Forests

Our Forests, Our Future - Balancing Communities, Jobs and the Environment

In February 2002 the Victorian Government announced the Our Forests, Our Future - Balancing Communities, Jobs and the Environment policy initiative to ensure the sustainable future of Victoria's native forests and the timber-dependent communities they support.

The major components of the initiative included: A 31% reduction in logging across the State. An $80 million assistance package, which included funding for a Voluntary Licence Reduction Program and a Workers Assistance Package. New legislation to ensure resource security. Independent auditing of forests. The establishment of a new commercial entity, VicForests, to separate commercial forestry objectives from the policy and regulatory functions of Government and ensure that the logging industry is managed efficiently.

Our Forests, Our Future presented a significant opportunity for the Government, in partnership with the community, to ensure the long-term future of our forests and regional communities.

Our Forests Our Future - Balancing Communities, Jobs and the Environment (PDF - 136 KB)

The Estimates of Sawlog Resources (ESRs) were undertaken to provided background data and analyses of timber resources for the Our Forests, Our Future policy statement. The ESRs formed an integral part of the Victorian Government's forest strategy, and provided a sound basis from which to support a sustainable native forest timber industry.

The government is committed to continually improving the quality of information about timber resources available from State forest. Since the ESRs, improvements have incorporated advice from the Expert Data Reference Group, which reviewed the ESRs in 2001. With the establishment of VicForests in 2004, the government moved to a new approach for the management of timber resources in eastern Victoria. Here, the ESRs have been replaced by analyses used to prepare the Allocation Order for VicForests. However, ESRs are still used to manage timber resources in parts of western Victoria.

EDRG: Evaluation of Data and Methods for Estimating the Sustainable Yield of Sawlogs in Victoria, 2001 (PDF - 1,004 KB)

Estimates of Sawlog Resources 2001 - West Victoria only

Horsham Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 716 KB)

Mid-Murray Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 1.0 MB)

Midlands Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 911 KB)

Mildura Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 754 KB)

Otway Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 682 KB)

Portland Estimate of Sawlog Resources (PDF - 714 KB)