Biodiversity is key to successful planted forest growth

Planted forests change size temporally and spatially in the landscape and hence their contribution to biodiversity will be changing and ephemeral. Despite this, through appropriate commercial management, planted forests may have an important secondary role in supporting biodiversity by providing corridor frameworks between native forests or forest habitat in agricultural landscapes.

-Timber Production and Biological Diversity, IFA.

Well over half of Victoria’s forests are protected under the Comprehensive and Adequate Reserve System (CAR). This reserve system is based on a landscape approach to biodiversity management, ensuring that flora and fauna across a wide range of ecosystems are represented and conserved.

-Managing Biodiversity in Victoria’s Native Forests, VicForests.

The conservation of biodiversity is being increasingly recognised as a key part of the management of existing plantations and the establishment of new ones. Best practice techniques include:

Retaining and protecting native forest remnants and wetlands within plantation landscapes to provide important habitat for a wide range of species such as birds, mammals and reptiles.

Retaining and protecting native vegetation along watercourses and ridge lines as these areas can be valuable dispersal routes for some species.

Actively managing pest animals and plants within plantations and nearby vegetation to reduce competition pressure and predation upon native species.

Establishing corridors between native vegetation remnants to provide shelter, food and protection from predators by imitating the structure and diversity of native vegetation.

Ensuring activities within plantations do not unduly affect native species including those in nearby native vegetation.

-Government of South Australia, Primary Industries and Resources SA.