This register provides information on investigations into native forestry operations on State Forests prompted by community reports.
To make a report, contact the EPA’s Environment Line on 131 555 or info@epa.nsw.gov.au.
Only reports related to the on-ground conduct of logging operations on State Forests which in the opinion of the EPA warrant significant further enquiry and evidence collection are placed on the register. It includes investigations into native forestry operations that have been finalised or commenced since 1 January 2019.
For information on reports not on the register, contact us on 131 555 or info@epa.nsw.gov.au.
The stages of an investigation are:
- Planning for investigation
- Collection and analysis of evidence
- Finalising investigation
- Regulatory decision made.
Stages 2 and 3 can take a significant period of time as the EPA must ensure that sufficient evidence has been collected to support a regulatory decision. More information can be found in Questions and Answers.
2021 investigations
last updated 17 February 2021
| Report ID and date received | Logging operation location | Allegation category (applied by the EPA) | Investigation stage | Investigation outcome and completion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
I00815-2021 |
Myrtle - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
2020 investigations
| Report ID and date received | Logging operation location | Allegation category (applied by the EPA) | Investigation stage | Investigation outcome and completion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
I19142-2020 |
Mogo - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
1. Planning for investigation |
|
|
I16609-2020 |
Ballengarra – Compartment 7, 8, 9 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution |
1. Planning for investigation |
|
|
I16614-2020 |
Conglomerate State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
16 November 2020 |
|
I16254-2020 |
South Brooman - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
|
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I16263-2020 |
South Brooman - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
|
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I15257-2020 |
South Brooman State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
21 October 2020 |
|
I14134-2020 |
Bago State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
04 December 2020 |
|
I13355-2020 |
South Brooman - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
3. Finalising investigation |
|
|
I12880-2020 |
Mogo - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I12751-2020 |
Ballengarra State Forest |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
03 September 2020 |
|
I12564-2020 |
Yambulla - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I11778-2020 |
Mogo - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I11695-2020 |
Mogo - Compartment 173 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I10598-2020 |
Mogo - Compartment 161 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
2. Collection and analysis of evidence |
|
|
I09715-2020 |
South Brooman - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
3. Finalising investigation |
|
|
I09061-2020 |
South Brooman - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
3. Finalising investigation |
|
|
I07642-2020 |
Comboyne State Forest - Compartment 145 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
03 August 2020 |
|
I06585-2020 |
Mogo State Forest - |
Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
05 May 2020 |
|
I04130-2020 |
Styx River State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
22 September 2020 |
|
I02163-2020 |
Bodalla State Forest - Compartment 3006 |
Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution |
4. Regulatory decision made. |
13 August 2020 |
2019 investigations
| Report ID and date received | Logging operation location | Allegation category (applied by the EPA) | Investigation stage | Investigation outcome and completion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
14945-2019 |
Tantawangalo State Forest – Compartments 2400, 2402, 2403 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
28 April 2020 No action taken - allegations found to either be compliant or not able to be determined. |
|
12901-2019 |
Mogo State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution |
4. Regulatory decision made |
4 February 2020 No further action - no non-compliances were identified |
|
12361-2019 |
Braemar State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
28 August 2020 No further action - Operations suspended indefinitely |
|
I10153-2019 |
Tantawangalo State Forest - Compartment 2407 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
23 April 2020 Penalty notices issued in response to failure to mark adequate trees for retention and to mark the boundary of an environmentally sensitive area (Powerful Owl) |
|
I09468-2019 |
Tantawangalo State Forest - Compartment 2407 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
16 August 2019 No further action - allegations found to either be: compliant or not able to be determined. |
|
I08635-2019 |
Mogo State Forest - Compartment 159 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
3. Finalising investigation |
|
|
03097-2019 |
Gibberagee State Forest -Compartments 104, 105 & 106 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
24 September 2020 Advisory letter relating to the selection of recruitment trees, and Koala Intermediate use Area identification |
|
00724-2019 |
Styx River State Forest -Compartments 552, 555, 556 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
26 February 2019 No further action - allegations found to either be: compliant, not determined or remediated. |
Pre-2019 investigations
This table shows native forestry operations investigations in State Forests that commenced prior to 1st of January 2019 and were competed after 1st of Janauary 2019.
| Report ID and date received | Logging operation locationh | Allegation category (applied by the EPA) | Investigation stage | Investigation outcome and completion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
05702-2018 |
Brother State Forest - Compartment 81 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological
Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution |
4. Regulatory decision made |
7 November 2019 Advisory letter relating to the protection of riparian exclusion zone and heath and scrub exclusion zone. |
|
15674-2017 |
Gibberagee State Forest -Compartments 117 & 118 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
Alleged harm to animals and/or picking of plants |
4. Regulatory decision made |
2 April 2019 Formal warning relating to the selection of recruitment trees. |
|
15674-2017 |
Gibberagee State Forest -Compartments 117 & 118 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
Alleged harm to animals and/or picking of plants |
4. Regulatory decision made |
25 January 2019 Incorporated into the investigation outcome for the February 2017 investigation. |
|
15674-2017 |
Gibberagee State Forest -Compartments 117 & 118 |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities
Alleged harm to animals and/or picking of plants |
4. Regulatory decision made |
25 January 2019 Official caution related to threatened species exclusion zone matters. Formal warning related to habitat and recruitment tree matters. |
|
15628-2016 |
Tantawangalo State Forest - |
Alleged damage to habitat of threatened species and/or ecological communities |
4. Regulatory decision made |
15 February 2019 Formal warning relating to exclusion zones, protection of retained trees and IFOA reporting matters. |
Questions and answers
What is the purpose of this register?
The register aims to keep community members who lodge reports with the EPA up to date on progress of EPA enquiries and investigations.
Why is my report not on the register?
- The register houses a subset of community reports only.
- Reports that raise concerns about Private Native Forestry Operations are not captured on the register.
- Reports that do not relate to the on-ground conduct of a forestry operation and do not contain specific allegations of non-compliance with the Integrated Forestry Operations Approval are not captured on the register.
- Reports that are resolved quickly through initial phone or in-field enquiries are also not captured on the register. Only reports that result in significant on-ground regulatory effort are included in the register.
What are the allegation categories and where do these categories come from?
The EPA broadly categorises allegations in community reports after a review of content. A number of categories may be applicable to any given report.
The allegation categories currently are:
- Alleged harm to animals and/or picking of plants
- Alleged damage to habitat of a threatened species and/or ecological communities
- Alleged soil erosion and/or water pollution
The EPA uses its best endeavours to ensure the register adequately categorises the nature of the complaint. However, it does not warrant the accuracy of the categories and is not responsible for any loss suffered as a result of reliance on it.
New categories may be added from time to time or existing categories may change as the register develops.
What further information can I get about report progress?
While investigations are underway, the EPA will limit information about the detail and status of evidence collection or analysis to ensure the investigation remains independent.
The EPA will provide updates about any significant developments in the progress of investigations in a timely manner. These changes will be reflected in updates to the register.
When an investigation is completed, notification of the outcome from investigation is provided directly to the community member who lodged the report. The register will be updated accordingly.
Why is my report taking so long to investigate?
Investigations of native forestry operations can take significant time to finalise, often up to and beyond a year.
Investigations may involve several aspects including the collection of evidence, obtaining expert advice and obtaining legal advice.
The timeframes are dependent on the complexity and volume of allegations, and the scale of the forestry operation.
What kind of information is noted on the register?
The register is only intended to provide high-level information on allegations made by members of the public regarding logging operations on public forestry land. Allegations included in the register are prompted by reports made by members of the public to the EPA, which in the EPA’s opinion warrants significant further enquiry. They are not matters that have been proven or determined as requiring or being the subject of further regulatory action.
While the EPA endeavours to ensure that the content of the register is accurate, it does not warrant the accuracy of the register and is not responsible for any loss suffered as a result of reliance on it.
When an investigation is concluded what action can the EPA take?
After an investigation has concluded, the EPA determines the appropriate course of action, including whether regulatory action is warranted and if so what type of regulatory action is appropriate, in accordance with the EPA's Compliance Policy.
How can I make a report?
If you have any information about forestry operations on State Forests that do not appear to comply with the IFOA, please contact us on 131 555 or at info@epa.nsw.gov.au
Please ensure you include the following information:
- State Forest
- Compartment
- Closest town
- Date you observed the issue
- Closest road, trail or log dump
- GPS co-ordinates (if known), or diagram showing the location of the allegation
- Details of your observation including as much identifying information as possible
- Details of what you are alleging
- Contact details, in case we need to obtain more information from you and to ensure we can advise you of the outcome of the inquiry or investigation.
What if I do not want my report included on the register?
Please notify us if you would prefer not to have allegations in your report included on this register when you are making a report.