Forests NSW management of the State’s productive public forests has been granted certification under the internationally recognised Australian Forestry Standard (AFS).

AFS certification is an independent endorsement of the sustainable forest management of NSW State forests.

Most Australian forest growers who have obtained certification have done so through AFS, which is based on a rigorous assessment of forest management practices to meet customer and community expectations.

“Increasingly, consumers want more information about the goods and services they buy and use,” NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said. “People want to use environmentally friendly and sustainably produced products.

“AFS certification demonstrates to home builders and renovators that timber products from NSW State forests are exactly that. Timber is indeed a renewable and environmentally friendly choice for construction.”

AFS sets a benchmark for the management of Australian forests. Meeting that standard demonstrates that timber production is done in an environmentally friendly, socially aware and economically viable manner.

Internationally, the market preference for sustainable products has increased the pressure for forest industries to gain forest management certification.

“We can now verify in the international arena that our forests are being sustainably managed,” Mr Macdonald said.

“AFS is recognised under the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes, the program with the most certified forests in the world, so we are going with the strength.”

Mr Macdonald said that now when customers ask for timber from sustainably managed forests, Forests NSW could assure them that it met those standards.

It also means that Forests NSW customers could seek a ‘chain of custody’ certification from independent accredited bodies to stamp their products showing that they met the Australian Forestry Standard.

This article appears in the Autumn 2007 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.