Interim Report on Complaint Investigation

The Forest Practices Board is an independent government body that reports to the public about compliance and enforcement of the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.

One of the responsibilities of the Board is to deal with public complaints relating to forestry matters included in the Code.

The Board is completing an investigation and preparing a final report about a complaint received by the Board in November 1995. The complaint involves the preparation and approval of three silvicultural prescriptions and logging operations which the complainant asserted were within the habitat of an extremely rare, probably endangered species of mushroom on Mount Elphinstone in the Sunshine Coast Forest District.

The Board is aware that decision-makers in government, and the licensee for TSL A48268, are awaiting a report from the Board prior to making a decision about whether logging can begin again in the three blocks that are involved in the complaint.

The Board is issuing this Interim Report to make statements which will clarify matters aris-ing from the investigation which may have a bearing on the decision about whether logging can begin again in the three blocks.

The Board has considered submissions received in response to circulation of a draft report and the substantial issues raised in those submissions. It will take some time for the Board to complete a Final Report on this matter. Once completed, the Final Report will deal comprehensively with this complaint, the investigation conclusions and the Board’s recommendations.