Sustainable harvesting

Wood is one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly building materials in the world – but only when the forests that supply this renewable resource are managed properly.

For forest harvesting to be sustainable, it needs to be managed in a way that allows at least as many trees to be re-planted, or to regenerate naturally, as are being removed.

The environmental impact of harvesting practices must also be minimised so that the area’s biodiversity is maintained. This especially applies to areas that provide a home to endangered species of native plants and animals.

There are dozens of forest certification schemes in operation around the world that are designed to promote sustainable harvesting practices and ethical forest management. Some of them have a global reach and others have a more regional focus.

The two most popular international schemes are:

• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Both of these schemes are recognised by the Australian Government and used widely by forest growers, importers and processers in Australia.

FSC certification in Australia is administered by FSC Australia. It is a ‘second party’ system in the sense that the organisation issues compliance certificates itself.

PEFC certification, by contrast, is a ‘third-party’ system since it engages independent bodies to issue the certificates. In Australia, this occurs through Responsible Wood, which audits businesses against the Australian Standard (AS 4708) Sustainable Forest Management.

Both schemes provide systems for tracking the timber’s pathway through the supply chain – called the chain of custody – from the time it is harvested in the forest, through the sawmilling, manufacturing and distribution phases, and finally to the point of purchase by the consumer.

Consumers can look up the chain of custody pathway for themselves by noting the identification number printed on the FSC or Responsible Wood label attached to the product and matching it up on the scheme’s website. For the product to receive an identification number, the supply chain must follow an unbroken line of certified organisations.