Australia’s forests and forestry glossary

Australia’s system of integrated national forest data, compiled from state, territory and Australian government agencies, industry information, and independent, remotely sensed data, using national standards and protocols for collation and reporting. Used to meet national and international forest-related reporting requirements. Includes the forest categories ‘Native forest’, ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Other forest’.

See Commercial plantation, National Plantation Inventory, Native forest, Other forest.

Australia’s system for measuring and monitoring changes in greenhouse gas emission and sequestration; includes modelling of carbon stocks and stock changes. Previously referred to as the National Carbon Accounting System.

See Greenhouse gas.

Australia’s national inventory of commercial forest plantations, a program of the National Forest Inventory.

See Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory.

Australia’s network of protected areas, conserving examples of natural landscapes and native plants and animals. The National Reserve System comprises Commonwealth, state and territory reserves, and protected areas on private land, Indigenous land, and land managed by conservation organisations.

A system developed by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments that provides information on the extent and distribution of vegetation types.

A species located within its natural range.

See Non-native (of species).

A National Forest Inventory forest category that comprises national forest types dominated by the suite of native tree species naturally associated with forest in that location and located within their natural range

‘Native forest’ does not include forest reported in the other two national forest categories used in the National Forest Inventory, ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Other forest’.

See Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory, Native forest type, Other forest.

Any one of eight broad national forest types (Acacia, Callitris, Casuarina, Eucalypt, Mangrove, Melaleuca, Rainforest, and Other native forest) into which Australia’s native forests are classified in the National Forest Inventory.

See National Forest Inventory.

The recognition in Australian law that Indigenous people have rights and interests to land and waters according to their traditional law and customs. Native Title is governed by the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993.

See Indigenous (of people).

Components of the natural environment that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance, or other significance, for current and future generations.

See Cultural heritage.

Crown land that is formally reserved for environmental, conservation and recreational purposes, including national parks, nature reserves, state and territory recreation and conservation areas, and some formal reserves in state forests as defined by jurisdictions. It does not include informal reserves and those pending gazettal. The commercial harvesting of wood and non-wood forest products is generally not permitted in nature conservation reserves.

One of six land tenure classes used to classify land in the National Forest Inventory.

See Conservation reserve, Crown land, Land tenure, National Forest Inventory.

The net area of forest available and suitable for commercial wood production on multiple-use public native forest land after allowing for local and/or operational constraints on wood harvesting, including constraints mapped during forest operations. These constraints can include areas reserved to protect rare, fragmented or dispersed values; areas managed for purposes excluding wood harvesting; areas excluded through codes of forest practice or other regulatory instruments; areas excluded due to operational constraints; and areas found to be unsuitable for wood production.

See Code of forest practice, Forestry operations, Harvesting, Multiple-use public forest, Production forest, Protected area, Reserve.

Log taken from the main trunk or branches of a tree above the crown break (the height of the first major branch). The non-bole material in mature trees is additional to the sustained yield.

Vegetation communities and habitats that are not forest, including marine environments, alpine meadows, other woody vegetation (including sparse woody vegetation, heathland and shrubland), grassland, non-forest waterways and wetlands, rock outcrops, mudflats and farmland.

See Forest, Habitat, Sparse woody vegetation, Vegetation community, Wetland.

Land that does not carry forest. Land on which forest is regrowing or will regrow under current management is classified as forest land.

See Forest land.

A policy, recommendation or guideline, or a system of policies, recommendations and/or guidelines, with a defined intention that they be abided by to achieve a desired outcome, but without legal penalties for non-compliance.

See Legally binding instrument.

A tree species with no currently known commercial uses for wood products, based on standards, technology or market conditions.

See Merchantable tree species.

A species located outside its natural range.

See Native (of species).

Native forest that is not managed for commercial wood production.

See Production forest.

A plant without a water-conducting system, such as algae, liverworts and mosses.

See Vascular plant.

A product of biological origin, other than wood, derived from forests, including game animals, seeds, berries, chemical products, mushrooms, oils, foliage, medicinal plants, flowers, fodder, and wood and non-wood Indigenous artefacts.

See Wild harvest.

See National Vegetation Information System (NVIS).

See Non-wood forest product (NWFP).