Background | Why expand plantations in Australia? | Commitment to sustainability

Commitment to sustainability

Timber plantations are environmentally-friendly, sustainable production systems for farming wood - a renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resource.

The Australian plantation industry is committed to the highest standards of scientific management, to creating employment in regional Australia and to enhancing overall environmental values.

Australian Federal and State government forestry agencies have in place a set of national principles for the management of timber plantations. These principles provide the framework for scientifically sound plantation management and encompass a range of important environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues.

All Australian States have codes of practice for plantation management that conform with these national principles and take into account local contingencies including micro-environmental and infrastructure concerns.

To comply with State codes of practice, plantation managers must carefully plan all aspects of each operation from location and land selection through management for a decade or more to harvest.

Plantation growers are required to comply with a variety of State laws regulating soil and native vegetation conservation, occupational health and safety, fire control and the management, and safe use of approved pesticides.

In addition, Australia has developed an Australian Forestry Standard to provide Australian and overseas consumers with an independent assessment of claims about the sustainability of forest management in Australia.

The AFS is an initiative undertaken by a wide range of representatives from the community, industry and government. Certification to the AFS, independently verified by an accredited certification body, means that a forest manager has addressed crucial environmental, social and cultural values in an effort to make their forests fully sustainable.

The AFS was mutually recognised by the ‘Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes’ (PEFC) on 29 October 2004. It is based on the ISO 14001: 1996 and the Montreal Process, and is compatible with other international certification schemes.

Background | Why expand plantations in Australia? | Commitment to sustainability