Certification and audit
We want Australians to know when they buy Victorian native timber – harvested and supplied by VicForests – that the wood is fully certified.
Certification gives the assurance that Victorian forests are managed responsibly to deliver sustainable social, environmental, and economic outcomes.
As such our activities are highly scrutinised with extensive internal, external, certification and regulatory audits, including Responsible Wood Certification Scheme audits every three years and surveillance audits every nine months.
The findings from these audits are used to improve operational practices and inform improvements.
Responsible Wood Certification Scheme
We are proud to be certified to the Australian Forestry Standard for Sustainable Forest Management from 2007 to 2024.
The Australian Forestry Standard (AS4708) is administered under the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme, which in turn is endorsed by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) – the largest forest certification scheme in the world.
This means we are assessed by independent and accredited third-party certification bodies against stringent environmental, social and economic criteria to meet the highest quality sustainable forest management principles.
VicForests held this certification from 2007 to 2024.
Certification is important because it provides consumers with peace of mind that wood products come from sustainably managed forests using operations that comply with independently assessed, global benchmarks.
Seeking certification is voluntary and nearly 27 million forest hectares across Australia are certified by the Australian Forestry Standard.
Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708)
The Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) demonstrates that VicForests' operations meet the requirements for best practice in sustainable forest management.
This was done by ensuring our operations met a set of predetermined and clearly defined environmental, economic, social and cultural performance requirements that supports sustainable management of forests.
For more information on Responsible Wood, including standards they certify, visit:
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action audits
VicForests operates in a strict regulatory environment which is overseen by the Conservation Regulator.
The Conservation Regulator was established by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA, formally DELWP) to manage DEECA’s regulatory functions.
One of the Conservation Regulator's functions is to regulate timber harvesting operations. This includes managing the Forest Audit Program which is an independently commissioned audit of VicForests compliance against Victoria’s timber harvesting regulatory framework.