Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

FPICOT3255 Mapping and Delivery Guide
Apply silvicultural principles

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency FPICOT3255 - Apply silvicultural principles
Description This unit describes the outcomes required to access, interpret and apply sustainable silvicultural principles to native forests.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit involves following legislation, an appropriate management regime, and industry-acceptable criteria to identify target species, and the selection and retention of merchantable trees during native forest operations.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites Not applicable
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities
Slides
PPT
Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Access and interpret silvicultural principles in legislation and organisational procedures
  • Identify and review information on occupational health and safety(OHS), environmental, regulatory requirements and organisational requirements relevant to sustainable native forest operations for various forest types
  • Identify and interpret key principles and requirements that apply to sustainable silvicultural methods and techniques
  • Identify target species in line with approved forest operational plan and organisational procedures
       
Element: Assess forest condition
  • Review work order and identify and clarify sustainable native forest requirements with appropriate personnel
  • Select and use appropriate techniques and tools to measure tree and stand height
  • Calculate basal area and assess tree dominance and crown vigour using an approved industry process
  • Determine and record standing tree defects
  • Identify and mark merchantable trees in line with organisational procedures
       
Element: Implement silvicultural practices
  • Calculate and apply tree retention and stocking criteria according to legislative requirements and operational plan
  • Select appropriate silvicultural methods and techniques to meet environmental and production requirements
  • Identify situations requiring specialist advice and seek assistance in line with organisational requirements
       
Element: Monitor work practices to ensure compliance with legislation
  • Monitor and adjust work practices to meet changing conditions
  • Monitor and maintain sustainable native forest practices in line with relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational requirements
  • Identify and report non-compliant work practices to appropriate personnel
  • Identify improved work practices and recommend improvements in line with organisational continuous improvement procedures
       
Element: Maintain records
  • Revise and update forest operational plan and organisational procedures as required
  • Complete relevant documentation and reporting processes according to relevant legislation, codes and organisational requirements
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can apply and monitor sustainable silvicultural principles in a native forest

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:

following applicable federal, state or territory, and local government regulatory, environmental and OHS requirements, codes of practice and industry standards relevant to applying sustainable silvicultural principles

following organisational policies and procedures relevant to implementing and monitoring sustainable silvicultural principles

effective communication and safe work practices

implementing best practice and industry-acceptable silvicultural practices

monitoring and maintaining sustainable silvicultural procedures

identifying and reporting non-compliant work practices

completing relevant workplace documentation and reporting processes

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a realistically simulated workplace

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints

Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context

Assessment is to follow relevant regulatory requirements and Australian standards

The following resources should be made available:

workplace location or simulated workplace

materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit

specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package

Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge

Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills

Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access, interpret and apply the required knowledge

Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process

Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances

Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency

The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate

Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English

Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment

Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills:

Literacy skills to:

locate, read, interpret and convey information in written, diagrammatic and/or verbal form

complete and maintain workplace documentation and reports

Technical skills to use and maintain relevant tools, machinery and equipment

Communication skills and interpersonal techniques to interact appropriately with colleagues and others in the workplace

Numeracy skills to measure, calculate and estimate material quantities and time required to complete a task

Problem-solving skills to:

identify problems and equipment faults and demonstrate appropriate response procedures

review and interpret work requirements

Required knowledge:

Federal, state and territory legislation, regulations, standards, codes of practice and established safe practices relevant to the full range of practising sustainable silviculture in a native forest

Environmental protection requirements and minimal impact strategies to support the implementation of silviculture practices

Organisational and site standards, requirements, policies and procedures relevant to environmental care procedures

Environmental policies and practices, risks and hazard identification relevant to silviculture

Growth habits of specific species under a range of soil and environmental conditions

Regeneration requirements of plant species being managed

Soil conservation and erosion mitigation techniques and their advantages and disadvantages for specific sites and habitats

Communication procedures and protocols

Problem identification and common fault-finding techniques

Procedures for recording and reporting workplace data and information

OHS requirements:

are to be in line with applicable federal, state or territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:

safety management systems

safe work procedures

site safety plans and emergency evacuations

the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing

safety equipment

first aid equipment

firefighting equipment

hazard and risk control

fatigue management

elimination of hazardous materials and substances

safe forest practices, including required actions relating to forest fire

techniques for manual handling, including shifting, lifting and carrying

machine guarding

Regulatory requirements:

are to be in line with applicable legislation from all levels of government that affect sustainable silvicultural operations and may include:

environment protection and biodiversity conservation

silviculture codes and guidelines

ecological sustainability

environmental planning and assessment

threatened species conservation

critical habitat register

native vegetation

federal, state or territory forestry legislation and local government regulations

native forest legislation

forest operational plans

specific site environmental management plans

relevant codes of practice, including Safe Work Australia code of practice ‘Managing Risks in Forest Operations’

water catchment management

surface and ground water conservation requirements

relevant Australian and industry standards

hazard reduction policy and procedures

reforestation codes

fisheries and fish passage

National Parks and Wildlife legislation

good neighbour policies

duty of care

heritage and traditional landowner requirements

Organisational requirements may include:

legal compliance documentation

recording and reporting

environmental management requirements, including waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines

operational plan, including organisation and site guidelines

Various forest types may include:

coast and tableland native forests

inland native forests and woodlands

River Red Gum and river flood plain native forests

tropical forests

exotic plantations

native plantations

Silvicultural methods and techniques may include:

slash or harvesting residue burning

scarification

enhancement planting or supplementary planting

fertilisation

thinning

pruning

waste thinning and non-commercial thinning

commercial thinning

harvesting

gapping

Appropriate personnel may include:

colleague

leading hand

bush boss

foreman

supervisor

manager

safety officer

environmental officer

Changing conditions:

are those conditions that can alter or change and therefore require different work strategies or practices to protect the native forest environment from an increased risk of harm and may include:

recently declared or potentially rare and endangered species identified

unexpected flora or fauna encountered

new or potential habitat

ecology or ecosystem changes

tree size, condition and species

undergrowth and ground cover

canopy

environmental features

operational conditions

ground conditions

weather conditions

wind

dust

smoke

fire

cultural sensitivity

forest type

land tenure

code of practice

quality of roads and tracks

Documentation and reporting may include:

specific organisational records, reports and forms

update of forest operational plan

legislative compliance

non-compliance reports

operational inspection reports

environmental audits

environmental incident or accident reports

reports on any threatened or endangered species of plant, animal or other organisms

presence of unexpected flora and fauna

information on habitats or landscape features

exclusion zone amendments

notifiable species list

risk and hazard or potential hazard control measure reports

timber felling and extraction records

certification requirements

incident or accident reports

landing and snig track design

road and crossing design

on-site mill waste disposal

drainage line and buffer zone specifications

development operations

heritage and traditional landowner reports

work practice improvement recommendations, which may be manual or computer-based

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Identify and review information on occupational health and safety(OHS), environmental, regulatory requirements and organisational requirements relevant to sustainable native forest operations for various forest types 
Identify and interpret key principles and requirements that apply to sustainable silvicultural methods and techniques 
Identify target species in line with approved forest operational plan and organisational procedures 
Review work order and identify and clarify sustainable native forest requirements with appropriate personnel 
Select and use appropriate techniques and tools to measure tree and stand height 
Calculate basal area and assess tree dominance and crown vigour using an approved industry process 
Determine and record standing tree defects 
Identify and mark merchantable trees in line with organisational procedures 
Calculate and apply tree retention and stocking criteria according to legislative requirements and operational plan 
Select appropriate silvicultural methods and techniques to meet environmental and production requirements 
Identify situations requiring specialist advice and seek assistance in line with organisational requirements 
Monitor and adjust work practices to meet changing conditions 
Monitor and maintain sustainable native forest practices in line with relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational requirements 
Identify and report non-compliant work practices to appropriate personnel 
Identify improved work practices and recommend improvements in line with organisational continuous improvement procedures 
Revise and update forest operational plan and organisational procedures as required 
Complete relevant documentation and reporting processes according to relevant legislation, codes and organisational requirements 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

FPICOT3255 - Apply silvicultural principles
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

FPICOT3255 - Apply silvicultural principles

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: