56Conservation and enhancement of retained areas

56 Conservation and enhancement of retained areas

56 Conservation and enhancement of retained areas

(1) Plantation operations must not be carried out in any retained area (except as otherwise allowed by this Code).

(2) Any retained area must be managed so as to conserve its biodiversity and ecological integrity, and (in the case of any buffer zone of a place, object or item of heritage significance) its cultural heritage values.

(3) Any area designated for the location of replacement trees must also be managed so as to enhance its biodiversity.

(4) Any seedlings from non-native pine trees (being plantation trees) that have regenerated within any area designated for the location of replacement trees must be controlled to the extent necessary to ensure the successful establishment and growth of local native species of plant.

(5) Activities for the purposes of private native forestry (within the meaning of the Native Vegetation Regulation 2005) must not be carried out in any retained area.

(6) Any burning of plantation debris must not scorch retained habitat trees or other retained native vegetation.

(7) Any herbicide spraying operations in a plantation must not affect retained habitat trees or other retained native vegetation.

(8) This clause does not prevent prescribed burning for the purpose of bush fire hazard reduction work to be carried out on an authorised plantation in accordance with a bush fire hazard reduction certificate under the Rural Fires Act 1997.

Note—

The clearing of native vegetation that is required to be retained by this Part constitutes an offence against clause 66 even in cases where it would not constitute an offence against section 12 of the Native Vegetation Act 2003 (Clearing requiring approval) because, for example, it falls within the description of routine agricultural management activities.