Private Native Forestry R&D for LLS 2020-24

NSW DPI Forest Science was engaged by Local Lands Services (LLS) to undertake extensive research on the eastern Farm forests of NSW, also known as Northern Private Native Forests and Southern Private Native forests. Forest Science Resources produced a number of reports for LLS between December 2020 and June 2024 many of which are interlinked as below:

• Alaibakhsh, M. et al (2020), Private native forest available and suitable for timber production within Northern PNF Plan area.
• Alaibakhsh, M. et al (2021), Suitability of private property for native timber production in Northern NSW.
• Alaibakhsh, M. et al (2021), Technical report on estimating available private native forests for timber harvesting in Southern NSW.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2021), Report on Creation of Map for North and South Coast NSW_Commercial Vs Non Commercial forest.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2021), Forest Yield Association Group Mapping of NSW North Coast Native Forests.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2021), Site index mapping for North and South Coast NSW using LiDAR data.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2022), Commercial and non-commercial forest mapping in North Coast NSW using LiDAR data.
• Hislop, S. et al (2023), Using remotely sensed information to quantify the extent and severity of the 2019-2020 wildfires in north-eastern NSW private native forests.
• Hislop, S. et al (2023), Using remote sensing to quantify the impacts of drought and fire on private native forests in eastern NSW.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2023), Forest Yield Association Group Mapping of NSW South Coast Native Forests.
• Kathuria, A. et al (2023), Sampling Design for Forest Resource Assessment of Private Native Forest, Northern NSW.
• Alaibakhsh, M. et al (2024), Suitability of private property forests to produce sawlogs in Southern PNF Plan.
• Hislop, S. et al (2024), Using remote sensing to investigate the scale and intensity of timber harvesting on private native forests.
• Gonsalves, L. et al (pending), Report on Fauna in a sample of Farm forests in Northern NSW.
• Samuel, J. et al (pending), Report on Forest Monitoring and Inventory on a sample of Farm forests in Northern NSW.

This research was needed to help address policy, planning needs and information gaps relating to private native forestry.

Estimating the extent of selective timber harvesting in private native eucalypt forests with multi-temporal lidar (2024)

A large proportion of forests in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, are owned privately. Timber harvesting is permitted in some of these forests, subject to approval processes and operational procedures. Recent changes to the codes of practice require landholders to provide timely and detailed reports of harvesting operations. Previously, however, harvesting could occur any time in a 15-year period (the length of the approval), and detailed self-reporting was not required. Consequently, the extent of timber harvesting in private forests, as well as the environmental impacts, are poorly understood. In this paper, we present the results of a recent study that used multi-temporal airborne lidar samples to precisely map harvesting-related canopy change in a 1-year period (2020–2021). The lidar transects were collected in a robust design-based sampling framework to enable estimates across the broader area. The methodology we developed principally used the difference in canopy height models between the two lidar datasets, along with customised height and spatial thresholds, to distinguish harvesting impacts from noise and natural disturbances. The methods were applied to northeast NSW (where most private native timber harvesting occurs in the state) to estimate the area of forest disturbed by timber harvesting in 1 year. Of the area of private native forests with an approval plan in place (455 000 ha), we estimated that 1665 ha (±492 ha at the 95% confidence level), or 0.37% (±0.11%), was harvested between April 2020 and April 2021. The robust and objective methodology presented here represents what is understood to be the most detailed assessment of timber harvesting in NSW private native forests to date.

Suitability of private property for native timber production in Northern NSW (2021)

DPI Forest Science has developed a method for assessing the availability and suitability of native forest for private native forestry. The method was applied to 2.5 million hectares of private native forests on the NSW north coast. Nearly ten thousand properties covering 670,724 hectares of native forest were identified as available and suitable for private native forestry. A modelling process using six parameters enabled each property to be individually assessed and classified into a private native forestry suitability class. This report details how the process was undertaken and the modelled results.

This PDF is not accessible. If you need accessible version of the file, please contact masoomeh.alaibakhsh@dpi.nsw.gov.au