Module 5 - VicForests

1 MODULE 1 – OVERVIEW
1.1 BACKGROUND
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is the regulator of timber
harvesting operations on public land in Victoria. VicForests is responsible for the
management of commercial harvest and sale of timber from State forest within the
east of the State, while other parts of the State are overseen and managed by DSE,
see Figure 1.1. Timber harvesting operations and associated activities conducted in
State forest must be undertaken in accordance with the Sustainable Forests (Timber)
Act 2004 (the Act). The Act includes requirements that these operations comply with
the Code of Practice for Timber Production 2007 (the Code).
Following a review of the previous forest auditing programs that was administered by
the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Minister for Environment and Climate
Change announced that a new Forest Audit Program would be established by DSE and
would ensure that timber harvesting practices in State forests are open and
transparent. The Minister also directed DSE to ensure that the new Forest Audit
Program (FAP) retained key features from the previous program, including the
statutory environmental audit framework, stakeholder consultation and public
reporting. These compulsory requirements have been included in the design of the
new FAP.
The FAP will apply to commercial timber harvesting conducted in State forests. The
audits will provide an objective and independent assessment of risk of harm to the
environment, status of compliance with the relevant regulatory framework, and assist
DSE and VicForests to pursue their objectives for continual improvement. Audit
reports detailing compliance with the regulatory framework will assist in informing
members of the community about harvesting performance.
The aim of the new FAP can be summarised in three points:
• To assess the performance of timber harvesting operations against the
compliance framework,
• To review the effectiveness of the regulator.
• To review the effectiveness of the regulatory framework.
Environmental Resource Management Australia (ERM) was commissioned by DSE to
assist in designing the new audit program.
FOREST AUDIT PROGRAM – MODULE 1 OVERVIEW PAGE 5