Introduction Plantation forestry is a valuable land use in Marlborough. Amongst other things, it provides employment, can help stabilise erosion prone land and sequests carbon dioxide. However, the harvesting phase can result in a dramatic change to the environment. Forest harvesting involves earthworks to construct roads, tracks and skid sites (harvest landings). It also involves vegetation removal - the trees being harvested and in some instances native or other vegetation that gets removed or destroyed in the process. If good practices are not followed there is the potential for adverse environmental effects. Earthworks are a significant investment. Good construction and regular, ongoing maintenance helps to protect the investment and also meet the environmental obligations under the Resource Management Act (RMA). There are legal obligations under the RMA and Marlborough’s own Resource Management Plans that require the environmental effects of forest harvesting to be appropriately managed. The Marlborough Sounds and Wairau/Awatere Resource Management Plans set environmental standards that all forest harvest operations must meet. Resource consents impose conditions for harvest operations, which also must be met. Check with the Marlborough District Council to determine if resource consent is required. Forest owners, managers and all contractors should be thoroughly familiar with the permitted activity standards in the Resource Management Plans and any resource consents before starting operations. The Purpose of this Guide There are often different ways of meeting the environmental standards of Marlborough’s plans and the conditions of resource consent. The practical methods described in this guide provide examples to help you achieve good environmental outcomes. This guide is intended as a first port of call when considering how to manage the environmental effects of forest harvest operations. It outlines in broad terms: • What Marlborough’s Resource Management Plans are trying to achieve in terms of environmental performance with forest harvest operations. • Basic methods to help achieve compliance with permitted activities and resource consent conditions. • Where you can find more information. 1