Forest Stewardship Policy

Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Limited and its subsidiaries strives to manage the forest assets of the Company to deliver optimal value to our investors and responsible stewardship of the public resources of the forest for benefits to the community.

As stewards of the land, the company will:

1. Incorporate forest management performance evaluation procedures and indicators into the Forest Stewardship System and Forest Stewardship Plan including a framework for setting and reviewing forest management objectives.

2.Hancock Victorian Plantations Manage land and timber resources according to the letter and intent of all statutory requirements in particular the Code of Practice for Timber Production and forest management standards as outlined in the Forest Stewardship System.

3. Promote the development of company employees and the use of appropriately skilled contractors with emphasis on scientific excellence in relation to forest management, the environmental quality of the resource and sensitivity to stakeholder views.

4. Maintain forest ecosystem health and vitality by protecting Company forest from fire, pests and diseases through long-term resource sustainability strategies and short-term integrated pest management programs with minimal environmental impact.

5. Consider the public resources of the forest its water, soil, biological diversity, cultural heritage, landscape amenity and recreational values - and manage them with a long-term sustainable perspective and the prevention of soil and water pollution. 

6. Implement programs to better understand the capacity of the forest to act as a net carbon sink and develop practices to reduce green house gas emissions of forest management activities.

7. Contribute long term social and economic benefits to the community from Company forest management by managing significant adverse environmental and social impacts through the use of integrated forest management procedures and planning.

8. Work with interested stakeholders and with the community to address social and environmental management issues arising from Company forest management.

9. Conduct long-term research to maintain the productive capacity of the forest land and monitor environmental, economic and social aspects of forest management.

10. Commit to continual improvement of forest management performance.