ForestrySA

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Forest Industries. Will the minister update the council about ForestrySA's latest community service obligations memorandum of administrative agreement annual report?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for his question. ForestrySA has custodianship of approximately 32,300 hectares of land mainly comprising of standing pine plantation and native forest reserve in the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Green Triangle. The South Australian Forestry Corporation, known as ForestrySA, has a charter mandating a range of community service obligations (CSOs) to cover non-commercial activities that would not normally be provided by a commercial entity.

The government of South Australia funds the non-commercial activities through my department, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, via a memorandum of administrative arrangement to define outcomes and standards of delivery for services in native forest management, community use of forest reserves, forest industry development, and community fire protection. I am pleased to update the council with a summary of ForestrySA's achievements and highlights in these regards over the past 12 months. Some of those highlights include:

630,000 visitors to ForestrySA's forests, with the majority, of course, being in the Mount Lofty Ranges;

over 4,600 students attending 74 school camps;

over 8,800 permits being issued for camping, horseriding, fossicking and adventure caving;

an incredible 3,970 volunteer hours conducting trail audits and maintenance, weed control, feral animal control, revegetation, and management of the Kuitpo Forest koala food plantation for provision of koala food for Cleland Wildlife Park;

52,548 people visited the TreeClimb at Kuitpo Forest;

a total of 491 community events were held involving over 10,000 people, including facilitation of the Pines Enduro motorsport event, which involved 2,000 people;

projects to understand, protect and restore culturally significant Aboriginal sites and heritage were undertaken in partnership with local elders, Aboriginal community and schools, including the new Purrumpa Trail in Mount Gawler Native Forest Reserve, named in consultation with the Kaurna as part of National Reconciliation Week 2024;

ForestrySA campground and accommodation facilities continued to be popular, with the booking system opened 12 months in advance. Upgrades were made to Chookarloo Campground, Old School House and Thomas Hill House, and new horse yards were erected at Ponderosa, made with timber harvested from the Mount Crawford Forest;

ForestrySA received a grant from the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing for two new adaptive trails for the Fox Creek Bike Park, which facilitate three and four-wheeled bikes, opening further opportunities for people living with disabilities;

under funding arrangements with ForestrySA, the Department for Environment and Water responded to three fire incidents in the Green Triangle during the season and ForestrySA responded to 28 fire incidents in the Mount Lofty Ranges; and

community use of forest reserves has remained high, with continued progression made in community engagements, partnerships and programs such as Aboriginal cultural projects and Friends of the Forests.

It was also pleasing to see that ForestrySA is strongly committed to the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainable forestry. Our forest management system is certified by Responsible Wood's Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management, which requires compliance with internationally accepted criteria. Importantly, this ensures protection of production, Indigenous, heritage, social and environmental values across the ForestrySA plantation estate, values which I would hope we could all commit to.