25.1 Managing the risks of wood residual and biomass processing

25.1.1

Wood residual and biomass processing can be broken into two categories:

• the collection and processing of post-harvest wood residual (slash and waste) from an existing harvest site
• the planting, managing, processing and regeneration of forests for biomass production.

Managing slash on landings

25.1.2

There are several options for managing slash on landings. These include:

• permanent slash storage
• temporary slash storage
• slash benches
• carting away or storing off-site
• mulching and chipping
• burning.

25.1.3

For more information on these options and any risks they carry, see the New Zealand Forest Service Slash risk management handbook.

Post-harvest wood residual collection and processing

25.1.4

You must consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with other PCBUs you have overlapping duties with (see Section 3.3).

25.1.5

Work with the forest owner or manager, and harvest contractor around site access and working around any current harvest operation.

25.1.6

For managing any risk from their activities, refer to the relevant sections of this guidance.

25.1.7

Make sure you have 'work alone' procedures if there are no other PCBUs or workers on site. See Section 3.4 for the requirements for remote and isolated work.

Biomass forest production, management and harvest

25.1.8

You must consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with other PCBUs you have overlapping duties with (see Section 3.3). Refer to the sections of this guidance that are relevant to your harvest system (for example, steep slope harvesting, cable yarding, mechanised processing).