Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
OHS requirements:
are to be in line with applicable commonwealth, state or territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
personal protective equipment and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
fire fighting equipment
hazard and risk control
fatigue management
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
safe forest practices, including required actions relating to forest fire
manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying
Environmental requirements may include:
legislation
organisational policies and procedures
workplace practices
Legislative requirements:
are to be in line with applicable commonwealth, state or territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:
award and enterprise agreements
industrial relations
Australian Standards
confidentiality and privacy
OHS
the environment
equal opportunity
anti-discrimination
relevant industry codes of practice
duty of care
Organisational requirements may include:
legal
organisational and site guidelines
policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
quality assurance
procedural manuals
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
ethical standards
recording and reporting requirements
equipment use, maintenance and storage requirements
environmental management requirements (waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)
Thinning operations
may be designed to:
maintain the health of the stand
improve productivity and long-term sustainability
provide for end product mix requirements
manage notifiable weeds
and may impact:
organisation's public relations
Environmental protection measures may relate to:
ground growth
canopy
general forest lean
wind speed and direction
fallen trees
density of trees
ground slope
soil and water protection
ground hazards and obstacles
contingencies for modifying operations during wet or other adverse weather conditions
hygiene of the area
relevant commonwealth, state or territory, and local legislation and regulations, including issues related to notification of neighbours
Parameters
may affect treatment recommendations and include:
forest type
size and geography of treatment area
equipment and personnel available
budget available
local environmental conditions
age and size of trees and stand parameters, including DBH distribution, basal area, crown health, tree size, species and tree bark characteristics
Method
may be in line with:
sampling undertaken
forest type
species
stand history
organisational requirements or procedures
Appropriate personnel may include:
supervisors
management
colleagues
clients
relevant groups
contractors
Relevant plans may include:
tending plans
harvesting plans
organisational marketing and strategic plans
plans or regulations relating to chemical use and environmental requirements
Measured may include:
girth
height
number
spread
Overwood treatment may be:
expressed as a number of trees per hectare removed
and may include:
felling
poisoning
sapringing
ringbarking
Approvals
may be required by:
environmental bodies
local, state or territory, and federal government bodies and agencies
long-term budget processes
Communicationmay include:
verbal and non-verbal language
constructive feedback
active listening
questioning to clarify and confirm understanding
use of positive, confident and cooperative language
use of language and concepts appropriate to individual social and cultural differences
control of tone of voice
Resources may include:
time
people
materials
chemicals
Equipment may include:
geographic information systems
aerial photography
hand tools
mechanical equipment, such as chainsaw and harvesting equipment
Authorisations may include:
permits
approvals
licences relating to neighbouring sites or properties
hours of operation
use and application of chemicals
the environment
Documentation requirements:
may be required where chemical agents are used for treatment
and may include changes to:
prescriptions
supplementary notifications and approvals
reports
amendments to maps and plans
Monitoring points:
may be time-based and frequency-based
and may include:
stream monitoring
mechanical damage to trees
Checked may include:
following OHS, organisational, legislative and environmental regulations, procedures, practices and precautions
adherence to site environmental imperatives
specifications, quality and performance targets
documentation completed and submitted as required
Information
may be:
written
printed
verbal
electronic
visually displayed
may include:
aerial photographs
history of forest
visual observation
local regulations and by-laws
Records and reports may include:
difficulties or issues faced during planning and implementing the program
forest assessments
recommendations for future work
results
costs
data analysis
and may be:
manual
a computer-based system
other appropriate organisational communication system

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can safely and efficiently plan, implement and review non-commercial thinning operations
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to, and satisfy, all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:
following applicable commonwealth, state or territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to planning and implementing non-commercial thinning operations
following organisational policies and procedures relevant to planning and implementing non-commercial thinning operations
planning non-commercial thinning operations in consultation with management to obtain inputs, and ensure efficient and safe processes and timelines
safely conducting a non-commercial thinning operation in line with documented plan and budget, including marking trees for appropriate treatment
reviewing operations and using findings to document improvements to future operations
preparing and presenting a detailed report, including costs, processes and assessment of the operation
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
Assessment is to follow relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements
The following resources should be made available:
workplace location or simulated workplace
materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
specifications and work instructions
Method of assessment
Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge
Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge
Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role