State of the Forests Report

The State of the Forest Report provides the required information for the management of Victoria’s forests. The report ensures the right decisions apply to important natural assets. The Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability prepared and issued the 2018 report. This shift was to increase the independence of the report’s findings. Read the 2018 report highlights below. We prepared all prior State of the Forests reports.

The report is used to assess progress towards sustainable forest management according to the Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management in Victoria.

Highlights of the 2018 State of the Forests Report include:

A more substantial scientific base providing the most rigorous State of the Forests Report to date.
Approximately 80% of indicators have either fair or useful data to assess status or trends.
Victoria remains the only state to have a dedicated, permanent forest monitoring program, which delivered its first complete assessment of forest health and condition across state forests, national parks, and reserves.
Initial application of the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting to assess the benefits and costs of assets like forests, and an outline of data requirements to inform a future set of environmental-economic accounts for Victoria.
A 5% increase in the total number of registered Aboriginal cultural heritage sites on public land.
The entire forest cover has increased by approximately 100,000 hectares.
The formal protected area network has increased by over 8,000 hectares, increasing tourism and recreation areas and increasing visits to protected areas.
A significant net increase in the area of native forest regenerated after harvesting in 2016-17 compared to previous years.
Carbon sequestration from Forest Management activities has increased.
Approximately $24 million on research and development over the reporting period.
A significant investment in the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) modernisation process.

Read the State of the Forests Report 2018

How to reference this report

Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability (2018)
Victoria’s State of the Forests Report 2018. Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, Victoria, Australia.

State of the Forests Report maps

The following maps were produced for Victoria's State of the Forests Report 2018. Please refer to this report for information about data presented in each map.

Victorian Public Land Tenure (PDF, 551.3 KB)

Victorian Forest Monitoring Ground Plots (PDF, 661.1 KB)

Bioregions (PDF, 388.0 KB)

State of the Forests Report

How to reference this report

State of the Forests Report maps

Conservation of biological diversity

Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality

Previous reports

Related links and reports