Legislative framework

The management of state forest includes making policy and management decisions commensurate with Victoria's comprehensive legal framework.

Forest Act 1958

Provides for the management of state forests, including the development of working plans to protect public land from fire, to maintain and improve state forests, and for licensed occupations including grazing, beekeeping and the sale of forest produce. 

Forest Act 1958 (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Forest Act 1958 (DOCX, 203.8 KB)

Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004

Provides for the sustainable management of forests. Implements the Sustainability Charter for Victoria's State Forests and the framework for State of the Forests reporting. Provides for the allocation of timber to VicForests through the Allocation Order. 

Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004 (PDF, 450.8 KB)

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

Provides a structure to enable and promote the conservation of Victoria’s native flora and fauna, and manage potentially threatening processes. It provides for the creation of a threatened species list. Sustainable forest management includes the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity, which is incorporated into the sustainable forest management system. 

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (PDF, 533.2 KB)
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (DOC, 361.5 KB)

Regional Forest Agreements

Agreements between the Victorian Government and the Commonwealth that establish targets and commitments for the conservation and use of state forests. You can read about Regional Forest Agreements here.

Visit the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website