Basic Principals of Productive Native Forest Management - PFSQ Native Forest Management Guides

The fundamental rule of productive native forest management is to always leave forest areas in a condition that allows them to regenerate and maintain, or in some cases, improve their productivity after harvesting, thinning or even burning.
The first stage of sustainable native forest management is achieved by optimising individual tree growing space – providing trees with enough space to grow. Tree stocking levels i.e. trees/stems per hectare, is dependent upon tree species (type), their diameter (size) and the quality of the site (soil type and depth, rainfall, etc). As a general rule, as trees get larger, more space is required for them to increase in diameter, plus maintain tree health and growth vigour.
Competition between trees is the major influence on tree health, quality and value. The number one message to gain from reading this guide is that “trees need space to grow”. This is not to say that competition, at certain stages of a tree’s life, is not vitally important. Initial close spacing for a young tree provides mutual protection, encourages the formation of a single leading stem, and restricts the size of branch development. As trees grow up and mature their crowns and roots begin to interact and there is increased competition for available sunlight nutrients and moisture. For a tree to continue growing vigorously, as well as maintaining its health, it must be provided with sufficient space.
By selectively removing the poorer trees on a cyclic basis, the ‘superior’ healthier retained trees are able to grow into product sized trees and over time regenerate the forest with this superior standard of tree. Ideally, as trees reach their optimal value and size for their product type, they are removed through a harvest. By removing trees that have reached their optimal product size/value, or are in poor health or suppressed, and by keeping an optimum stocking/ha (thinning regeneration), the productivity of a forest will continue to improve.
When productive native forest management principals are applied along with the required watercourse protection, habitat tree retention and appropriate infrastructure maintenance, the productivity of a forest and its environmental values are maintained, or enhanced. These are the fundamentals principals of sustainable native forest management.
The management of a native forest after harvest i.e. promoting regeneration, timely thinning, etc. needs to be regarded as one of the costs of harvesting. The result of not undertaking this level of management after a harvest is a forest with lower productivity. In other words the next harvest period will be further in the future and result in a reduced harvest per Hectare, a lower dollar return for landowners and reduced product volume available for the timber industry.
Understanding your forest type and its condition
To best manage your native forest areas it is first necessary to have an understanding that there is not a single system of management that is broad enough to cover all forest types and their condition. Private Forestry Southern Queensland has developed manuals for the following forest types: Dry Native Forest, Wet Native Forest, Native Cypress Forest.

To download the PFSQ Dry Native Forest Management Guide Click here
To download the PFSQ Wet Native Forest Management Guide Click here
To download the PFSQ Native Cypress Forest Management Guide Click here

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