Who Manages Our Forests?

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) is responsible for looking after Victoria's forests. It directly manages Victoria's State forests and provides policy guidance for forested parks and reserves, including National Parks. It also offers conservation guidance and incentives to private landholders.

In Victoria, forests occur on different land tenures, including State, Commonwealth and privately owned land. They occur as native forest and as plantations of exotic and native species. In Victoria, 3.7 million hectares of forest exists in the parks and reserve system including National Parks, and 3.4 million hectares occur in State forest, managed for multiple uses. Private landholders manage 1.2 million hectares of largely native forest and 360,000 hectares of plantation.

Parks Victoria is responsible for the State-wide parks and reserve system including National Parks.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is responsible for private forestry, the productive use of plantations and native forest on private land. It also provides policy guidance relating to forestry and the forest products sector in public land and private forests.

VicForests is responsible for the harvesting and commercial sale of timber in the forests of eastern Victoria.

Victorian forests are managed to balance a variety of uses. Forest management takes into consideration the need to conserve flora and fauna, protect water catchments and water supply, provide timber for sustainable forestry, maintain cultural and historic values, and provide employment, recreational and educational opportunities.