28Assessing a proposed change to a management regime

28  Assessing a proposed change to a management regime

 (1) For a permanent planting CEA, this section applies as if a reference to a rotation were a reference to the period beginning on the later of the forest start date and the eligibility date for the CEA and ending at the end of the permanence period for the project.

 (2) This section applies if:

 (a) the project proponent proposes, during a rotation in a CEA, to undertake an action that is inconsistent with the current management regime for that CEA in the forest management plan; and

 (b) the CEA has been reported on in an offsets report.

 (3) For this section, action includes the following:

 (a) undertaking a scheduled management action (such as thinning or harvest) at a different time to the time scheduled;

 (b) undertaking a management action not scheduled in the current management regime;

 (c) not undertaking a management action that is scheduled in the current management regime;

 (d) undertaking one or more management actions in one part of a CEA and not in another part.

 (4) However, if the CEA is affected by a disturbance event, this section does not apply for the remainder of the rotation.

Application of section 14

 (5) If an action is of a kind referred to in paragraph (3)(d), the project proponent must, before taking the action, propose a division of the CEA into 2 or more CEAs, each of which meets the requirements of section 14.

Note: Because of subsections 14(8), (10) and (11), each such CEA must be one that has been, and is expected to continue to be, subject to a single management regime. If an area with a single management regime has an area less than 0.2 hectares, it cannot be part of a CEA.

Abatement requirement

 (6) If the project proponent proposes to take more than one action to which this section applies during a reporting period (whether or not in the same CEA), the project proponent may treat the set of actions as a single action for the purposes of subsections (7) and (8).

 (7) Before taking an action, or a set of actions, the project proponent must assess:

 (a) the net abatement amount for the project for the current reporting period that would be produced if the action, or set of actions, were taken, as calculated under Part 4 (the proposed abatement); and

 (b) if the proposed abatement is less than zero—the net abatement amount for the project for the current reporting period that would be produced if the action, or set of actions, were not taken, as calculated under Part 4 (the default abatement).

 (8) The project proponent may take the action, or set of actions, only if: