Regional Forest Agreement for Southern New South Wales Annual Report April 03 - June 04

REGIONAL FOREST AGREEMENT for the SOUTHERN REGION of NEW SOUTH WALES

Progress on the implementation of the Regional Forest Agreement for the Southern Region

1 July 2003 – 30 June 2004

Introduction

Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are separate agreements between the Australian Government and the State Governments of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. Based on good science and extensive consultation, the agreements set out broad strategies to achieve a balance between conservation and a sustainable and competitive forest industry. The agreements are in place for 20 years. In NSW there are three RFAs in place covering the North East, Eden and Southern regions. The Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP and the Premier of NSW, the Hon Bob Carr MP, signed the Southern RFA on 24 April 2001.

The RFAs are subject to annual reporting during the first five years and thereafter five-yearly reviews, to report progress against milestones. Progress reporting by the Australian and NSW Governments (the Parties) on the implementation of the NSW RFAs has been aligned to a financial year basis, being the period 1 July to 30 June each year.

This is the third report on the Southern RFA and provides details on the achievement of milestones for the period 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.

Progress on Milestones

Note: References to NSW government agencies are as 30 June 2004.

Clause	Action	Timeline	Implementation
6	The Parties to determine the process for extending the Agreement for a further period.	As part of the third five-yearly review	Not required until the third five-yearly review.
34	NSW will have in place a forest agreement covering the Southern region and grant an integrated forestry operations approval applying to the Southern region.	30 June 2001	The NSW Forest Agreement for the Southern Region came into effect on 3 May 2002. The Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) for the Southern Region was granted on 3 May 2002 and commenced on 13 May 2002.
37	Parties to report annually on the achievement of milestones in this Agreement.	Annually for the first five years	This is the third annual report on the achievement of milestones contained in the Southern Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) and covers the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.
40	The Parties to determine the mechanism for the five yearly review	Before the end of the five yearly review period	Milestone not yet required. However, approach is likely to draw on that being considered for the five yearly review of the RFAs for the North East and Eden regions of NSW.
41	Commonwealth will table the signed RFA in the Commonwealth Parliament.	Following signature	The signed RFA for the Southern Region was tabled in both Houses of the Federal Parliament on 20 June 2002.
41	Commonwealth will table in the Commonwealth Parliament the annual reports of achievement of milestones for the first four years.	Annually	This is the third annual report for the Southern RFA to be tabled in Federal Parliament.
41	Commonwealth will table in the Commonwealth Parliament the first five yearly review on performance against milestones and commitments.	Following first five yearly review	Not required until after the first five yearly review. [Refer clause 40]
47 (c)	NSW to complete and publish plans of management for areas dedicated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW).	31 January 2006	Plans of management for areas dedicated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 are being completed progressively. There are 121 national parks/nature reserves/state conservation areas (SCAs)/historic sites/Aboriginal areas in the Southern region that require plans of management to be prepared. At 30 June 2004, 23 areas had plans of management adopted or awaiting adoption by the NSW Minister for the Environment (including four that were being revised). Plans adopted during the year included those for Throsby Park Historic Site and Cullendulla Creek Nature Reserve. A further three draft plans of management had been publicly exhibited. There were a further 54 reserves for which planning had commenced, of which six were in draft form. Preparation of the remaining 41 plans of management had not yet begun. The increase in the total number of management plans required across the estate since 2002/2003 reflects the addition of new reserves and the inclusion of SCAs. There were nine SCAs created from former Crown reserves, following the commencement of the National Park Estate (Reservations) Act 2002. Six Crown reserves remain in the Southern region. [Refer Att 1 (4)]
47 (d)	NSW to complete and publish Regional ESFM Plans for State forests.	31 December 2001	Development of Regional Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (ESFM) Plans continued throughout 2003/2004. However, progress was limited due to State Forests of New South Wales (SFNSW) having to direct resources into key NSW Government activities, including the Western Regional Assessment. Planning was initiated for supplementary plans that specifically address areas of significant environmental risk to the forest including pests, weeds, roads and the management of informal reserves. The final plans are scheduled for completion towards the end of 2005, following which a public exhibition period will occur prior to publication.
47 (e)	NSW to implement the Forest Management Zoning system for the Southern region.	31 December 2001	The Forest Management Zoning (FMZ) system for State forests was publicly announced in March 1999 with the release of the document entitled, Managing Our Forests Sustainably: Forest Management Zoning in NSW State Forests. A Geographic Information System (GIS) operational layer was agreed at the time of signing of the NSW Forest Agreement for the Southern Region and applied. These areas will be illustrated on maps to be attached to SFNSW draft Regional ESFM Plans to be publicly exhibited in 2005. The maps will show the areas of State forest to be managed for conservation purposes and those to be managed for timber production by applying the FMZ system. The FMZs have been progressively implemented across State forests in the region, including minor changes to some FMZs. SFNSW has completed its assessment of FMZs in the region. No FMZ 8 areas (lands for further assessment) exist in the region.
47 (g)	NSW to implement the review and monitoring processes and develop the strategic and operational requirements of Sustainable Yield systems and processes to enable a review of Sustainable Yield.	1 December 2006	Development of sustainable yield systems and review of sustainable yield will be considered once the improvements to FRAMES [refer Att 8 (7)] are complete. The improvements to FRAMES and sustainable yield systems will contribute to improved strategic and tactical wood flow estimates, and a better understanding of sustainable yield available from the forest estate.
47 (h)	NSW to develop and implement environmental management systems.	30 April 2004	Development of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) environmental management system (EMS) continued throughout 2003/2004. The EMS is to cover all areas of NPWS operations. A major element of the EMS is the State of the Parks report, components of which continued to be trialled during 2003/2004. [Refer Att 6 Point 1(o)] SFNSW continued the development of its EMS throughout 2003/2004, which included a series of internal EMS audits in its Native Forests Division in preparation for external EMS certification audits. As a result of these audits, SFNSW identified areas of business that needed further improvement, including corporate document controls, maintenance of training records (including training matrices to determine training shortfalls into the future), standardised road and harvest maps, management of occupation permits areas, safety issues and a need to update corporate systems and management documents. A key area is the corporate non-conformance reporting and tracking system, which is being developed to comply with the ISO 14001 standard, and to provide a standard tool for assisting in delivering ESFM. Development of an EMS for SFNSW’ planted forests also continued throughout the year. During 2003/2004 a draft procedures EMS manual existed, specifically addressing native forest issues. The manual was being reviewed for its appropriateness for planted forests. SFNSW is working towards certification of a corporate EMS (ISO 14001) by early 2006 for both native and planted forests.
50	NSW to report on compliance of the Integrated Forestry Operations Approval applying to the Southern region and furnish the Comonwealth with a copy of these reports.	Annually	The IFOA for the Southern region commenced on 13 May 2002. Annual reporting on compliance with the IFOA for the region has been incorporated into the NSW forest agreement reports completed for each financial year (1 July to 30 June). Annual reporting for the Southern region commenced in 2002/2003.
52(d)	Both Parties to further develop, review, and if necessary revise Sustainability Indicators.	In time for the first five-yearly review	The sustainability indicators (ESFM criteria and indicators) referred to in clause 48 of the Southern RFA and described in Table 1 and Attachment 7 of the NSW Forest Agreement for the Southern Region were developed consistent with the Montreal Process criteria. Monitoring of the sustainability indicators for the region commenced in mid-2002 following the implementation of the NSW forest agreement in May of that year. Results of monitoring are reported each financial year (1 July to 30 June) with those for the North East and Eden regions, in the ESFM criteria and indicators monitoring reports. The first report to include the results of monitoring of the indicators for the Southern region (2002/2003) is awaiting final approval. A summary of the results of monitoring will be included in the NSW forest agreement report for 2002/2003. From 2003/2004 the results of monitoring ESFM criteria and indicators will be solely contained within the NSW forest agreement reports. This will simplify the reporting process and provide a more accessible and concise record of monitoring each year. [Also refer to Clause 50 and Att 6 Point 2(h)].
56	NSW to produce a code of practice for Timber Harvesting of native forest on Private Lands.	By the first five-yearly review	With the introduction of the Native Vegetation Act 2003 (assented to on 1 December 2003) replacing the former Native Vegetation Conservation Act 1997, all private native forestry activities will need to meet the ‘maintain or improve’ test and be regulated by a Native Vegetation Regulation. In late 2003 a stakeholder working group was formed, lead by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR)1, to progress the development of the regulations. The working group included representatives from industry and conservation groups, forest growers, and State government agencies such as SFNSW, Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)2 and NSW Agriculture. At 30 June 2004, development of the regulation was continuing.
57	NSW to complete Code of Practice for Plantations on Private Land	30 June 2001	The Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999 and Code of Practice for Private Plantations came into effect in December 2001. It was originally intended to commence the five-year review of the Act late in 2004. However, it was subsequently decided to postpone the review until the beginning of 2005.
98	NSW to establish a Research Liaison Committee and publish a list of research priorities.	30 September 2001	The committee was formed in October 2000, and held its first meeting in November 2000. The committee included representatives from the NPWS, PlanningNSW and SFNSW. Representatives identified current research being undertaken by their agency and priorities for future research. Future priorities and current research were provided to DIPNR and are to be included in the compendium of forest research. [Refer also clause 100]
100	NSW to prepare a Compendium of New South Wales Forest Research.	By the first five-yearly review	DIPNR has collated contributions from a range of land management agencies, research organisations and universities on current and published research related to forests. This information has been included in a draft compendium of forest research. At the end of 2003/2004 refinement of the document was continuing. Further refinement was also being undertaken on the database specifically set up to manage the large amount of information collected through this process and enable further information to be added on an ongoing basis. [Refer also clause 98]
103	NSW and the Commonwealth to lodge archival copies of data.	30 June 2001	Data archive in progress. Completion of this milestone was delayed due to technical difficulties. Archive is expected to be complete by the end of 2004.
Att 1 Point 4	NSW to prepare Plans of Management for Crown Reserves	31 January 2006	As reported in 2002/2003, nine of the 15 Crown reserves in the Southern region were reclassified as SCAs, facilitated by the National Park Estate (Reservations) Act 2002. The remaining six Crown reserves were still subject to Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) objections at 30 June 2004. Similar to the intention of the Crown reserve land use category (under the Crown Lands Act 1989) which was established through the NSW forest agreement process, a SCA is a reserve category (under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974) which makes provision for mining and exploration activities, subject to these having regard to the conservation of the natural and cultural values of the area. Plans of management for SCAs will now be prepared progressively and will be included in the figures reported for clause 47(c). The management of the remaining Crown reserves in the Southern regions is primarily the responsibility of the Director-General of National Parks and Wildlife (i.e. DEC). The Director-General of DMR has responsibility for managing any mineral and petroleum exploration within the Crown reserves. Although a process for the preparation plans for the remaining Crown reserves had yet to be established at 30 June 2004, general park management is being undertaken within available resources, e.g. fire, pest and weed management.
Att 1 Point 5	NSW will finalise boundaries of CAR reserve with the exception of the Forest Management Zoning System.	30 June 2001	Boundaries were established following the assent of the National Park Estate (Southern Reservations) Act 2000 on 13 December 2000, and adjusted by notice in March 2001. Consideration is occurring on the reservation of additional conservation reserves in the South Coast sub-region, subject to additional timber being available by changing prescriptions applying to riparian zones.
Att 1 Point 5	NSW will finalise the Forest Management Zoning System.	31 December 2001	Refer to clause 47(e).
Att 1 Point 8	NSW to establish all Dedicated Reserve components of the CAR Reserve System.	30 June 2001	All dedicated reserve components were established with the passage of the National Park Estate (Southern Region Reservations) Act 2000. The passage of the Act established seven new flora reserves on State forest. These areas are in addition to flora reserves already established.
Att 1 Point 8	NSW to establish all Informal Reserve components of the CAR Reserve System.	31 December 2001	All informal reserve components were established with the passage of the National Park Estate (Southern Region Reservations) Act 2000. FMZ 2 areas finalised with the NSW Forest Agreement for the Southern Region in May 2002.
Att 3 point 4	NSW will complete the Threat Abatement Plan for the European Red Fox.	31 December 2001	The draft plan was publicly exhibited in July 2001, and a final plan was approved by the NSW Minister for the Environment in December 2001.
Att 3 Table 1	NSW to develop Recovery Plans for species listed in Table 1.	Within five years of signing	At 30 June 2004, preparation of 76 of the 121 recovery plans listed in the RFA were underway or complete. Nine plans had been approved, nine completed to draft and publicly exhibited, a further seven drafts completed. A further 36 are in preparation and 15 are in the initial planning stage. Forty-five plans had not yet commenced. Note: ‘complete’ means the draft is complete and ready for public exhibition. Plans are not final until they have been approved by the NSW Minister for the Environment and may change in response to public submissions received during exhibition.
Att 4 Point 14	NSW will identify and assess cultural heritage values in areas excluded from CRA assessments.	31 December 2001	NSW completed the assessment of the Goulburn sub-region in early 2002/2003. The assessment recommended appropriate management and use of public lands in the sub-region, and included consideration of cultural heritage values. This process was a NSW-based process coordinated by an inter-agency working group. Recommendations were that there would be minimal change or impact on cultural values. The assessment incorporated a consultation process with the local Aboriginal people. Recommendations were made to the NSW Government in October 2002. At 30 June 2004, no decision had been announced.
Att 6 Point 1(o)	NSW to publish a State of the Parks report.	31 August 2001	The State of the Parks report was released in November 2001. The ongoing State of the Parks program is continuing, with the trial and implementation of quantitative indicators of management effectiveness on a sample of parks throughout the State in 2002/2003. This was repeated in 2003/2004 along with a broader qualitative survey across all parks. The next report is due for release in early 2005.
Att 6 Point 2(b)	NSW will publish Eco Field Guides for Southern region.	31 December 2001	Preparation of a draft Eco Field Guide for the Southern region is continuing. The guide is expected to be complete in 2005.
Att 6 Point 2(c)	NSW to document the basis for silvicultural practices and publish the Native Forest Silviculture Manual (SFNSW).	31 March 2001	SFNSW published a Native Forests Silvicultural Manual in 2000. The manual complements SFNSW’ field guides and training programs, documents the basis for its silvicultural practices and contains the silvicultural specifications and guidelines required by the NSW forest agreement and IFOAs.
Att 6 Point 2(d)	NSW to document and publish a description of the NSW Forest Management System covering Public and Private Lands.	In time for the first five-yearly review	Approach is being developed. It will likely update the overviews of each of the NSW agencies that were contained in the Comprehensive Regional Assessment/Regional Forest Assessment (CRA/RFA) ESFM report, Description of Management Systems and Processes for Achieving Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management in NSW. No further progress on this milestone was made during 2003/2004, principally due to resourcing and restructuring issues within DIPNR.
Att 6 Point 2(e)	NSW to publish a description of the methods and results of calculating Sustainable Yield on Public Land.	1 December 2006	Not completed as the sustainable yield systems described in clause 47(g) have not been finalised.
Att 6 Point 2(e)	NSW to publish independent audits of Sustainable Yield as outlined in Attachment 8.	For the second and subsequent five-yearly reviews	Milestone not due until the second five yearly review.
Att 6 Point 2(f)	NSW will produce annual reports of progress for meeting targets in regional ESFM plans.	Annually	Reporting will commence following the full implementation of the Regional ESFM Plans. [Refer also clause 47(d)]
Att 6 Point 2(g)	NSW will report on the forest agreement covering the Southern region and on compliance with the IFOA applying to the Southern region	Annually	Reporting for the NSW forest agreements provides progress on: achievement of milestones in the NSW forest agreements. monitoring of ESFM criteria and indicators (sustainability indicators) by the NPWS and SFNSW. compliance with the IFOAs. Reporting for the NSW Forest Agreement for the Southern Region commenced in 2002/2003 following its implementation in May 2002. Reporting for the Southern region has been incorporated into a single report which will also deals with the NSW forest agreements for the Upper North East, Lower North East and Eden regions. The reports for 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 are awaiting final approvals. A supplementary report (ESFM criteria and indicators monitoring report) covering the 2002/2003 reporting period provides details on the monitoring of the sustainability indicators contained in the NSW forest agreements for each region is currently awaiting final approvals. From 2003/2004 the results of monitoring ESFM criteria and indicators will be solely contained within the NSW forest agreement reports. This will simplify the reporting process and provide a more accessible and concise record of monitoring each year. [Also refer clause 50 and clause 52(d)].
Att 6 Point 2(h)	NSW to table in each House of Parliament an annual report on the New South Wales Southern Region Forest Agreement in accordance with the Forestry and National Park Estate Act 1998 (NSW) which will include an ESFM report and the outcomes of compliance with any Integrated Forestry Operations Approval for the regions.	Annually	Reports covering the NSW forest agreement and IFOA for the Southern region are still being finalised. Tabling will occur as soon as final approvals have been granted.
Att 8 Point 2(b)	NSW NPWS will develop an Environmental Management System for lands dedicated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.	30 April 2004	Refer clause 47(h).
Att 8 Point 2(c)	SFNSW to develop a Native Forest Management System as an Environmental Management System.	30 April 2001	Refer clause 47(h).
Att 8 Point 2(l)	NSW to incorporate provisions that address in an integrated fashion bush and other fires within Regional ESFM Plans and plans of management for areas dedicated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW).	By the first five-yearly review	SFNSW and the NPWS are recognised as two of four fire authorities under the Rural Fires Act 1997, and are members of the NSW Bush Fire Coordinating Committee, subject to the Coordinated Fire Management provisions of the Rural Fires Act. The Bush Fire Coordinating Committee is responsible for planning in relation to bush fire prevention and coordinated fire fighting, and to advise the Commissioner for NSW Rural Fire Service on bush fire prevention, mitigation and coordinated bush fire suppression. District Fire Committees under the Rural Fires Act, are responsible for the completion of District Hazard Reduction Plans. These plans are finalised following consideration being given to a variety of landscape values. Both SFNSW and the NPWS, and other land managers, are represented on the committees. Both SFNSW and the NPWS have statutory obligations for fire management under the Rural Fires Act. The NPWS address bush fire management in several ways; ESFM principles are incorporated into bush fire risk management plans and reserve fire management plans (prepared at the individual reserve level). These address the provisions outlined and are important for risk management, threatened species management and recovery planning. The NPWS’ reserve fire management plans are consistent with bush fire risk management plans but have a greater level of detail. These are prepared for reserves where such detail is necessary and a specific document is warranted. Where this level of detail is not required, provisions are incorporated directly in reserve plans of management. During the year, SFNSW identified the requirement for a corporate fuel management plan and supplementary ESFM regional fuel management plans. These plans will be developed in 2005/2006 to facilitate SFNSW contributions to the development of bush fire risk management plans and to provide a regional integration of the various Bush fire Coordinating Committee plans within each region into one consolidated plan in each region.
Att 8 Point 2(m)	NSW to incorporate within the Regional ESFM Plans and Plans of Management under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW) integrated feral animal and weed control programs.	By the first five-yearly review.	At 30 June 2004, SFNSW had finalised the model (strategic) management plans for weeds, feral animals and introduced predators following discussions with NSW regulatory agencies. SFNSW Regions will develop supplementary ESFM regional weed and pest animal management plans based on the model, to ensure consistency between regions. Completion of these regional plans is expected by the end of 2005. NPWS plans of management identify priority pest and weed problems and the need for actions which are in turn addressed by statewide threat abatement plans or regional pest management strategies. [Refer clause 47(c) and Att 3 Table 1]
Att 8 Point 2(n)	NSW to establish a process, including public reporting, for regular audits of compliance and reviews of Codes of Practice, Eco-Field Guides and Regional Prescriptions.	31 December 2002	An overview of the SFNSW audit process was included in its draft Native Forests Management System (NFMS) Overview, publicly exhibited in 2000 [since re-named the Native Forests Environmental Management System (NFEMS)]. The audit process has since been put in place following the implementation of its Operational Compliance Monitoring and Audit Manual. The final audit process will be included in the EMS when complete. The audit procedure is now defined in FNSW Circular 2003/01 Monitoring and Measuring Compliance of Operations. SFNSW continues to publicly report, at a statewide level, compliance and monitoring results in its Social, Economic and Environmental (SEEing) report each year. Auditing and enforcement of SFNSW’ compliance with the Threatened Species Licences and Environment Protection Licences is undertaken by DEC. The Parks and Wildlife Division (or NPWS) is responsible for assessing compliance with the Threatened Species Licences and the former Environment Protection Authority (EPA) branch of DEC assesses compliance with the Environment Protection Licences. Compliance with the Threatened Species Licence is undertaken by DEC in accordance comprehensive guidelines and procedures (endorsed in March 2002). The guidelines and procedures were compiled into handbook form and are used across the NPWS to ensure a consistent approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement. DEC has also implemented an active audit program of SFNSW’ forestry operations to assess compliance with the Environment Protection Licence. The audit program ensures that SFNSW is taking the required measures to protect the aquatic environment through responsible planning and operational activities. Non-compliance with conditions of the Environment Protection Licence are dealt with through meetings with senior SFNSW officers, issuing feedback or warning letters, clean-up notices, penalty notices or prosecution actions as appropriate at the circumstances. NSW Fisheries carry out opportunistic threatened species compliance activities in relation to forestry operations where they coincide with other fishery compliance duties. NSW Fisheries investigate complaints when received. Public reporting of compliance audits is provided in the NSW forest agreement reports each year, as described under clause 50.
Att 8 Point 2(n)	NSW to undertake audits as described above.	By the first and subsequent five-yearly reviews of the Agreement	The IFOA for the Southern region contains two Threatened Species Licences specific to the South Coast and Tumut sub-regions. During 2003/2004, DEC received three new complaints from the public concerning alleged breaches of the Threatened Species Licences. Subsequent investigations of these complaints did not identify any non-compliance with the Licences. Four pro-active field audits were also undertaken during the year. No significant non-compliance with the Licences were identified. DEC also conducted four audits of operational and planning activities undertaken by SFNSW in the Southern region in relation to the Environment Protection Licence. Results of these audits identified 31 non-compliance incidents with planning requirements, and four non-compliance incidents with operational conditions for roads, and nine identified related to harvesting requirements of the Environment Protection Licence. Action taken by DEC in response to these audits included feedback to SFNSW and the issuing of two warning letters outlining non-compliance with licence conditions. Remedial work was required to be undertaken at seven sites and a request to seek expert soil conservation advice on two occasions. NSW Fisheries report there were no known contraventions of the Fisheries Licence during 2003/2004. SFNSW undertake internal monitoring of its compliance with the conditions of the IFOAs. These audits are undertaken independently of those undertaken by DEC and NSW Fisheries. Internal auditing by SFNSW allows the identification of possible breaches of the conditions of the IFOAs and where better management/processes need to be implemented. Results of internal compliance monitoring by SFNSW identified 592 incidents of non-compliance with conditions of the IFOA (non-compliance rate of 0.22%). The total number of incidents recorded fell by 24% from 2002/2003. Of the incidents identified, 69% were related to soil and water quality and 31% related to flora and fauna. No incidents related to other issues such as safety or fish habitat and passage were recorded.
Att 8 Point 5	SFNSW will publish all FRAMES CRA reports for the Southern region.	30 September 2001	All FRAMES CRA/RFA reports for the Southern region have been completed. The reports are available from DIPNR.
Att 8 Point 6(b)	NSW will develop a model to predict recruitment and maintenance of habitat trees.	By end 2010	Milestone under development.
Att 8 Point 6 (d)	Report production of all timber products.	Annually	Included in the NSW Forest Agreement Implementation Report 2002/2003 (awaiting final approvals).
Att 8 Point 6(e)	Undertake additional FRAMES plot inventory measurements.	By the first five yearly review.	Some planning for additional inventory plots was begun in the Tumut sub-region, but actual establishment of plots throughout the Southern region was delayed until after other FRAMES work was completed. SFNSW report that work plans have been completed and the establishment of inventory plots should begin in early 2006 and complete by late 2006. No inventory work was undertaken in 2003/2004. SFNSW has been reviewing its logging history and future logging areas to determine the areas and assessment process for undertaking inventory plots in 2006.
Att 8 Point 6(f)	Monitor FRAMES performance through comparison of actual versus predicted volumes.	Annually	Actual timber harvest volumes against wood supply commitments are incorporated into the annual NSW forest agreement implementation reports. However, there are a number of issues related to information on actual yields against FRAMES estimates that have hindered comprehensive reporting. SFNSW highlighted problems with ‘actual versus predicted’ methods in 2001/2002 that have prevented any meaningful comparison of FRAMES estimates with actual volumes harvested. These problems are to be addressed by further studies of yield regulation processes and development of a systematic harvest event recording system built on geo-database technology.
Att 8 Point 7	NSW will establish and implement an ongoing FRAMES development program.	1 December 2006	Much of the effort on FRAMES development improvements have specifically focussed on the North East region. These improvements will be applied to other RFA regions. FRAMES development for the Southern region will be able to proceed more rapidly once improvements to FRAMES systems in the North East region are finalised.
Att 8 Point 8	NSW agrees to commission and publish an independent review of the enhanced FRAMES systems and processes applying to both the South Coast and Tumut sub regions.	1 December 2006	Improvements to FRAMES are yet to be finalised (see Att 8 Point 7). Therefore, an independent review of enhanced FRAMES has not been commissioned.
Att 11 Point 7	NSW will have long term wood supply contracts in place for South Coast and Tumut.	By 1 January 2001 and 1 January 2002 respectively	Agreement on Tumut Sub-region customer contract was completed on 12 November 2003. Agreement on South Coast Sub-region customer contract was completed on 24 November 2003.

^{1 Incorporates the Department of Planning and the Department of Land and Water Conservation.
2 Incorporates the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Environment Protection Authority}

Acronyms

CRA/RFA	Comprehensive Regional Assessment/Regional Forest Agreement
DEC	Department of Environment and Conservation
DIPNR	Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources
DMR	Department of Mineral Resources
EMS	Environmental Management System
EPA	Environment Protection Authority
ESFM	Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management
FMZ	Forest Management Zone
FRAMES	Forest Resource and Management Evaluation System
GIS	Geographic Information System
IFOA	Integrated Forestry Operations Approval
NFEMS	Native Forest Environmental Management System
NFMS	Native Forest Management System
NPWS	National Parks and Wildlife Service
RFA	Regional Forest Agreement
SEEing	Social, Environmental and Economic report
SCA	State Conservation Area
SFNSW	State Forests of NSW