Harvesting to protect the environment

About the Presenter

Gary Featherston

Gary has 42 years experience with the Forest and Timber Industries from public land and natural resource management perspectives. He is a registered forestry professional. He has successfully maintained his own consulting service company, Forest Strategy Pty Ltd since 2004.

As a senior public service manager: he joined the start-up team for VicForests; he operated as the Chief Marketing Officer; he was the Regional Forester in East Gippsland at the time of the first RFA and Forest Management Plan.

Gary currently runs a certified group scheme for forest management to the Forest Stewardship Council® standards (FSC-C018675). The group also holds two Chain of Custody Certificates, FSC® (FSC-C115552) and PEFC™ that allows small processors to sell certified timber products.

As a field forester, he has extensive experience in the management of forests for multiple objectives including the safe and environmentally responsible harvesting of native forest and plantations for timber.

Gary has experience with forestry compliance activities. He has undertaken Code of Practice audits on contract to local government, project managed the 2013 review of the Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management, and provides technical expert services to JASANZ who accredit forest management auditors.

2.3 Harvesting to protect the environment

This presentation provides an overview of harvesting to protect the environment and answers some of the fundamental questions:

  • Why should the environment be protected?
  • What operations are affected?
  • What values are to be protected?
  • How is the environment protected?

The laws and requirements for timber harvesting vary in each state and territory and according to the requirements of each forest manager, therefore the presentation provides the principles for planning, and implementing forest harvesting operations.