JASANZ is proud to endorse the ForestFit^TM scheme, demonstrating our commitment to promoting environmental sustainability, safety, and business efficiency in the forestry industry. This innovative program, developed in collaboration with industry leaders and the NSW Government, sets new standards for forest contracting businesses, ensuring best practices in safety, environmental stewardship, and business sustainability. The scheme is now accepting applications from interested parties.

About the Scheme

ForestFit^TM provides a whole-of-business approach to supporting safe, sustainable, and environmental business practices. These practices benefit certified forest contracting businesses (FCBs) and the forest growers (FGs) that contract them.

The ForestFit^TM scheme was developed around ForestFit^TM Standards and Criteria. The Standards and Criteria were jointly developed by the forest industry and the NSW Government in partnership with the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA). They were designed to merge and build on existing industry initiatives, standards, regulations and codes of practice.

ForestFit^TM criteria were developed across five certification scopes, including harvest, haulage, civil, silviculture, and minor forest product operations. Information about ForestFit^TM standards and criteria can be found on the AFCA website.

Benefits

Public benefits

The ForestFit^TM Scheme offers significant benefits to the public, mainly centred around environment, safety and social aspects:

• Promotes sustainable forest management to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Ensures forestry operations adhere to safety standards, reducing risks to workers and nearby communities.
• Increases industry transparency, building public trust and ensuring companies are accountable for their environmental and social impacts.
• Strengthens public confidence in the forestry industry through adherence to standards and ethical practices.
• Supports the economic sustainability of communities reliant on forestry by promoting sustainable resource management.

Industry benefits:

• Promotes continuous improvement and sustainable business, safety and environmental practices.
• Creates efficiencies in compliance and auditing of business, safety and environmental performance.
• Provides assurance to the forest industry and regulators of best practice implementation and risk.

Accepting Applications

The ForestFit^TM scheme is now accepting applications. The scheme document provides requirements that conformity assessment bodies (CABs) must meet in order to audit and certify organisations against the requirements of the ForestFit^TM Standards and Criteria. There are four standards that businesses can choose to adopt, General Requirements (mandatory), Business Sustainability, Work Health and Safety, and Environmental Practices.

Learn more by visiting the public page.

JASANZ CABs and Contractors

JASANZ-accredited CABs and Contractors can visit the Shared CAB Portal technical resources page to learn more.

Others Interested Applicants

Other interested applicants can apply via the online application form.