The NSW Government is working with the Commonwealth and stakeholders to resolve the existing land use conflicts over forest areas. A joint National Forest Policy Statement (NFPS, 1992) between the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments sets out broad environmental and economic goals for the management of Australia's forests.
This report represents an interim stage in the identification and protection both of timber resources and of conservation resources in the eastern forest regions (including Tumut) of NSW. It is one step towards the implementation of the NFPS which aims to resolve a debate that for many years has been vexed by dispute and uncertainty.
On 13 June 1995, the NSW Government announced its forestry reforms following extensive negotiations between industry, unions and conservation groups. Primarily, the reforms are driven by a commitment to implement the NFPS. Integral to the NSW reforms was the initiation of an interim forestry assessment process, of which this report is the result. What the interim assessment is, and how it fits into the NSW Forestry Policy and the broader national picture, is outlined in this introductory chapter. Figure 1.1 showsthe relationship between Commonwealth and State processes.