Timber Release Plan
The Timber Release Plan (TRP) covers areas in the eastern defined forest area, that have been allocated to us by a government Allocation Order, or via special authorisation.
The TRP shows areas where we may conduct operations in state forests, including timber harvesting. These areas are divided into sections of the forest called coupes.
The TRP is regularly reviewed and changed which involves coupes being added, removed or amended. Coupes on the TRP have undergone initial planning and assessment processes by our expert planners who consider a range of factors including type and quality of timber, demand, and forest biodiversity and cultural values.
Prior to harvesting all coupes undergo detailed planning.
Not all coupes on the TRP will be harvested and coupes may stay on the TRP for a number of years.
The approved TRP
VicForests’ changed Timber Release Plan has been approved by the VicForests Board and was gazetted on 23 June 2023.
The amendment to the Timber Release Plan includes:
- the addition of 184 new coupes
- 12 coupe boundary changes
- 2 coupe driveway additions.
There were 20 proposed coupe changes that formed part of the proposed changes put out for public consultation but then were not included in this amendment, including coupes 297-535-0002, 297-535-0005 and 462-512-0018.
The TRP documentation
The TRP documentation displays all coupes on the approved TRP irrespective of their harvesting status.
Coupes may be at different stages of the harvesting cycle with some areas already harvested and undergoing regeneration, and others yet to be harvested.
According to the Code of Practice for Timber Production (as amended 2022) Schedule 1: Management Standards and Procedures for timber harvesting operations in Victoria's State Forests:
- Where a coupe boundary shown on a TRP map is mapped to a geographic feature and the actual location of that geographic feature does not match the mapped location, VicForests may move the coupe boundary a maximum of 50 m from the mapped boundary to align with the actual location of the intended boundary feature.
- Where any coupe boundary overlaps a Special Protection Zone (SPZ), an exemption or temporary variation will be sought from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) prior to harvesting; otherwise, the area will be excluded from harvesting and associated operations.
Interactive map
VicForests' areas of operations and the coupes currently listed on the approved TRP can be viewed on the interactive map.
Note: Firefox or Google Chrome is recommended when viewing the interactive map.
