While plannning was an integral part of forestry activity in Victoria, particularly from the time of the formation of the FCV, this section will focus on the plannning environment, and the strategies and plans developed from the time of the Timber Industry Strategy (TIS) in 1986. The TIS set planning goals for the management of Victoria's native forests and reaching those goals was a challenge because for the first time the plans were to be not only about timber production, but about managing timber production in accordance with sound conservation principles and practices.

The plans were also being developed in an environment where the Federal Government came to play a role, through both its own legislation and the National Forest Policy Statement, first signed in 1992 and upodated in 1995. The development of Regional Forest Agreements - the first of which was completed in Victoria in 1997 - was to interact intimately with Victoria's own planning systems.

This is new, and complicated, ground for this website, and eventually we will present the planning processes that were in place to allow a single coupe to be harvested. So bear with us as we try and put a comprehensive and understandable picture together.

However, as a first step you should understand the obligations established within the TIS, and have a look at the National Forest Policy Statement.

Timber Industry Strategy           NFPS   

Contentious issues arose throughout these planning processes and one of those, from the early 1990s, was management of rainforest. Indeed, even a definition of rainforest was not agreed.

A 1995 paper about rainforest management is available to help you understand at least one input to the planning process. Others will be added as they come to hand.

Rainforest Review

Reading these papers from the Forest Education Project will also help to set the scene.

Sustainable Forests - NRE 1998