Forest Audit program review

An independent review of the annual Forest Audit Program has recommended that the program be expanded and that key features such as independence, stakeholder participation and public reporting be retained. The Forest Audit Program will continue to ensure that timber production practices on public land are open and transparent.

The review has helped the Government make decisions about how to ensure these natural resources are used wisely and effectively, and how to continually improve the sustainable management of valuable forest resources.

The future audit program will be commissioned by the Department of Sustainability and Environment as the regulator of forest management in Victoria. The audits will continue to be performed as Statutory Environmental Audits by independent EPA appointed environmental auditors, as in the previous five years. EPA manages the Environmental Audit System and maintains the integrity and independence of the system. Quality assurance processes have been developed for the appointment of new auditors and for checking that all audit reports conform with EPA’s guidelines.

The expanded program will include an audit of planning and operational practices plus a broader audit of environmental legislation and regulatory requirements relating to sustainable timber production. Audits will continue on an annual basis for at least the next three years.

Stakeholders and the community will be able to provide input to the elements that the new audit program will focus on during its development process. The process for input will be facilitated by DSE via their website.

The program review was conducted by consultants SKM, with input provided by EPA Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, VicForests, the Department of Primary Industries and Melbourne Water.

Download SKM’s Final Report (Adobe PDF file, 517 KB or 0.5 MB)

Stakeholder consultation was undertaken by SKM during the review involving representatives from environmental NGOs, timber industry groups and staff from federal and state government agencies.

Background

In 2007, EPA announced that the Forest Audit program would be independently reviewed. The purpose of the review was to provide options to the Minister for Environment, Water and Climate Change for the delivery of the Forest Audit program after 2007.

The review came in light of changes to harvesting arrangements and DSE’s release of their new Code of Forest Practice for Timber Production. The aim of the review was to ensure that compliance with the code continues to improve and environmental objectives continue to be met.

The review was to include consultation with all stakeholders, including community, conservation groups, industry and government agencies.

Scope of the review

The scope of the review was to provide options for the appropriate delivery of a future Forest Audit program following consideration of:

• Original intent of the program
• Victorian environmental audit system and the independence of the audit program
• The new Code of Forest Practice for Timber Production
• Establishment of VicForests as the body responsible for the sustainable harvest and commercial sale of forest timbers from Victorian State forests
• The role of DSE as the land manager and regulator, and the interplay between its regulatory role and any auditing undertaken as part of new environmental management systems and certification of both DSE and VicForests
• Comments and needs of stakeholders (industry and conservation groups), agencies and the community
• Review of the communication (methods and delivery) of the audit program to community and stakeholders
• Continuation of the independence of the audit program
• Implementation of the future program (workable and within current resources)

Consultation program

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) was appointed to undertake the review and consultation program. The consultation program’s aim was for stakeholders and the community to express their views on the previous Forest Audit program and provide input to guide its future direction. This information was captured through focus groups and interviews with stakeholders.

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