Forico.

Native Vegetation Asset Account.

Environmental Account ID: AU00054
Environmental Asset: Native Vegetation
Asset Account ID: AU00054V1
Registration date: 19 December 2022
Certification date: 5 September 2023
Certification level: Independent Audit
Purpose: Measure the condition of native vegetation to communicate and inform sustainable land management decisions.
Current land use: Conservation and Biodiversity Management
Area: 71,663 ha
Method: AfN-METHOD-NV-11

Techincal Report

Asset Account snapshot.

Asset summary - baseline.

Asset statement.

19 December 2022 - Registration date
5 September 2023 - Certification date
18 November 2024 - Annual Certification Compliance Report (ACCR)
No significant event or material change in land use was reported or identified.

Significant outcomes.

An Econd® of 69.7 was recorded for native grasslands. Native grasslands are amongst the most threatened ecosystems in Tasmania and require active management, including ecological burning, in order to maintain diversity and extent. This is an outstanding outcome and testament to the dedication of Forico’s sustainable forest managers and partners who have worked together to maintain this endangered ecosystem.

An Econd® of 73.8 was recorded for wet eucalypt forests. Wet eucalypt forests have been the focus of native forest logging in Tasmania for over a century. Forico manages an extensive area of wet forests for conservation and waterway protection, including areas of Eucalyptus viminalis wet forest, which is an endangered ecological community (Nature Conservation Act, Tasmania, 2002). Forico anticipates that the condition of this community will continue to improve over time as a result of environmental works programs such as weed management and rehabilitation.

An Econd® of 72.2 was recorded for dry eucalypt forests. Dry eucalypt forests can be highly diverse and include threatened ecological communities including the critically endangered Tasmanian Black Gum and Brookers Gum Forests and Woodlands (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, Commonwealth, 1999). Our intention is to continue to actively manage these forests for conservation and anticipate that the condition will improve over time as regrowth areas gain maturity and provide additional environmental co-benefits such as wildlife habitat.

Limitations & disclosures.

Survey Design - The monitoring dataset used for this account was initially intended for a different purpose, leading to varying historical sampling intensity across years and vegetation groups. While some assessment units like native grasslands barely meet sampling requirements, others like dry eucalypt forests exceed them. Currently, the average sampling rate is 1 site per 310 hectares. Future accounts will align survey design with Method requirements by adding sites for certain sub-assets and identifying core sites for others.

Grouping of Sub-Assets - For reporting purposes, some sub-assets were grouped based on their distribution across the Forico Estate, forming a contiguous management unit. For example, Broadleaf Scrub is a successional stage in disturbed wet eucalypt forests, and moorland communities occur as patches within native grassland areas. These groupings are based on the consistent management of these vegetation types within their respective areas.

Availability of Raw Data - Field data was initially recorded on sheets and then entered into a GIS database with Indicator Condition Scores and zone polygons. While raw data sheets (>800 pages) are available as scanned copies, they have not been fully transcribed due to the volume. These raw data sheets can be provided upon request.

Landscape Context Data - The account is based on an ongoing monitoring program, utilising TASVEG 4.0 vegetation mapping data for retrospective landscape context indicators, meeting Level 2 Accuracy. Future accounts will use TASVEG Live, a continuously updated spatial product based on field observations and remote sensing, to calculate annual landscape context scores, ensuring better consistency and alignment with site data.