Forest Management - FAQ
Who manages forests?
Photo: SAForestry
State and Territory governments have primary responsibility for forest management in Australia, while the Australian Commonwealth Government coordinates a national approach to environmental and industry development issues. The Australian Government is also responsible for meeting Australia’s international obligations through a number of conventions and treaties.
Within each State and Territory, different government departments manage forests for different forest values. Some states have separate departments managing Multiple Use Forests and Reserve systems while others combine both within the one organisation. Forestry in Australia is also influenced by the needs of communities who wish to be actively involved in the management of their local forests.
Read more information on how each State and/or Territory manages its forests.
Why are forests managed?
Photo: NSW Department of
Primary Industries
All forests require some form of management (including weed and feral animal management and bushfire protection), whether they are intended for the production of timber or managed for preservation.
State forests are managed to balance the way people use forests for things like timber and recreation while conserving unique forest features like threatened species and Aboriginal sites for current and future generations. National parks are managed to protect areas of predominately unspoilt natural landscapes, their plants, animals and their cultural heritage. The challenge of forest management is to strike a balance between the many, sometimes conflicting, demands on forests.
Since European settlement, forest management in Australia has evolved to accommodate an increasing demand for wood products from a growing population, whilst also recognising the need to preserve forest ecosystems for their environmental values.
Over the past two centuries, forest management practices have passed through different phases; from sustained yield, to multiple use management, to ecologically sustainable management. Today, forests are managed under much greater scrutiny than they were in the past and forest management practices must encompass contemporary social, cultural, environmental and economic values.
Who owns Australia’s forests?
Photo: NSW Department of
Primary Industries
After European settlement, all land in Australia was declared government property and referred to as ‘Crown Land.’ It was allocated to individuals - in leasehold arrangements or as freehold property - and often cleared for agricultural use. Forested areas which were not allocated to individuals were designated as multiple-use forests, timber reserves, nature conservation reserves or remained vacant Crown Land.
More recently this land tenure has started to change, with large areas of forested land now owned and managed by Indigenous groups. As part of the National Forest Policy, a number of multiple-use forests and unclassified Crown Land have also now been declared Nature Conservation Reserves.
A summary of native forest area by tenure is as follows;
| Leasehold land | 75,596,000 hectares | 46% |
| Private land | 38,928,000 hectares | 24% |
| Nature Conservation Reserves | 21,491,000 hectares | 13% |
| Other Crown Land | 13,143,000 hectares | 8% |
| Multiple-use forest | 11,395,000 hectares | 7% |
| Unresolved tenure | 2,127,000 hectares | 1% |
- Leasehold land – crown land held under leasehold title and generally regarded as privately managed.
- Private land – privately owned and managed land.
- Nature Conservation Reserves – crown land that is formally reserved for environmental conservation and recreation.
- Multiple-use forests – land managed for a range of values including timber harvesting, water supply, conservation, recreation and environmental protection.
- Unresolved tenure – land that is difficult to classify according to tenure.
