Government owned logging agency VicForests have finally released the results of their 2019 Forest Stewardship Council audit, revealing they've failed to achieve FSC certification. This is the fifth try to get the green tick, the audit report reveals major non-conformances for failure to protect threatened species habitat and high conservation values, continued logging of old growth forest, as well as poor stakeholder engagement.

Remarkably, a few months ago when VicForests announced they were abandoning their efforts to get the green tick, they made a desperate attempt to shift the blame for failing to meet the standards, pointing the finger to the FSC board itself, who have nothing to do with the audit process or the outcome. They also blamed the bushfires and COVID, events which happened after the audit in 2019.

Failed regen, Mt Delusion, Swifts Creek

Victorian environment groups are renewing calls for the creation of new parks and reserves to protect native forests from logging after the release of an audit report revealing state owned logging agency VicForests has failed to achieve the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate.

VicForests has failed to achieve the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) green tick. The final audit report by SCS Global has been released citing numerous major non conformances to the FSC standards. Logging and burning of old growth forest and threatened and protected species habitat, rainforest logging, intensive clear fell logging and breaches of the environmental laws were cited as reasons why the state owned logging agency should not be granted the FSC controlled wood tick of approval.  

VicForests is pursuing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for the third time in decade. The internationally recognised certification label regards itself as having strict environmental standards.

Today we joined FSC's independent auditors from SCS Global to show them the impacts of logging on threatened wildlife and old growth forest that is non compliant to the FSC standards.