Criterion 6: Maintain the Full Range of Amenities
GOAL 6.1: CULTURAL & HISTORIC SITES ARE IDENTIFIED & WHERE VULNERABLE, PROTECTED
Indicator 6.1.1
Specific Sites and Values
Benchmark 6.1.1.1
SFM Plans shall include a record of known Cultural and Historic sites and prescribe for the management/ protection of Cultural and Historic Sites
Verifier 6.1.1.1
Known Cultural and Historic sites identified in SFM Plans.
The Historic Places Act 1993 established a register of historic places, historic areas, wahi tapu and wahi tapu areas. Registration means that a place or area is included in this register. DoC is responsible for the management and conservation of land-based cultural sites, including the legislation establishing the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Historic Places are divided into two categories:
- Category 1 historic places are places of special or outstanding historical or cultural significance or value;
- Category 2 historic places are places of cultural or historical heritage significance or value.
- Historic Places can include archaeological sites, buildings, trees, cemeteries, gardens, shipwrecks and other objects or places.
Known archaeological sites may not be on the register. They cover shipwrecks and places associated with human activity that occurred before 1900 (pa, urupa (burial sites), old roads, tramways and mining sites.
District Councils are required to take registered places into account when reviewing the District Plan or granting a resource consent.
All District Councils have a copy of the Trust's register, along with the Trust's offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Sites most likely to be located in forest areas on private land are archaeological sites, wahi tapu (sites of spiritual value to the Mäori people), and wahi tapu areas (groups of wahi tapu that have spiritual value to the Mäori people). Sites of special significance to Mäori may not be publicly known and may or may not already be registered with the Trust.
Where historic places are known and registered, the landowner, in preparing plans for forest management, is required to contact the Trust to discuss proposed work and ensure that the work will not adversely affect the registered historic place.
The Trust permits change to the use and function of places and often the work or modifications that are necessary for this can be done with the minimum impact.
Archaeological sites are also protected under Part 1 of the Historic Places Act, which makes it an offence to damage, modify or destroy a site without authority to do so from the Historic Places Trust.
Where a landowner is aware of a site that may have historical or archaeological significance, this should be confirmed by contacting the Historic Places Trust. An inspection of the site may be required to ascertain its significance and the need for any protection or modification to forest management activity on and around the site. In the case of wahi tapu and wahi tapu areas, owners should consult with the local iwi as to appropriate protection/ management.
Where archaeological or other sites are likely to be present within a forest area, an inspection of the forest is desirable to identify, record and evaluate any such sites for permanent protection. This is of particular importance in areas with a long history of occupation.
GOAL 6.2: AMENITY VALUES ARE MAINTAINED
Indicator 6.2.1
Appearance of the Managed Forest Relative to Unmanaged
Forest Benchmark 6.2.1.1
Visible impacts on the pleasantness, aesthetic coherence, and cultural and recreational attributes of the forest are generally not discernible at the landscape level.
Verifier 6.2.1.1
Observation from selected vantage/ photo-points; use of qualitative rating systems.
Much of the indigenous forest on private land forms a backdrop to the rural environment. It is often contiguous with, and indistinguishable from, protected forest contained within the Conservation estate. While there may generally be little use of a private forest for public recreation, it may have high landscape/ amenity value by virtue of its location in relation to public roads, walkways, high use Conservation areas etc.
The forest operations most likely to impact on broad landscape values are timber harvesting and roading. Generally, harvesting in forests managed by single tree or small group systems will not be discernible at the landscape level to casual observers. Similarly, carefully sited and constructed access roads through high forest should not generally be visible from most public vantage points. Where forests managed by coupe (small clear cut) systems are close to public use areas, the visual impacts of harvesting may be visible to casual observers.
Benchmark 6.2.1.2
Where forests managed by coupe systems are close to public use areas, visual impacts shall be minimised by limiting the size of coupes in critical areas
Verifier 6.2.1.2
Observation from selected vantage/ photo-points; use of qualitative rating systems.
Forest close to public use areas and vantage points may be better managed through the harvest of small coupes (0.05 -0.1 ha) rather than larger (0.5 ha) coupes. Such considerations should be identified by the owner during the planning process and may be addressed in conditions attached to the approval of Annual Logging Plans by MAF.
Aesthetic/ Recreational Values Some private forests may fulfil significant public recreation functions. They may, with the owner's permission, provide access to the Conservation estate for trampers or be used for a number of other recreational activities. For those forests that are subject to varying degrees of public use or border such areas, the visual perception of change within the forest may be of equal or greater importance than more passive observation by "passers by".
Perceptions of change within the forest will be influenced first and foremost by the visual appearance of harvest sites and accessways.
Harvest sites will be less intrusive the fewer trees are harvested at one site. In the case of single tree-small group harvesting systems harvesting impacts in sensitive areas (forest either used by the public or in close proximity to high use areas), will be minimised where:
- stumps are cut low;
- large crowns are trimmed to reduce visual impacts;
- damage to adjacent trees and shrub tiers is avoided;
- there is no rubbish left behind on harvest sites;
- forest operations are timed so as to avoid any safety risk to the public and to minimise the impacts of noise in periods of high recreational use of adjacent areas.
Where harvesting has been conducted by helicopter, the ground cover will be largely undisturbed and harvest sites will not be obvious to observers except at very close range. The greatest visual impacts are likely to be associated with coupe felling and ground based timber extraction. Coupe felling, while an accepted method of harvesting and regenerating beech and other light-demanding species, creates a more striking visual impression, especially immediately post harvest. Unless harvesting is conducted in dry conditions and on well drained soils, the impacts of timber removal can be greater than the felling operation.
Benchmark 6.2.1.3
To minimise the impacts of coupe felling: ° trees shall not be felled into the crowns of trees to be retained. Even relatively minor damage to surrounding trees can lead to
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physiological stress and attack by fungi and wood boring insects;
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the crowns of felled trees shall as far as possible be distributed throughout the coupe, where distribution can be achieved without unnecessary damage to beech species advanced growth;
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stumps should generally not exceed 50cm in height.
Verifier 6.2.1.3
Field inspection/ measurement of damaged edge trees, hang-ups, stumps and residues.
Where logs are removed to landings within the forest for sorting and transportation, impacts on amenity values can be minimised by giving careful consideration to the siting and establishment of landings.
Benchmark 6.2.1.4
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trees shall be trimmed to merchantable specifications as far as possible at the felling site, to avoid the build-up of large quantities of waste material on landings;
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landings established to process logs shall be the minimum area necessary to enable safe and efficient sorting, loading and transportation from the forest.
Verifier 6.2.1.4
Field inspection/ measurement of landing areas, accessways, damaged edge trees, hang-ups, stumps and residues.
Ultimately, forest managers must determine safe working dimensions for machinery and personnel; this will vary depending on the systems in use and the scale of operation. The Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Forest Operations (Department of Labour) provides rules pertaining to specific operations and use of forest machinery. MAF shall have regard to these rules when reviewing aspects of forest management performance.
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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