Environmental auditing of forestry in Victoria

EPA Victoria plays an important role in helping to deliver environmental sustainability in a way that supports the Government's vision and commitment to sustainability. A core role for EPA is to provide assurance to the community about the health and safety of the environment.

In 2002, the Victorian government released the Our Forests Our Future policy with a commitment to make the application of the Code of Forest Practice for Timber Production 1996 more transparent. To deliver on this commitment, the Minister for the Environment asked EPA to engage an independent environmental auditor to assess compliance on public land with the code.

Background

EPA is responsible for appointing independent environmental auditors to audit timber harvesting on public land in Victoria. This is undertaken through the Victorian statutory Environmental Audit System administered by EPA (EPA Publication 902 – Environmental Auditing in Victoria – Adobe PDF file, 93KB).

The third party audit focuses on compliance of timber harvesting operations with the Code of Forest Practices for Timber Production 1996. Each year, the audit findings are documented and reported to the public.

The code, which has been ratified by parliament and published by Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now Department of Sustainability and Environment), lays down Statewide goals and guidelines that apply to timber harvesting operations. It aims to ensure that timber harvesting is undertaken efficiently and with care, and that the appropriate environmental, social and cultural values are protected.

Implementation of the code and monitoring of public land forest operators' compliance is the responsibility of VicForests in areas to the east of the Hume Highway. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) administers the application of the code on all public land and monitors compliance with the code west of the Hume Highway.

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Forestry audit program

The outcomes of the annual environmental audit benefit DSE, VicForests, the forestry industry and the community by providing an objective and independent assessment of the status of compliance of timber harvesting operations with the code. DSE and VicForests use the audit outcomes to assist decision-making for continual improvement in forestry operations.

There are four distinct phases in the conduct of the forest audit:

• planning
• area selection and information gathering
• field assessment
• reporting.

A consultative process is in place to ensure that community, conservation groups, industry and other interested organisations at the State, regional or local level are engaged in the audit program.

Get information about the forest audits:

2007 Forest Audit
2007 Forest Audit program review
2006 Forest Audit
2005 Forest Audit
2005 Special Forest Audit
2004 Forest Audit
2003 Forest Audit

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Selection of areas for audit

The selection of areas for audit comprises selection of the forest management area or operational area and selection of the actual area of harvested forest (or coupe).

More about the selection of areas for audit

Consultation with stakeholders

EPA is committed to consulting widely with stakeholders with an interest in timber harvesting on public land in Victoria. Since 2003, EPA has developed a network of stakeholders who have been involved or consulted during the audits.

More about the consultation process.

Glossary

See the definition of the most common terms related to the environmental auditing of forestry.

Contact details

For more information and to receive email updates on Victoria's forestry auditing program or to provide feedback on the audit program, contact EPA's Environmental Audit Unit.

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