The consultation is open from 29 April to 29 June 2026. FSC ANZ invites all stakeholders to review the draft Standard and provide feedback via the FSC Public Consultation Platform. Constructive feedback is welcomed, especially suggestions that clearly explain how specific changes can be improved.
James Felton-Taylor, Chair of FSC ANZ and founder of Australian Sustainable Timbers, said, “This is the last chance to shape the Standard in its entirety for at least the next five years. The FSC ANZ Board urges everyone passionate about responsible forestry to participate and help set the new benchmark for responsible forest management in Australia.”
Webinar: Overview of Proposed Changes to Australia’s Forest Stewardship Standard
This webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, 3 June at 14:00 - 15:30 AEST, is an opportunity to hear about the key proposed changes in the second draft of the revised Forest Stewardship Standard for Australia. Presented by Senior Policy Manager and Standards Development Group facilitator, Stefan Jensen, the webinar will provide valuable insights to help stakeholders understand and engage with the revised Standard. All interested stakeholders are welcome to attend. Please note the webinar will not be recorded.
Key changes in the Second Draft
The Standards Development Group (SDG), the technical working group responsible for revising the Standard, considered all stakeholder feedback received in the initial consultation which closed in August 2025. Based on this feedback, the draft Standard has been updated to reflect stakeholder input.
Key proposed changes include:
- Significant changes to the requirements for the use of highly hazardous pesticides, including a streamlining of Indicators
- Clarified requirements for Cultural Empathy Training
- Expanded scope to cover all non-timber forest products (NTFPs), with additional NTFP-specific Indicators to ensure responsible extraction
Forest testing
The draft Standard will be field-tested from 19-21 May in a Victorian native forest and a Tasmanian plantation. This trial will help verify that the revised Standard requirements are practical to implement and can be effectively audited. The learnings from the forest testing, together with the feedback from the consultation, will underpin the development of the final draft of the Standard.
Finalising the revision process
The final draft Standard will be submitted to the FSC ANZ Board for review and approval. It will then be assessed by FSC International to ensure all required normative processes have been met and that the Standard itself includes all required elements. Hereafter, it is considered for final approval by the Policy and Standards Committee, which has delegated authority from the FSC International’s Board of Directors for decisions on FSC Forest Stewardship Standards. Any conditions for approval identified by the Committee must be addressed by the SDG before the Standard is fully approved.
Please contact Stefan Jensen, Senior Policy Manager at FSC ANZ and SDG Facilitator at s.jensen@au.fsc.org for questions or comments.
For more information about the revision process, click here.
Take part in the consultation by clicking here.