OPW Fauna Management Plan RFI Response · OPW25/0057

Fauna Management Plan v1                                                                        NCES REF: J001343
Lot 105 on SP118458 – 62 Lake MacDonald Drive, Cooroy, QLD



5     FAUNA MANAGEMENT MEASURES – DURING CLEARING

5.1        Vegetation Clearing Direction
All trees are to be searched for wildlife presence prior to felling and potential or known habitat trees
are to be left standing for a minimum of one night prior to eventual felling.
All trees for removal should be felled in open areas of the site to avoid impacts to surrounding and
vegetation. The management measures detailed below are general in nature and all measures may
not apply to the subject site. The fauna spotter/catcher will ultimately be responsible for determining
which management measures are applicable based on the pre-clearing fauna surveys.
5.2        Sequential Vegetation Clearing
Vegetation clearing is to be carried out using a sequential clearing method as follows:
      1.         Any habitat trees; hollow-bearing trees and/or other significant habitat features identified
                 during the initial site inspection, are to be cleared last.
      2. The grassy understorey is to be slashed first to create a disturbance activity which
         encourages ground dwelling fauna to relocate from the impact area.
      3. Non-habitat trees will be cleared and stockpiled for mulching. Clearing of non-habitat trees
         using machinery will only occur where their removal will not directly impact adjoining habitat
         trees (e.g., canopies do not interconnect).
      4. After clearing of non-habitat trees, an elevated work platform or cherry-picker will be used in
         conjunction with a chainsaw operator and suitably qualified fauna spotter/catcher to inspect
         and remove arboreal habitat as necessary prior to habitat tree felling. This method involves
         the fauna spotter/catcher inspecting each of the potential habitat features to determine the
         presence of arboreal fauna. This process is detailed following the step-by-step basis below:
           i.       The fauna spotter/catcher (with arborist unless the fauna spotter/catcher has a working
                    from heights certificate and chainsaw certificate) will inspect each potential habitat
                    resource (i.e., ringtail possum drey) identified in each tree using the cherry-picker. This
                    is usually carried out by simply looking into hollows with the assistance of a small torch,
                    however, burrow and bore-scopes can also be useful for deep hollows.
           ii.      If fauna is located within a hollow, the tree is either to be left standing for such time until
                    the fauna relocates on its own accord, or a piece of towel or rag will be firmly placed in
                    the entrance to prevent the wildlife from escaping as in most cases arboreal fauna
                    become aware of the presence of the fauna spotter/catcher and may attempt to flee the
                    nesting/denning hollow due to a perceived threat. If an occupied ringtail possum drey is
                    encountered, the fauna spotter/catcher should quietly approach (i.e., avoid contacting
                    other branches) the drey in the cherry-picker bucket and physically capture the possum
                    by placing the entire drey in a catch bag or only the possum if it emerges from the drey.
       iii.         In instances where the fauna does not relocate on its own accord, and once the hollow
                    entrance has been secured, the arborist or fauna spotter/catcher will cut the entire hollow
                    limb off below the cavity where the branch remains solid. In circumstances where a
                    hollow continues into the main stem of the tree, a small window will be carefully cut into
                    the hollow, allowing the fauna spotter/catcher to plug the hollow above and below the
                    window, then the hollow limb removed and lowered to the ground in sections.
       iv.          When the fauna has been safely secured within its hollow, the entire limb can then be
                    placed in the cherry-picker bucket or lowered to the ground using ropes depending on
                    the size of the limb.
         v.         The catch bag will then be placed in a cool, quiet location until translocation to the
                    recipient habitat site, when at dusk the bag is re-opened to allow the fauna to emerge of
                    its own accord.
All vegetation is to be felled onto the site and is to avoid impacts to offsite vegetation. Any disturbance
to adjoining vegetation, including incidental deposition of vegetative waste material, is to be




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