Forest Products Commission—Tender RFP112025FS
799. Hon Jess Beckerling to the Minister for Forestry:
I refer to tender RFP112025FS, "Sale of Industrial Wood and Forest Residue", issued by the Forest Products Commission, which states that the FPC is responsible for harvesting forest products.
(1) Is it intended that log buyers could be responsible for arranging or carrying out the felling and transport of timber in thinning operations, as stated in the answer to question 13 of addendum 1?
(a) If yes, what checks will be in place to ensure that felling and hauling contractors are appropriately certified and trained in thinning operations?
(2) How many FPC FTEs are dedicated to the on-ground monitoring and enforcement of any FPC thinning requirements?
(3) Can the minister please table these requirements and any checklists staff are required to follow?
(4) Can the minister please confirm whether the FPC is making up to 100,000 or 300,000 tonnes of recovery log available per annum?
Hon Jackie Jarvis replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) Tender RFP112025FS caters for the sale of forest products from both ecological thinning and plantation thinning. Harvesting of native forest recovery logging is not intended to be conducted by a buyer. Plantation thinning is provided as an option for the buyer.
(a) Not applicable.
(2) Twenty-four staff have varying degrees of involvement with the monitoring and enforcement of thinning operations.
(3) The FPC has an extensive and rigorous suite of monitoring and compliance documents that relate to operations, including thinning. It is not practicable to provide all documents and checklists used in all aspects of operations that may include thinning.
(4) The first parcel of recovery log released with the tender provided an allocation of up to 100,000 tonnes per annum.
