Forestry South Africa (FSA) has released the latest edition of its Environmental Guidelines for Commercial Forestry Plantations in South Africa, providing best management practice recommendations for minimising the impact of forest operations on the environment.

Over the last few years, there have been several developments in South African legislation and international forest certification schemes. At the same time, the role of forests in a carbon economy has meant forest management has been gaining increased attention. 

The latest version of the guidelines begins with an explanation of the changes in the country’s environmental laws that underpin the forestry industry’s environmental stewardship. 

The following chapters describe how forestry managers can achieve and maintain legal compliance. It includes information on chemicals and pesticide uses, carbon calculations, climate change implications and the inclusion of new chapters on emergency incidents and disaster management, greenhouse gas reporting, regulations for hazardous chemical agents and integrated pest management. 

The Environmental Guidelines is a substantial document. FSA has developed useful infographics outlining the content of the chapters.

The document and infographics are available at HYPERLINK "https://www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za/2021-environmental-guidelines/"https://www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za/2021-environmental-guidelines/.