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Monitoring Annual Harvesting Performance (MAHP)

What is MAHP?

The Monitoring Annual Harvesting Performance (MAHP) project is an initiative of the 2002 Our Forests, Our Future program to ensure the sustainable future of Victoria’s State forests and the communities they support.

Monitoring the level of sawlog harvesting is one of the sustainability indicators used by DSE to manage Victoria's State forests for the best possible environmental, social and economic future. MAHP, together with processes such as improved timber resource estimates, new resource allocation mechanisms and independent audits and reviews, contributes to demonstrating sustainable forest management.

The MAHP project consolidates monitoring processes into one framework so that information can be used to continually improve DSE’s forest models and improve the reliability of resource estimates.

MAHP reporting reflects different management arrangements in Victoria’s State forests, with VicForests operating in the east of the State. For Forest Management Areas (FMAs) in which VicForests operate, the level of harvesting is monitored on an area basis against the Allocation Order, while for other FMAs in the west, the level of harvesting is monitored against current estimates of sawlog volume availability.

The key components of MAHP reporting are:

• comparison of estimates of available volume and area with that harvested
• comparison of volume harvested with DSE supply commitments
• assessment of VicForests harvesting against the Allocation Order
• assessment of DSE area and volume models
• report on VicForests monitoring activities such as regeneration and thinning.

Expert Independent Advisory Panel (EIAP) review

In 2003, the Minister for Environment appointed an Expert Independent Advisory Panel (EIAP) to review the MAHP process and make recommendations where improvements are necessary. The Panel comprised:

• Professor Jerry Vanclay (chair), Professor for Sustainable Forestry and Head of the Forestry Program, Southern Cross University
• Associate Professor Cris Brack, Forestry Program Convenor and Senior Lecturer in Forest Inventory, Mensuration and Modelling, Australian National University

Each year, EIAP reviews the MAHP reports and provides a Review Report outlining its findings.

MAHP Reports - 2006/07

The following documents provide a Statewide summary of the MAHP process for the 2006/07 harvest season

MAHP statewide summary report (PDF - 2.3 MB)

MAHP statewide summary brochure (PDF - 309 KB)

The Expert Advisory Panel have reviewed the 2006/07 MAHP process and provided a written report detailing their recommendations

EIAP MAHP report (PDF - 178 KB)

For further information regarding the Monitoring Annual Harvesting Performance process or copies of previous MAHP or EIAP reports, please contact DSE’s Customer Service Centre on 136 186