Transitioning to sustainable timber production in Kangaroo Valley

Introduction

Ruben FitzSimons grew up on his family’s property on the NSW South Coast. Childhood experiences in the bush helped Ruben to forge a connection to the land.  

In 1910 the property was completely cleared for dairy farming. Much of the property has since regenerated into native forest with some parts well developed but others with a large feral weed burden that includes mainly:

• small leafed privet
• lantana
• wild tobacco. 

Ruben's parents run a small cattle herd on the property. 

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Video transcript

The family tree of forest management

My name's Ruben FitzSimons.
My background is in engineering,
but over the last couple of years,
I've found myself drawn quite deeply
into the world of small scale timber production and tree growing.
Mum and dad run a small herd of cattle across
this property and we are also grazing
a lot of neighbours, even smaller properties.
Growing up here, I loved it I guess.
I've always been strongly connected with the bush.
My understanding has definitely changed.
At some point it was all the bush and now
it's hard for me to not recognise
an individual species, for instance.
I'm producing and selling nursery stock,
facilitating some tree planting type services.
Any harvesting we're performing ourselves
with a small tractor and a winch,
trying to be as gentle as possible in engaging with the forest
and carefully watching to see
how it responds to those adjustments.
I am doing some milling on the property.
I've got a portable bandsaw mill
and that's been a really critical part
of our engagement with the forest.
My first personal connection with Local Land Services
has been working through the
Private Native Forestry application process,
assessing the forest and ultimately establishing a plan for it.
In our context, this whole landscape
was fully cleared in I think 1910.
It’s certainly a landscape
that has been impacted by farming
and the PNF framework has offered an avenue
into being able to manage our regrowth forest
for its own health, let alone any timber production side of things.
The Master TreeGrower course, that I'm doing it,
yeah I’ve found it particularly interesting
connecting with other growers and timber producers.
There’s a small group of us who are actively saw milling.
I've learned a lot already
and definitely some of the
more traditional forestry skills I guess.
For example, calculating the basal area of a forest
using a basal area sweep on a tape measure.
Growing up down here we were always involved in landcare.
Landcare is very exclusively focused on conservation.
There are opportunities to engage in
tree management, timber production
that can have really strong conservation benefits
and also produce an economic output.
To other landowners,
I would encourage people to consider
whether there is some possibility of them
engaging more actively in their forests.
If a landowner wants to consider
any form of harvest and sale of timber
from vegetation on their property,
the only way that that's possible
is through engaging with LLS
and registering a plan for a PNF.
Yeah, I found LLS to be a great group of people to work with.
It's remarkable that it is a free service.
In terms of vision for the property,
I can see us being able to sustainably
harvest small volumes of niche high value species.
We're definitely trying to engage in
more regenerative agriculture practices.
The operation has been gentle on the environment
under mum and dad's management.
We're pursuing soil health outcomes
and I'm excited to see how some of these
newer practices that we're engaged in,
what the impact will be from them,
ask me again in another 20 years.
 

Challenge

The dense and unmanaged forest on the property hampered biodiversity and forest health. It also increased the risk of fire and drought vulnerability without intervention.  

The regrowth forest was densely stocked with small-diameter trees, leading to poor structural diversity and few hollow-bearing or habitat trees. Further assessment also revealed that many locally native plants were not present because of grazing pressure from feral deer. Managing the excessive tree stocking and feral animals proved difficult, particularly in the absence of a clear return on investment and competing demands on the rest of the farm operation.

Ruben wanted to manage his regrowth forest to improve its health while also enabling sustainable timber production.  

Ruben's parents had managed the property using low impact techniques, a tradition Ruben wanted to continue while also developing small-scale timber production capabilities. Before Ruben's involvement there hadn't been a plan for the native forests on the property. 

Solution

Local Land Services (LLS) provided Ruben a legal and practical pathway to manage regrowth and harvest timber through a Private Native Forestry (PNF) plan. Through this plan, LLS provided:

• a forest assessment and planning to create a long-term strategy for managing the forest
• support and guidance regarding the PNF Codes of Practice
• opportunities for ongoing learning and connection with other landholders.

Ruben then had a framework to manage his native forest and he used it to transition their focus to small-scale timber production, tree growing and regenerative agriculture.  

Ruben undertook the Australian Agroforestry Foundation's Master TreeGrowers course and has improved his knowledge of traditional forestry skills including:  

• calculating the basal area of a forest
• how to use a basal area sweep on a tape measure
• developing the skills and confidence to manage the forest for dual biodiversity and production outcomes.

"I would encourage people to consider whether there is some possibility of them engaging more actively in their forests. In the face of climate change and the wide array of threats to ecosystems, careful active management of some areas offers a way forward to create positive change."
- Ruben FitzSimons

Outcomes

By working with LLS and implementing a PNF plan, Ruben has been able to:  

• improve forest health by thinning dense regrowth and encouraging biodiversity  
• create a pathway for ongoing sustainable small-scale, high-value timber harvesting
• invest more time into sustainable land management
• dedicate time and resources to fauna monitoring and habitat development
• integrate forestry with cattle grazing and regenerative farming practices  
• increase plantings across cleared grazing areas with “silvopasture” layouts of high value local cabinet timber species
• strengthen soil health and fire resilience  
• build new skills and networks with other local tree growers and producers. 

Ruben’s active management shows how small-scale harvesting can sustainably deliver ecological benefits, diversify farm income, and support long-term resilience in farming landscapes. 

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