VEAC Fibre and Wood Supply Assessment (VEAC, 2017)

Progress

Overview

In November 2016, the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change requested the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council to undertake an assessment of the viability of and capacity for, current volumes and potential fibre and wood supply areas in state forests in the Central Highlands, North East, Gippsland and East Gippsland regional forest agreement areas.  

The purpose of the assessment is to:

-identify the current, and currently projected, fibre and wood supply to industry from the specified area.  The Council is required to take into consideration current contractual supply  commitments;

-identify the current and likely future constraints to this supply;

-report on public land use and management; and

-report on the viability of and capacity for current and potential wood and fibre supply over appropriate time scales.

The report on VEAC’s Fibre and Wood Supply Assessment was publicly released on 10 May 2017.  

The Victorian Environmental Assessment Council Act 2001 was amended in 2016 to allow the Minister to request the Council to conduct an assessment or to provide advice in relation to a matter that, in the opinion of the Minister, does not require an investigation, having regard to the matter's limited scale or scope or its technical nature. This assessment of fibre and wood supply is requested pursuant to the new section 26B of the Act.