed Aboriginalsites were also noted. Some researchin the library indicated that therewas little known about thisparticular station but it seems likelythat it was designed to build a portfor coastal traders. We exploredinland from the site as the previouslandowner had mentioned thepresence of a “series of terraces”that he thought were part of avegetable garden. However we didnot locate these on this visit. As itseemed likely that there had beensome activity inland, especiallyalong the creek, North ForestProducts placed a prescription onthe Forest Practices Plan stating thatif any stone or brick structures werelocated during harvesting a ForestPractices Officer would be notified.
When the harvesting began, thecontractor Mr Ian Oakley, did note
Convict Site Located and Protected duringHarvesting Operation
A highly significant historic site was located during timber harvesting by a North Forest ProductsTriabunna contractor recently. This is how it happened.
a pile of bricks and immediatelynotified Jodie Frank. As Jodie is agraduate of the Cultural HeritageCourse she recorded the site in somedetail and forwarded thisinformation to me. The excellentdescription and attachedphotographs as well as its locationsome 500 m from the probationstation alerted me to the potentialsignificance of the site. A fieldinspection was arranged withRobyne Leven who was overseeingthe operation. Meanwhile thecontractor had avoided the areawhilst harvesting.
The site turned out to be a littletreasure. It is comprised of six lowparallel rows built using the localdolerite (see Jodie’s plan and photo),a pile of broken bricks measuringapproximately 4 m x 4 m and awaterhole. The most likelyreconstruction of the function ofthe site is that it was a smallbrickworks making bricks for theprobation station. The neat parallelrows of dolerite approximately 15cm above the ground would haveprovided the support for the dryingracks for the bricks. The pile of brickswas inspected and only broken,friable or incomplete wire cut brickwere present indicating that thiswas a pile of waste bricks deemed
unsuitable for use by the overseers(and probably by later fossickers).The waterhole was identified as theclay pit that provided the rawmaterial for the bricks. The onlypart of the complex that was notevident was the kiln itself. Whetherthis was removed at the time ofdesertion of the station or by latergenerations could not bedetermined. The site has beenmarked out and placed inside asmall reservation where it will notbe damaged by these forestryoperations.
This site is important for a number
of reasonsincludingits statusas theo n l y
intact part of the probation station.It is also a well preserved exampleof these small brick makingoperations that would have beencommon across Van Diemen’s Landas it became settled.
This story of the recording andmanagement of this significanct siteserves to illustrate how the culturalheritage sites should be managedunder the Forest Practices Code.The alertness of the contractor andthe promptness of the North ForestTriabunna staff in the matter are tobe congratulated.
In the last Forest Practices Boardnewsletter, Gordon Bradburydelivered a personal and passionateplea focused specifically on theexpansion of plantation forestry inthe rural landscape. Many wouldhave also worked with him inpreparing Plans and experiencedhis strong concerns for Tasmania’srural scenery and for thedisappearing native trees in areaswhere only remnant clumps exist.My thanks to him for his efforts andenergy - I imagine the landscapeplanning role might not be too easythe first time.
My trip to Europe has given merenewed interest in the uniquecharacter of the scenery ofTasmania. I have been reviewinghow best to adapt many of the ideasgained in a brief visit with the UKFCwhere plantation forestry has beenthe major emphasis for many years.Like here, forest managers in theUK have inherited many largeplantation areas from the past, manyof which appear monotonous withrectilinear boundaries unrelated tothe form and character of theirvaried landscape. As some of youwould know, most foreststhroughout the Great Britain havebeen planted since the 2nd WW anddespite slow growth rates manyareas are now being harvested andrestocked for the first time. For therestocking design, foresters are nowtaking a far different approach tothe initial plantings. This is due torecognition today that existing andas well new plantation forests haveor will become an essential andintegral part of the recreationalresource of the countryside - acommunity or public resource noless.
The original plantations werelargely of a single species andrectilinear in design. As these grew
Plantation Forest Design Planning in the United KingdomBruce Chetwynd, Landscape Planner, Forest Practices Board
It is good to return to the Tasmanian summer to catch up with the way FPO’s have been diligently workingfor the protection of the beautiful landscape of this island.
and proliferated negative reactionsarose from a wide range of thesociety who judged the new forestsas aesthetically unsatisfactory andin conflict with the “natural” openand clear character of thecountryside scenery. The Britishpublic began a revolt against whatthey saw as the ugly appearance offorestry. They simply called forremoval of the forest in some areasand for the landscape to remain asit was, with no further plantationsdeveloped. The industry started toget a less than positive image as notbeing interested in the greater, longterm community good. Somethingnew was required!
The result was that forest planningin the UK, on both public and privateland, became a design-centredprocess which is now called “ForestDesign Planning”. This has evolvedover numerous years andencompasses a comprehensiverange of environmental andoperational values of the forest. It isseen as a “process which ensuresthat plans for change in the structureof existing woods, or the creation ofnew ones, will meet therequirements (for sustainablemanagement) of the UK ForestryStandard” (Forest Service, 1998, p2).The word “design” here is carefullychosen of course. It refers to adifferent way of thinking inplanning for forest managementwhere all values, environmentaland operational, are considered andweighed up together, althoughthere still remains a primary themeof production for most forest areas.Forest Design Planning seeks todevise a plan that is mutuallybeneficial to most values and thussatisfies a general multiple-usepolicy. Said succinctly, “the aim isto create attractive and productiveforests, which blend with the
landscape, are rich in wildlife andare efficient to manage” (ForestService, 1998, p1).
To achieve this, Forest DesignPlanning usually is strategicallybased and a complete landscapefeature such as a hill or a distantsection of an extended hillside orescarpment is planned for at theone time. Small, unconnected landblocks are not normally dealt withseparately, even on private lands.This approach in itself leads toefficiencies of scale. However, themain benefit of dealing with forestacross a broad-based area coveringan extended period of 20 years ormore, is that the overall effects onvisual or other values can beplanned for at the one stage. Thiscontrasts with present managementof existing plantations and newplantings in rural landscapes ofTasmania. In practice, forestplanning in the UK places greateremphasis on scenery andrecreational values as these are themost highly regarded by the publicat large.
Planning for scenery values wasable to call on visual designprinciples, skills and processesdeveloped over at least 2 decadesby the UKFC. The key designprinciples that are used are;
· shapes and boundaries shouldborrow from the structure ofthe landform or the flow of“visual forces” up gullies anddown ridgelines;
· sizes of operations in mostcases, should be smaller down-slope and larger towards theupper areas of hills;
· skylines may be crossed bycoupe boundaries, but onridgelines only at the toe ofchanges in grade and throughsaddles;
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Landscape· coupe dispersal, and associated
delay of visually adjacent areas,is essential to give a variationin age classes across a scene orlandform;
· species variety should be usedto give greater visual diversityand appeal to a scene, and;
· forest reservations should beincluded, especially associatedwith gullies. These should bebroad areas, not simply narrowelongated ribbons along gullies.
Quite a different approach to visualmanagement used in Tasmania upuntil now, I hear you say. But howdifferent is our situation inTasmania to that of the UK? I fearthat public comment on plantations
is yet to gear up and how far thisgoes depends in turn on how wellwe at this stage can integrate theabove principles (as well as others)into plantation design. As today’sexpansion of plantations in ruralareas and conversion of native forestclumps become more visuallyevident throughout the rurallandscape, there is a likelihood ofmixed public response. This maybe as a response to loss of familiarscenery or the perceived loss of
native forest clumps in rural areas,but it is likely as well to be due tofactors similar to those thatactivated the British public’soutcries against plantations of thepast.
Plantations often have rectilinear boundaries and shapes which jar stronglywith natural landforms. At restocking stage, there is a need to redesign andexpand the new planting to link successfully into the landform - sometimes withthe cooperation of a neighbour.
Many of the design principles fromthe UK can be transposed to ourplanning for plantations. At aminimum, the aim should be toapply the design approach andprinciples to plantation in our mostvisually critical areas.
It will not be effective if we continueto deal with isolated individualblocks of forest or land. Morecoordinated planning for large unitsof land covering an entire landscapefeature or forest zone is necessary,even where it is spread across agroup of individual owners. Suchcoordination will require FPO’s toapproach owners of adjoiningproperties to be partners in a harvestand plantation establishmentscheme. This may sound far fetchedconsidering our current experience,but it may actually be a key way ofcombating negative public responseand certainly will provide greateropportunity for planning forsuccessful forest designs.
Such an approach will allowoperations to be spread acrossseparate properties; shaping ofboundaries based on the naturalflow of the landform and notproperty boundaries; sequencing,timing, and dispersal of individualharvest, etc. This approach willcertainly need to include delay ofsome harvests and reserving ofsome areas (in concert withstreamside and habitat reserveswhere possible) to help moderatevisual impacts and integrateplantations well into the scenery.
Yes is sounds difficult, but withFPO’s pursuing opportunities toapply such ideas and principles wewill be ensuring progressiveimprovement in our visualmanagement of plantations. Morewill be heard in future FPO trainingof these UKFC design principlesand the planning process (whichhas only been mentioned brieflyhere).
These could be cold-climatesediments from precursors of theArthur or Frankford Rivers orpossibly beach deposits related tohigh sea levels in the TertiaryPeriod. The fine sands in thesedeposits are uncemented, causingroad cuttings to collapse, andallowing sediment to flow andculverts to block very easily (seephotographs). These sediments donot occur where you wouldnormally expect alluvium, (i.e. invalley floors) but on the flat torolling crests of ridges, suggestinga Tertiary rather than aQuaternary age (see diagram), andpost-depositional uplift, or down-cutting by rivers. If foresters comeacross these sediments whenmaking initial field investigationson coupes, contact the FPB – thesoils developed on them may need
Soils on ancient alluvium can cause surprisesPeter McIntosh, Senior Soil & Water Scientist, Forest Practices Board
The 1:250 000 geological map is not always right. That’s what Kevin Kiernan and Peter McIntosh foundwhen investigating soils developed in limestone and dolomite in the far northwest. In places thepredominantly Precambrian mudstones, siltones and dolomite are overlain by much more recent sandsand gravels.
crest of rolling ridge?Tertiary sands and gravels(sands are highly erodible)
old erosion surface
present land surface
The position of these soils on high points in the landscape (crests of ridges) indicatesthat the deposits in which they are formed were probably deposited in the Tertiaryperiod rather than the Quaternary. Further mapping of the deposits is necessary todetermine their mode of origin and age.
The map showed Precambrian rocks, but these soils behave quite differently to soils onPrecambrian parent materials, and erode rapidly when exposed.
some tender loving care. Plotting the occurrence of these soils on mapswill also help to establish their origin.
While no trace remains of themountains, sulphide mineralisationby hot waters circulating throughthe rocks produced the minerals thathave been so important in the historyand development of the west coastand Tasmania generally. The mainimpact of the volcanoes on thegeomorphology of today arises fromthe susceptibility of the volcanicrocks to erosion, and the fact thatmineral discoveries can lead to theformation of big depressions, likethe Mt Lyell open cut mine! Later,there was some volcanic activity inthe Triassic (~215 Ma BP) but thesevolcanic rocks have since beensubstantially buried by youngerrock accumulations and also playno significant role in Tasmaniangeomorphology. More recently,there is evidence for just a littlemolten magma having reached thesurface and volcanoes havingdeveloped locally during theJurassic, ~ 110 Ma BP, but like ourearlier volcanoes, they too play norole in Tasmania’s present daygeomorphology.
Tasmania’s most recent lavas havebeen dated to between ~59 ma BPand ~8.5 Ma BP in the TertiaryPeriod, the youngest being at GreenHills near Stanley. Over 120 volcaniccentres have been identified orinferred (Figure 1). No volcaniccones remain, but volcanic influenceon landscape evolution is verymarked because lava flowed intomany river valleys, modifyingdrainage systems. Because the lavahas been relatively resistant toerosion since, these changes havebeen reinforced.
In northwest Tasmania some oldvalleys were filled totally and lava
Tasmania’s volcanoes:welcome soils and unwelcome landslides
Kevin Kiernan, Senior Geomorphologist, Forest Practices Board
Tasmania's volcanoes have brought us more benefits than they have problems. Some of Tasmania’s westcoast towns may never have been settled were it not for volcanoes. Back in Cambrian times, ~500 Ma BP(million years before present) a major chain of volcanoes, many of them beneath the sea, developed fromsouth of Macquarie Harbour northwards into what is now the central north-west of Tasmania.
plains formed, the largest risingfrom 100m near Wynyard to ~750m some 70 km inland, andextending almost continuously inthe Hampshire-Guildford area.Some lavas were erupted into thesea (eg. Flat Topped Bluff) or intoinland rivers and lakes (eg. GadsHill). In northeastern Tasmania,lava flows 40-50 km long filledvalleys. Major lava flows occurredin the Ringarooma, Weld andScottsdale valleys and St PatricksValley, with smaller oneselsewhere. Volcanoes were activelyerupting on the Central Plateau 24-22 Ma BP. We now know that theTertiary glaciation of Tasmaniacommenced ~30 Ma BP. Lavaoverlies features of possible glacialorigin on the floor of Great Lake(now drowned by dam
development), so parts ofTasmania may havelooked a little like Icelanddoes today, our own landof fire and ice. Earlierfaulting had alreadyproduced the Tamar andDerwent grabens andlava flowed into these,burying earliersediments, divertingstreams and creatinglakes.
Dating lavas can shedlight on other aspects oflandscape evolution. Forexample, lavas in theLoongana area tell us thatthe Leven Valley hadalready formed by 30-36Ma BP. In the northeastthe relationship betweenold lava flows and thefloors of valleys incisedsubsequently implies the
development of about 500-340 m ofrelief in ~30 Ma. When will volcanoesreturn? It may be that relatively recentAustralian volcanism is explicableby the continent drifting over a seriesof “hot spots”. Sutherland andcolleagues have suggested that animportant hot spot may now lie underTasmania, Bass Strait and the Tasmansea. A few snippets of informationsuggest elevated heat flow and thepossibility that volcanism couldresurge in Tasmania. Whether it doeswill be influenced by whether thecrust is under tension or compression.
Geoheritage
Tasmania’s volcanic geoheritageincludes bedrock geological sites,landforms and soils. For example,the volcanic geology of the Cape Grimarea has been identified as a geological
Figure 1. Location of Tasmanian volcanoes andlava flows of Tertiary age. (modified from Sutherland(1989) In Geology and Mineral Resources ofTasmania)
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Geomorphologymonument. Although Tasmaniano longer possesses volcanicmountains, some of our scenery ismuch influenced by past volcanism.For example, one of our tourismicons, The Nut at Stanley, is avolcanic feeder pipe ~12.5 millionyears old from which thesurrounding volcano has beeneroded. Table Cape comprisesvolcanic ash deposits overlain by165 m of massive lava, possibly acrater fill. The rural landscapes ofthe northwest are founded uponsoils formed from volcanic rocks.There are numerous scenicwaterfalls where streams tumblefrom the edges of old lava, as at DipFalls south of Mawbanna where astream cascades over distinct lavaflows. The geoscientific value ofthese sites are generally robust inmanagement terms, but associatedvalues, such as landscape scenicquality, may be more vulnerable.
Less robust are some importantfossil sites and gem fields associatedwith Tasmania’s volcanic past. Onthe eastern shore of the DerwentRiver, a hot spring depositsubsequently buried by lavarevealed Australia’s oldestmarsupial remains – this feature nolonger exists. Some plant fossilssilicified by mineral-rich volcanicwaters in southern Tasmania arealso important, as in the Lune Riverarea in southern Tasmania. Earth-moving activity associated with theestablishment of a forest plantationin 1990 at Coal Hill near Hastingsrevealed a fossil log 17.7 m long andup to 50 cm in diameter (Figure 2)embedded in volcanic ashassociated with lava of probableJurassic age (probably ~110 Ma BP).Mineral fluids have silicified thelog preserving the cell structure ofthe wood, and growth rings remainintact and visible. Possibly thelargest single fossil object ever foundin Australia, this ancient conifermay have been blown down by avolcanic explosion at the timeAustralia and Antarctica werebreaking apart, akin to the flattened
trees so vividly depicted in mediacoverage of the Mt St Helenseruption in the USA a few yearsago. It remains lying at the foot ofthe more recent Australian eucalyptforests that have evolved since thesetumultuous volcanic times.Unfortunately, deliberations onhow best to safeguard and displaythis spectacular fossil log were cutshort when it was seriouslyvandalised by individuals seekingtrinkets, and part of the log wasstolen off one end. For the presentit has been re-buried by ForestryTasmania (Huon) to safeguard it.Remnants of buried forest have alsobeen found near Bushy Park butthis site is very much younger(Tertiary) and littleremains intactthere.
Management oflava landscapes canalso have importantimplications forn e i g h b o u r i n gg e o h e r i t a g efeatures. Forexample, verticalcooling joints inlava can produce acolumnar structure
which is visually arresting whenexposed to view (Figure 3). Watercan readily seep down these joints.Cave systems have formed inlimestone beneath lava in someareas; there are impressivesinkholes in basalt formed bycollapse into underlying karst cavesnear Mole Creek, Moina, Loonganaand elsewhere. Catchmentmanagement on basalt cansometimes be important for karstmanagement even when thereseems to be no limestone in sightand for non-karstic springs usedfor water supply.
Geohazards
The Forest Practices Code includesguidance regarding what is termed“basalt talus” on some geologicalmaps – actually a misnomer as thematerial is generally not talus, butall the erroneous maps in circulationand long mis-use of the term nowmake it a bit hard to shift.
On relatively stable lava surfacesthick soils have developed. Where“fat” clays are present, slopes of aslittle as 7o have been known to failand movement is common onslopes of 12o. Rotational slips occurwhere pore water pressures exceeda critical figure at depth, causingthe earth to flow forward. The upperpart of the slope that is leftunsupported slumps. The result isa spoon-shaped hollow with abulging toe and a depressionimmediately upslope from it.Features such as this are indicativeof terrain that may pose a landslide
Figure 2. Fossil log unearthedduring plantation development inthe Coal Hill area, southernTasmania.
Figure 3. Columnar jointing of basalt on the CentralPlateau.
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Geomorphologyrisk – especially if there is evidenceof water seepage or springs.
Some small hollows with bulgesdownslope are merely root-pullswhere trees have fallen in the past -these can sometimes be tricky toidentify if the log has since rottedaway. But make sure that what youdismiss as just a root-pull really isjust a root-pull. Think it through:How big is the feature? Is a remnantlog identifiable downslope? Is therejust one depression or evidence ofothers, perhaps at the same generalposition on the contour? Is thereevidence of any ongoing soilfracture or disturbance? Can youaccount for any water flows into orout of the depression and whatmight they mean? Are thereseepages about, especially out fromthe toe of the bulge? What clues canyou get from what is growing in thedepression, on the bulge ordownslope of its toe (species, angle,age)?
In some settings rotational slips cantranslate into more elongatelandslides, especially where thereare longer, steeper slopes andwatercourses. Its helpful to have afeel for how the landscape hasevolved to better understand howit all works. Here is one simplecase. Where lavas flowed downvalleys and filled them theydisplaced the streams. Tributariesjoining from the valley sides hadnowhere to go and were divertedalong the margins of the hard lavaflow. Over time these streamsformed valleys down the edge ofthe flow (Figure 4). This left thelava flow forming a ridge betweenthe two new valleys deepening toeither side of it – what was originallya valley sometimes became amountain. As such valleys deepen,the steepening slopes of the lavaridge may fail due to beingundercut, and they generally alsoshed weathered materialdownslope where it may be proneto landslide (the so-called “basalttalus”). A lot of this slope materialprobably accumulated when the
climate was colder and there wasless vegetation than now. Quiteoften it is perfectly stable underpresent day conditions; sometimesit is not.
Past (or continuing) instability maybe reactivated if road constructionremoves toe support from slopes orif the removal of trees means thesoil becomes wetter due to reducedtranspiration, or becomes weakerbecause binding tree roots rot out.Depressions, bulges and little lobesand terraces may provide awarning. But while some landslidescan be quite broad, linear terracesthat extend for long distances alongthe edge of a slope may be ofstructural origin and not indicativeof landslide risk. For example,multiple lava flows typicallyproduce a series of rock layers. Asthe valley adjacent to the lava flowdeepens, and weathering anderosion work back into the edge ofthe lava, these separate rock layersmay be revealed. A series of stepsand benches may becomeprominent in the landscape,
especially where more easily erodedpyroclastic rocks (volcanic ash etc.)were originally deposited betweensuccessive lava flows. Most terracesof this type are stable features. Soterraces shouldn’t necessarilyprovoke panic – but they shouldstill provoke a cautious look-see.
Cheer up. The volcanoes of the midnorthwest coast at least got in theway of Tertiary limestones beingdeposited there, thus perhapssaving you the angst of trying to logon karst. So enjoy the summer.May your slope failures involveonly custard avalanches from yourChrissy pudding. (Grim experiencetells me that bomb alaska cookedtoo slowly and with too much icecream can be a real disaster whenthe brittle meringue bit fails, butwe’ll have to leave the topic oflandslides caused by meltingpermafrost to another day).
Figure 4. Diversion of original drainage by lava flows: A = MerseyForth; B= Ringarooma; C= Derwent (source: Scanlon, Fish &Yaxley (1990) Behind the Scenery. Education Dept., Hobart )
