Sustainability
WA’s timber industry is totally sustainable.
The sustainable management of timber harvesting in WA is governed by a strict and comprehensive legislative framework. It is vital to the success of the industry to adhere to these regulations in order for the forests to be managed to the highest standard.
The Forest Management Plan (FMP) is the piece of legislation that governs the management of State forests in WA. The FMP provides the sustainable management framework for a 10 year period before being re-evaluated. The FMP is comprehensively prepared and monitored. It is based on principles of ecologically sustainable forest management, and also considers economic and social values. The FMP is precautionary.
The FMP governs all land vested by the Conservation and Parks Commission within the State’s South West forests. Compliance with the FMP is enforced by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction’s Parks and Wildlife Service and the Conservation and Parks Commission. The Forest Products Commission is responsible for managing the commercial operations in WA forests in a sustainable manner.
The current FMP (2014-2023) covers approximately 2.25 million hectares of native forest. The native forest covered by the FMP is broadly categorised into two categories: land that is available for timber harvesting (around 850 000 hectares) and land that is protected through various national parks and other types of reserves (around 1.4 million hectares).
The FMP enforces maximum volumes of product that can be harvested from the forest and sustainably regenerated. To learn more about ecologically sustainable forest management in WA, read about it in detail here.
The FMP is not the only guiding document for the native forest sector. Forest management is regulated by the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984, the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and the Forest Products Act 2000. As detailed in Appendix 2 of the current FMP, 23 other acts are relevant to forest management in WA.
Regional Forest Agreements are also vitally important to sustainable forest management in the native forest sector. WA has a Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) covering the south-west. The WA RFA is a 20-year agreement between the State and Commonwealth governments on the use and management of the forests of Western Australia's south-west. Like the FMP, the RFA was developed through an extensive and comprehensive process. The RFA also covers similar concepts to the FMP, with a focus on ecologically sustainable forest management, seeking to balance the competing social, economic and environmental demands. The RFA provides the framework for the FMP, with the FMP stipulating specific management actions.
WA’s plantation forests are also sustainably managed.
Plantation companies adhere to international standards through schemes like Forest Stewardship Council and Responsible Wood. Read more about certification here.
In 2006 FIFWA consolidated a Code of Practice for Timber Plantations through extensive consultation and involvement with industry stakeholders across Australia and at various levels of government.
The FIFWA Code considers economic, social and environmental principles, as well as safety. It is typically reviewed every 5 years, or as required. The Code complements Environmental Management Systems.
To learn more about the RFA, you can read some background information from Parks and Wildlife Service here, or download the WA RFA. Contact Us
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ADDRESS:Unit 1 Abridge House 5 Turner Avenue Bentley WA 6102
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