If you want to purchase timber from a truly sustainable resource, planted, grown and harvested in accordance with the strictest codes of practice and consistent with the world’s leading environmental standards always buy certified timber and timber products.
It's also important to purchase timber that is true to label and fit for purpose to avoid premature failure.
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The Facts: Chain of Custody Certification
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Forest certification
Forest certification is the way forward for the industry. It is the simplest way of ensuring timber comes from legal and responsibly managed forests. Certification schemes are voluntary and involve independent assessment against criteria that ensure responsible forest management.
They have specific provisions that generally address:
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A commitment to planning and monitoring
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Adherence to laws and rights to the land
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Consideration of indigenous, community and worker rights, values and benefits
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Protection of environmental and ecological values
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Assurance of ongoing forest yields.
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The Facts: Forest Certification Schemes.
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Although there are numerous certification schemes internationally, the three likely to be encountered in Australia are:
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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
An internationally recognised certification scheme with standards adapted for Australian conditions. FSC-AUS-0027
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The Australian Standard® for Sustainable Forest Management AS 4708 (RW)
An Australian certification scheme developed under the Standards Australia process.
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Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC)
An international certification scheme that endorses various national schemes including AFS.
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The FSC, RW and PEFC demonstrate that forests are being legally and responsibly managed and both plantations and native forests can be certified under either scheme. All of these certification schemes require forest managers to monitor and report on their environmental performance on an ongoing basis.
Illegal logging & imported timber
Despite ongoing efforts to increase plantation forest area over the past 50 years, like Australia as a whole, Queensland remains a net importer of timber and other forest products.
Unfortunately, timber is frequently imported from countries that have less well developed governance and regulatory systems compared with Australia, bringing with it the risk that timber may be sourced from unsustainable origins.
It is estimated that almost 10 per cent of timber and timber products imported to Australia is of “suspicious” origin. Unsustainable timber products distort trade, suppress prices, reduce revenue to governments and forest-reliant communities, and can cause significant environmental damage.
Brisbane is a major gateway for imported timber from south-east Asia and the Pacific, and rapid population growth is driving up demand.
Timber Queensland supports legislative moves to ensure that only timber of legal origin is imported into Australia and has developed its own guidelines to assist purchasers in ensuring the legality of imported timber.
Timber Queensland recommends certified timber be imported where possible. Where certified timber cannot be sourced, a risk assessment should be undertaken, considering the country of origin, documentation sought from the supplier detailing the full supply chain and outlining all aspects of legality, and then using suppliers with the lowest risk.
The Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources - Forestry aims to foster and enable productive, profitable, internationally competitive and sustainable Australian forest and forest products industries. The Australian Government and this department are committed to combating destructive illegal logging activities while also supporting the trade in legally harvested timber and timber products. Legislation designed to promote the trade in legally logged timber and timber products is now law. Find out more here.