Tyenna River Restoration Project

Best practice restoration for Tyenna River

As Manager of Anglers Access at Inland Fisheries Service, Neil Morrow has a keen interest in Tasmanian river health and access. Neil had been raising his concerns about riverside plantations in Maydena for almost a decade when he approached SFM, the then newly-appointed manager of a 27,000-hectare pine plantation, in 2021. Areas of the Maydena plantation, Lenah Estate, border the Tyenna and Junee Rivers, and Neil’s concerns were shared by locals and recreational fishers. 

“We had representation from anglers about 10 years ago that there was significant damage to the Tyenna and Junee rivers as a result of forest harvesting within close proximity to the riverbanks,” Neil says. “This had a number of negative implications, including for the habitat of important species like platypus and freshwater crayfish, and for recreational river users.” The planting of pine in such close proximity to the water had resulted in erosion and siltation, impacting the river’s ecosystem, and native flora and fauna.

Harvest had further challenged the area, with the removal of canopy protection leaving remaining vegetation at the mercy of high winds and saturated soil. “This river system is regarded as one of Tasmania’s premier trout fisheries, with the highest catch rate of any river in the state, and is also regularly used by kayakers,” Neil says. “It was important to protect the river for all of the benefits it affords to recreational users, and, ultimately, for the good of this unique natural environment.”

Both the Tyenna and Junee Rivers are classified as Class 1 streams, affording them a 40-metre streamside reserve for the protection of soil and water values under the Forest Practices Code 1985. However, having been established before the Code came into effect, it was up to the new owners and managers of the estate to consider the community’s concerns within a best practice approach. Neil brought his concerns to Leanne Chappell, Sustainability and Compliance Manager at SFM, who had recently assumed management rights of Lenah Estate.

SFM pride themselves on healthy sustainable plantation management, with strong attention to environmental stewardship, acknowledging the health of the surrounding biodiversity is an essential factor to the entire asset. “Along with New Forests as the owners of the estate, SFM prioritise managing our environments well,” Leanne says. “When this plantation was established by the previous owners, it was not considered noncompliant to plant right up to the riverbank, but we now question these old practices, and acknowledge that the environmental protection of these areas is more important than economic gain.” Leanne worked with Inland Fisheries and New Forests to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that cements a commitment from both parties to take actions that protect the environmental values of the estate now and into the future.

The MOU outlines a commitment to implement full 40-metre setbacks on the land around the rivers over the next three decades. Plantations will be incrementally harvested, and setback areas are already being rehabilitated through weed removal and the planting of native vegetation. Work has begun in an area near the Maydena township, where a young pine plantation has been removed, and replaced with endemic species. “This is an important collaboration between SFM, New Forest and Inland Fisheries, working together to achieve an outcome that has benefits for a wide range of stakeholders and the environment,” Leanne says. “We were really keen to get this remediation and restoration project started as soon as possible, and we look forward to continuing this work to reinstate the area and add value to the rivers.”

The positive impacts of the Tyenna and Junee Rivers remediation project will be felt by communities, wildlife and the natural environment alike. As the newly-planted native vegetation grows and creates a canopy, the water temperatures will naturally cool.

“We’ve seen climate change have an impact on the rivers, with lower flows and increased water temperatures, neither of which is good for native fish and other aquatic life,” Neil says. “By improving the shade over the river with native species, we will see the water temperature decrease, improving the natural habitat.” Water flow, oxygen levels and yield will also be improved as weeds and windthrown material are removed from the rivers during the remediation works.

In their role as managers of Lenah Estate, SFM continues to demonstrate their commitment to compliance within forest management systems, and achieving a healthy environment, people, communities and economy. “It’s evident that SFM is committed to improving the environmental outcomes of practices within the Tyenna and Junee Rivers,” Neil says. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with SFM, and value their commitment to best practice.”