Elements and Performance Criteria

OHS requirements:
are to be in line with applicable federal, state or territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
safety management systems
safe work procedures
site safety plans and emergency evacuations
the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
firefighting equipment
hazard and risk control
fatigue management
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
safe forest practices, including required actions relating to forest fire
techniques for manual handling, including shifting, lifting and carrying
machine guarding

Regulatory requirements:
are to be in line with applicable legislation from all levels of government that affect sustainable silvicultural operations and may include:
environment protection and biodiversity conservation
silviculture codes and guidelines
ecological sustainability
environmental planning and assessment
threatened species conservation
critical habitat register
native vegetation
federal, state or territory forestry legislation and local government regulations
native forest legislation
forest operational plans
specific site environmental management plans
relevant codes of practice, including Safe Work Australia code of practice ‘Managing Risks in Forest Operations’
water catchment management
surface and ground water conservation requirements
relevant Australian and industry standards
hazard reduction policy and procedures
reforestation codes
fisheries and fish passage
National Parks and Wildlife legislation
good neighbour policies
duty of care
heritage and traditional landowner requirements

Organisational requirements may include:
legal compliance documentation
recording and reporting
environmental management requirements, including waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines
operational plan, including organisation and site guidelines

Various forest types may include:
coast and tableland native forests
inland native forests and woodlands
River Red Gum and river flood plain native forests
tropical forests
exotic plantations
native plantations

Silvicultural methods and techniques may include:
slash or harvesting residue burning
scarification
enhancement planting or supplementary planting
fertilisation
thinning
pruning
waste thinning and non-commercial thinning
commercial thinning
harvesting
gapping

Appropriate personnel may include:
colleague
leading hand
bush boss
foreman
supervisor
manager
safety officer
environmental officer

Changing conditions:
are those conditions that can alter or change and therefore require different work strategies or practices to protect the native forest environment from an increased risk of harm and may include:
recently declared or potentially rare and endangered species identified
unexpected flora or fauna encountered
new or potential habitat
ecology or ecosystem changes
tree size, condition and species
undergrowth and ground cover
canopy
environmental features
operational conditions
ground conditions
weather conditions
wind
dust
smoke
fire
cultural sensitivity
forest type
land tenure
code of practice
quality of roads and tracks

Documentation and reporting may include:
specific organisational records, reports and forms
update of forest operational plan
legislative compliance
non-compliance reports
operational inspection reports
environmental audits
environmental incident or accident reports
reports on any threatened or endangered species of plant, animal or other organisms
presence of unexpected flora and fauna
information on habitats or landscape features
exclusion zone amendments
notifiable species list
risk and hazard or potential hazard control measure reports
timber felling and extraction records
certification requirements
incident or accident reports
landing and snig track design
road and crossing design
on-site mill waste disposal
drainage line and buffer zone specifications
development operations
heritage and traditional landowner reports
work practice improvement recommendations, which may be manual or computer-based

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 apply and monitor sustainable silvicultural principles in a native forest

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 federal, state or territory, and local government regulatory, environmental and OHS requirements, codes of practice and industry standards relevant to applying sustainable silvicultural principles
following organisational policies and procedures relevant to implementing and monitoring sustainable silvicultural principles
effective communication and safe work practices
implementing best practice and industry-acceptable silvicultural practices
monitoring and maintaining sustainable silvicultural procedures
identifying and reporting non-compliant work practices
completing relevant workplace documentation and reporting processes

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a 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 requirements and Australian standards
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 methods 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, 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