EPA staff lack basic equipment for forestry inspections, NSW auditor-general finds

A performance report from the New South Wales’ auditor-general into the regulation of public native forestry has found failings on multiple levels in the state-owned Forestry Corporation and the government agency tasked with environmental compliance.

In the report released last week, NSW auditor-general Margaret Crawford found some Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officers lacked the necessary equipment to undertake basic forestry inspections.

“Not all regional field staff in areas with forestry operations have access to other forestry-specific equipment such as specialised tapes for measuring tree diameter, range finders, dendrometers and snake bite kit,” the report read.

Field staff are required to use electronic mapping, but the report has found offices do not necessarily have a computer.

“Some offices do not have a tablet available to staff for this purpose, meaning that staff may have to bring their own tablets from home to access this information,” the report read.

“It is vital for the EPA to ensure that field staff have the appropriate equipment available to enable them to undertake inspections of native forestry sites.”

Ms Crawford made four recommendations for the EPA, including ensuring basic equipment was included and boosting the number of staff trained for forest inspections.

Tools needed for effective regulation

Conservationist Dailan Pugh, from the North-East Forest Alliance, said he was appalled to read that staff from the EPA did not have access to basic tools, which were readily available online.

“One of the key tools they need is a diameter tape, and that’s a $70 bit of equipment,” he said.

“It’s been around for centuries and yet the EPA isn’t even issued them to go out and audit forestry operations.”

Mr Pugh is a regular environmental campaigner in the forest, which involves measuring old growth and large trees with a tape measure.

“It’s gross incompetence,” he said.

“They are not training their staff and not giving them equipment such as an iPad [for mapping].

“It’s outrageous. How can you regulate when you don’t have the tools to regulate?”

Investing in new equipment

EPA executive director of regional regulatory operations Carmen Dwyer said the organisation was focusing on supporting staff.

“We are also investing in new technologies and equipment to ensure our staff are better resourced to undertake forestry inspections across the state,” Ms Dwyer said.

“Two of the four recommendations have already been implemented to ensure a sustainable native forestry industry.”

One of those recommendations is for the EPA and Forestry Corporation to progress a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations, which was signed in December 2019.

Environmental lawyer and NSW Upper House MP Sue Higginson said the report found both organisations were seriously lacking.

“Tape measures are a fundamental requirement to undertake a compliance report or inspection of a forestry operation because one of the key aspects is what sized tree are you allowed to cut down,” she said.

Ms Higginson said following the 2019-20 bushfires, forestry compliance had become even more important in the state-owned forests.

A matter of perspective

The EPA and Forestry Corporation both view the report as a positive.

Ms Dwyer said the EPA had strong regulatory capabilities and was pleased the audit office recognised these.

Forestry Corporation strategy planning manager for the hardwood division, Tony Brown, said he was pleased with the audit results.

“We note the audit office has highlighted some key findings around things that we do very well as an organisation, and we also welcome the opportunity to look at the recommendations to further improve our processes and systems,” he said.

The auditor-general’s report found that contractor compliance appeared to be improving, but the Forestry Corporation’s recording of potential non-compliance was inconsistently or inaccurately documented.

The report also noted that audits were sporadic and not based on areas where there had been failings or adverse risk assessments.

Mr Brown said the Forestry Corporation would look at the six recommendations made by the Auditor-General.

“We certainly accept and appreciate the opportunity for an external party to look at our processes and to identify opportunities for us to improve our processes,” he said.

“We are working to standardise the processes between regions that may be operating under slightly different regulations.”

Mr Pugh said he would continue to rely on his tape measure to do the job the EPA could not do.

“We have a whole lot more failings going on out in the bush as well that haven’t been considered,” he said.