Model template for a PLANTATION DEVELOPMENT NOTICE for plantation establishment in Victoria

To assist plantation owners prepare and lodge a Plantation Development Notice (PDN) in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.1 of the Code of Practice for Timber Production (2007).

Version 2.1, October 2009

This Model Plantation¹ Development Notice (PDN) Template has been developed as an aid to plantation owners in Victoria.

Section 4.1 of the Code of Practice for Timber Production 2007 (the Code) indicates the circumstances when a PDN must be prepared and submitted to the relevant local government authority and what must be included in a PDN. An extract of the relevant provision from section 4.1 of the Code is provided in the notes on the following page.

It is not mandatory to use this template for the preparation of a PDN for plantation establishment. Plantation owners are free to prepare and lodge a PDN in any format that complies with the requirements of the Code.

¹ The Code of Practice for Timber Production (2007) defines plantations as "...managed stands of trees of either native or exotic species, planted or sown primarily for timber production purposes".

Notes

A. Timber production on private land in Victoria

Timber production on private land in Victoria is subject to the provisions of the applicable Municipal Planning Scheme. These provisions include Clause 52.18 which, amongst other things, requires that all timber production activities (unless otherwise exempted) must comply with the Code of Practice for Timber Production. The Code must be complied with to the satisfaction of the responsible authority (Local government).

B. Relevant extracts from the Code of Practice for Timber Production 2007

1. Description of land to which Code applies (Code: page 6)
   
   

   "The Code does not apply to agroforestry, windbreaks or other amenity plantings, or to the occasional felling of trees for local uses on the same property or by the same landowner or manager. Small plantations and woodlots of five hectares or less are also exempt from the Code, as are plantings established for non-commercial purposes. The Code does not apply to revegetation operations conducted for the purposes of erosion or salinity control."

2. Chapter 4 Application of the Code – Plantations (Code: page 58)
   
   

   "Plantations are managed stands of trees of either native or exotic species, planted or sown primarily for timber production purposes."

   A Mandatory Action in section 4.1 Plantation Planning and Design reads in part....

   "For new plantations where a planning permit is not required, a Plantation Development Notice must be lodged with the local government not less than 28 days prior to the commencement of site preparation...

   A Plantation Development Notice must include:

   • the landowners name and address;
   • the total area to be planted;
   • species to be planted
   • year of planting; and
   • a map of the plantation, showing:
   • • the location of the plantation;
     • any access roads or tracks;
     • powerlines; and
     • any retained native vegetation within the plantation boundaries".

C. Advice to plantation owners

The Code defines a 'new plantation' as "a plantation development where the previous land use was not plantation". Thus, lodgement of a PDN is not required for the re-establishment of subsequent plantation rotations on the same land.

A primary function of a PDN is to notify local government of the intent of the plantation owner to establish and manage a plantation for timber production or other commercial purposes. A plantation owner may choose to lodge a PDN for subsequent plantation rotations, or for a plantation to which the Code does not apply, for example, to document that plantation trees have (again) been established with the objective of managing them for timber production (commercial) purposes.

Plantation owners are encouraged to obtain acknowledgment of lodgement of the PDN from the applicable local government authority.

Plantation Development Notice

Forward this completed Plantation Development Notice to the Local Government Authority in whose jurisdiction the plantation will be developed.

Section A. Plantation owner

Section B. The landowner

Complete this section if the plantation owner is NOT the landowner.

Section C. Plantation (or woodlot/timberbelt) location

Section D. Description of the plantation (or woodlot/timberbelt areas)

1. List new plantation(s) being established
2. Optional: list existing plantation(s) – if not previously covered by a PDN.

Section E. A map of the plantation

Show Plantation area(s) referred to in this notice by drawing on an existing map (e.g. 1: 25 000 Vicmap series - enlarged if necessary) and attaching it to this notice, or sketch a location map on this page.

LEGEND
Access roads or tracks			Plantation boundary
Powerlines			Property boundary
Native vegetation			Rivers or creeks
Other (please specify):			Other (please specify):
MAP REFERENCE
Map reference (of plantation centre)	Grid reference
	Map sheet name
	Map sheet number
	Scale	1: