Environmental Update June 2001

On July 9, auditors start their audit of Wenita's Environmental Management System (EMS). Wenita is being audited against the ISO 14001 and the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.

If we successfully pass the audits, we will then be able to claim that our forestry operations meet the ISO 14001 and the FSC standards. The FSC logo on our log and lumber products will enable us to sell into the US market with environmental certification.

Talon Banned

As the result of extensive stakeholder consultation over the use of chemical pesticides to kill possums, Wenita has taken the initiative of banning from use in Wenita forests, Talon and other pesticides containing the active ingredient brodifacoum.

This decision was taken after considering stakeholder comments, scientific evidence and the availability of suitable alternatives.

Brodifacoum has been found to persist in muscle and liver tissue of animals surviving a sub-lethal dose, thus threatening the health of humans or other animals eating them.

EMS Activity Report

Internal Audits

A further twenty internal audits have been completed since the last update. Improvement in environmental practices continues.

Where a fault has been found during an internal audit, the contractor during the post operational check has often noted it, but has had difficulty in determining what was an acceptable standard.

After a number of incidents involving slash in waterways, and following extensive discussion within the company, a poster was produced to improve the level of understanding of the acceptable standards for slash in waterways.

Environmental Incidents

Four Environmental Incidents have occurred since the last update.

One of these was as a result of a neighbour dumping quarry overburden into an area of protected indigenous habitat. The local authority is currently investigating this.

Another involved the death of domestic stock from 1080. The problem here appears to have been a breakdown in communication between the grazier and the animal control contractor. The problem was resolved by a Wenita staff member acting as a mediator.

The other two incidents involved a soil spill and a slip. Both have had water controls upgraded and have been revegetated.

Rubbish

Since the last issue of this newsletter, much of the old logging rubbish has been removed from our forests. It is pleasing to note that there have been few incidents of new rubbish appearing.

We are concerned at the amount of domestic rubbish appearing in our forests along the edges of public roads and roads open to the public. Recently a contractor spent two days cleaning up rubbish in the Kaitangata area.