Criterion 1: Indigenous forests are managed in accordance with approved & registered Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Plans & permits
GOAL 1.1: SFM PLANS & SFM PERMIT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL ADDRESS THE MATTERS SET OUT IN PART IIIA & THE SECOND SCHEDULE OF THEFORESTS ACT, 1949
Indicator 1.1.1
Compliance with Part IIIA and the Second Schedule to the Forests Act Benchmark 1.1.1.1 SFM Plans shall include the following:
- Land description and tenure (should be accompanied by copies of current Certificate( s) of Title (where issued) and plans). Ownership, or the right to harvest indigenous timber from the forest, must be clearly established. In the case of Maori land where legal title may not be available, documents (for example Trust Deeds), establishing the rights of the trustees to make decisions regarding management of the forest on behalf of the owners, must be available. A group of owners of a number of landholdings may submit a draft SFM Plan for their forests;
- The full names and physical addresses of the owners of the landholding (applicants);
- Forest Description, including a description and maps showing forest types and sites of previous logging;
- Relevant requirements under the applicable District and Regional Plans;
- The term for which the Plan shall be in force;
- Forest inventory information on:
- the names and species of timber and tree ferns to be harvested;
- details of the proposed volume of timber to be harvested;
- forest inventory information to justify the proposed levels (rates) of harvest;
- Forest management and monitoring prescriptions;
- Prescriptions for the protection of the forest from pests, stock, fire and other threats;
- Measures to be taken to retain (and where appropriate enhance) flora and fauna, and soil and water quality.
Benchmarks specified under each Criterion indicate the scope and the quality of information required in draft SFM Plans.
Verifier 1.1.1.1
Review SFM Plans for compliance.
A SFM Plan shall have effect for a period of not less than 50 years, except where the applicant's interest in the land is for a lesser term, in which case the period shall be for the balance of that term.
Benchmark 1.1.1.2
SFM Permit Applications shall include the following information:
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Land description including current copies of relevant Certificates of Title where issued. Ownership, or the right to harvest indigenous timber from the forest, must be clearly established. In the case of Mäori land where legal title may not be available, documents (for example Trust Deeds), establishing the rights of the trustees to make decisions regarding management of the forest on behalf of the owners, must be available;
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The full name and physical address of the owners of the landholding (applicants);
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A description of the forest including a map showing the forest area covered by the application;
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An estimate of the timber resource present on the forest area, by species (an inventory is not required);
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The names and volumes of timber species to be harvested (up to the maximum permitted limits).
It is recommended that SFM Permit applications be made on forms provided by the Indigenous Forestry Unit, MAF.
Verifier 1.1.1.2
Review SFM Permit applications for compliance.
SFM Permits have a term of ten years. Applications for SFM Plans and Permits are commented on by the Director-General of Conservation and in the case of Mäori land, the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Mäori Development (Te Puni Kökiri) prior to their approval. The consulting agencies may make recommendations on the authority of the applicants to make and be granted the application, appropriate conditions for forest management proposals and any other relevant matters.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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