Research and monitoring
Vicforests’ forest management is informed by science and research. We also actively contribute to the collection and publication of forest science and biodiversity data.
To do so, we work in partnership with universities and forest managers to share knowledge and develop robust methods of forest research and monitoring in the hope to continue to add and build upon the existing industry knowledge base.
VicForests monitors and evaluates the dynamic harvesting and regeneration management systems currently employed in the forest. These systems aim to increase the retention of cohorts of current and future habitat trees across coupes and to improve coupe-level connectivity.
Regeneration of forests after harvesting is fundamental to our operations. High-retention forestry and reducing the use of fire for regeneration are likely to have implications for the regeneration of Eucalyptus species as well as on plant biodiversity.
Monitoring is required to assess the impacts of lower-intensity operations to better inform future management decisions under different contexts.
VicForests’ adoption of higher retention and reduced impact harvesting has been designed to improve habitat provision for threatened forest species in the short and long-term. Management actions aim to reduce the impacts of fragmentation and loss of structural complexity.
Through this approach it is predicted local populations of key threatened forest species will be maintain by facilitating dispersal through harvested areas soon after harvest, and by retaining aggregates of forest to provide long-term refugia while stands regrow.